Umami, or what you might be missing without knowing it

Kix

I just wonder how many people here are aware of the fifth taste, called ;'umami' (from the Japanese for 'tasty')?

It's a true taste which has received scant recognition in western cusine. I suspect it's because it's readily provided by meat in the western diet. In fact, the taste can also be be described as 'meaty' (although it exists in far more than meat). In its most basic form, it's the taste you get from MSG. Think of a plain chip vs. a chip with Aromat and you'll get some idea what it's like.

Before i knew about it, there always seemed to be something slightly lacking in my vegetarian diet but I never realised what it was. Thankfully, there are plenty of sources of umami, especially from Italian and Asian cooking.

From Italian cusine some examples are tomatoes, parmesan and mushrooms. For example, dried porcini and their soaking liquer can give a real kick to veggie dishes.

From asian food, soy sauce is the most obvious source. Konbu (kelp), a dried Japanese seaweed (the Japanese would say sea-vegetable ) is another and can be used to make an simple and excellent vegetarian version of the stock which is at the heart of all Japanese cooking, dashi. In fact, it was through konbu that umami was first discovered.

For those who are interested, making a konbu and ****ake dashi is very simple; add 3in of dried konbu and a few dried ****ake mushrooms to a pint/pint and a half or cold water and leave to soak for an hour or so. Bring it very slowly to the boil and remove the konbu and mushrooms as soon as it reaches it. If you boil the konbu it can become "slimy". The dashi is now ready. You can save the mushrooms and konbu and add them to stir-frys, etc. if you're that organised (I'm not I confess). This is a great stock and far simpler than any western one. If you like miso soup just add a tablespoon or soy and pehaps two of miso and you're there. Ideally you should also add some cubes of tofu/a chopped spring onion/some wakame (another seaweed) for garnish.

Just as a by-the-by, in a traditional dashi the water and konbu is brought to boil and then fish flakes are added. I once read a very convinving explaination of why ****ake substitute so well but I can't quite recall it I'm afraid. You'll just have to take my word for it

CJhaughey

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=273075&highlight=umami

direbadger

That's interesting. Until I read that Wikipedia article I thought Umami was just propaganda for the MSG industry. I didn't really believe in it! It's still a bit difficult to understand since they say the taste is in both soy sauce and grapes! I love both but I can't see the correlation

Kix

CJhaughey wrote:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=273075&highlight=umami

Yep, I searched yesterday and I saw that but unfortunately, apart from the Wikipedia link, there wasn't much to the thread. I really wanted to mention it in the context of vegetarianism, because I think a knowledge of it can be a real benefit in terms of taste and variety. It's made a big diference to me.

Direbadger: I was really surprised about grapes too I can't say that I've noticed. If it is there, adding salt should really intensify it. I think I'll do that and see if the result is edible and report back.

K

CJhaughey

Here is a link to a Guardian article which I found interesting.
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,1614469,00.html
[I [/I]
In the context of vegetarianism if you follow asian cooking which has many vegetarian dishes the concept of dull cooking doesn't even register, maybe because of the Umami flavour common in this cuisine.

Kix

CJhaughey wrote:

Here is a link to a Guardian article which I found interesting.
http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,,1614469,00.html
[I [/I]
In the context of vegetarianism if you follow asian cooking which has many vegetarian dishes the concept of dull cooking doesn't even register, maybe because of the Umami flavour common in this cuisine.

Very good article; I've read the Jeffery Steingarten essay from which the title is lifted. I have two of his books and I think it's in "The Man Who Ate Everything" (a great read for any food lover - his obsession with pizza oven temperatures for example will bring a smile to any foodie's face).

I think there's also another good Guardian article by Heston Blumenthal on umami (I love the food monthly) which I'm too lazy to root out a link for but I'm pretty sure exists. Heston likes to often take a scientific view of his food, for example showing how salt balances bitterness (rather than sweet as I think many people assume) and how adding a teaspoon of salt to a glass of tonic water makes it taste sweet (the sugar now expressing itself more strongly).

I do love to cook asian style food and a lot of the recipies I commonly use are asian or asian inspired.

You're obviously well informed on the subject already. Are you a vegetarian yourself or just very interested in food?

Kix

Just a by-the-by, several years ago I was picking up a packet of ramen noodles in a supermarket. A stranger standing beside me verbally accosted me and told me not to buy them as they were "full of MSG". When I told him that I was a vegetarian and that meat for example was full of MSG and ISG (which he'd never heard of) and that my diet was naturally low in MSG he looked at me as if I'd peed on his shoes.

He something about "natural MSG" being OK and wandered off looking cross. It amused me and annoyed me in equal measure because I clearly knew a lot more than he did but it hadn't exactly been difficult to find out what I knew, but he couldn't be bothered to do that - he'd just rather spout some hysterical crap without any notion of the facts.

Imagine how surprised I was then to get a blinding headache, numbness and palpitations after eating the noodles (Just kidding folks!!)

Tar.Aldarion

From your first post, I wouldn't describe the taste as 'meaty' more like savoury. It is not in meat much at all but in things like soy sauce. Unfortunately I don't like nearly everything it is in so really my only decent experience of umami is in meat where it is not very prevalent. Although your post did bring about a big discussion in my home about the five tastes and how to tell the difference between bitter and sour...
Sometimes it's quite hard even though they are very different things...
Anyway umami, some people would consider food without it to be dull, not me. I enjoy 'dullness' and hate nearly all foods people would consider otherwise.
Simple diet for me.
For other vegetarians I can see how knowing about it would be of great benefit to them although as it is not in meat too much anyway I would say it is of benefit to all knowing of it and trying foods with it.
As cj said, with it, especially in asian cuisine, dull doesn't even register.

CJhaughey

I am very interested in food, not a vege but enjoy vege meals as long as they aren't boring, well same goes for any food meat or no meat.
I remember eating a chicken in singapore in a Buddhist monk run Restaraunt it was all vegetarian but the *chicken* had bones made from bamboo shoots it looked and tasted exactly as chicken should. Amazing.
I am sure that some chillis have a Umami component I find that food has a more complex taste with chilli in it especially fresh chilli.