Free sample lesson Taste & Texture

This lesson is derived from the chapter on the five basic tastes. Umami is often called the Fifth Taste. Other lesson in the chapter from the course are on Sweet, Sour, Bitter and Salt.

There are receptors on the tongue that are sensitive to MSG: Monosodium glutamate, a natural by-product of some fermented products such as miso, soy sauce and fermented cheeses. In its isolated form, MSG is also known as ve-tsin (in Chinese ‘wei-jing’: ‘essence of flavour’). Pure MSG gives a savoury feeling on the tongue without depth, but if you add a pinch of MSG to fried mushrooms, the mushroom flavour suddenly becomes much more intense. The secret of MSG is that, when combined with the right flavourings, it gives those flavourings an enormous boost. This is the result of patterns in the brain that are reinforced by MSG. So it is not the case that by adding MSG more aromas reach the olfactory organ, only the experience of them in our brains changes. This is a typical example where the multisensory aspect of our taste experience makes one plus one become three.

In this course we show you how to boost Umami flavor by using natural umami rich products such as seaweeds, olives, fermented plant-based cheeses etc. 

Kitchen cupboard

Fortunately, there is an enormous choice of umami flavourings for the kitchen cupboard. We can only recommend that you stock up on them because they really make your plant-based food tastier and more interesting.

• All soy sauces: the Japanese ones you eat with sushi, tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), Chinese soy sauce and Indonesian soy sauce.
  Miso pastes: made from fermented soya beans.
• Fresh and dried mushrooms: e.g. shiitake, ceps, dried forest mushrooms. With dried mushrooms the umami taste is much more concentrated.
• Tomatoes and tomato puree: tomatoes naturally contain umami, by concentrating the tomato into a puree, the umami flavour is much stronger.
• Seaweed – and kombu seaweed in particular: is used in Japanese cuisine to make dashi. A powerful umami broth which usually includes dried tuna.
• Tempeh: made from fermented soya beans.
• Matcha powder: also has an umami flavour when combined with salt, a great condiment. You make this by mixing two parts salt with one part matcha powder. Delicious on: crisps, vegetable tempura, avocado and hummus.