Why umami pairs multiply
Glutamate is in kombu, tomatoes, parmesan and soy sauce. Pair it with a nucleotide like inosinate (meat, bonito) or guanylate (dried shiitake) and the savoriness multiplies. Two kinds beat a double dose of one.
Everyday umami pairings
A cheeseburger combines both: beef brings inosinate, and tomato and cheese bring glutamate. Ragu, parmesan with prosciutto and dashi follow the same pattern. Cooks found these combinations by taste long before anyone knew the chemistry.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
Which pair boosts savoriness the most?
Kombu and bonito flakes. Glutamate plus inosinate multiply each other, which is why dashi tastes so savory.
True or false: Doubling the tomato paste in a sauce multiplies savoriness as much as adding anchovy would.
False. Doubling a glutamate source adds umami. The multiplying jump needs a nucleotide too.
Fill the blank: Glutamate paired with inosinate or ___ tastes far more savory than either alone.
Glutamate paired with inosinate or guanylate tastes far more savory than either alone. Guanylate, from dried shiitake, multiplies the glutamate signal.
A kombu-only broth tastes good but thin. What deepens it most efficiently?
Steep a few dried shiitake in it. Shiitake bring guanylate, which multiplies the glutamate from kombu.
True or false: Dried shiitake bring guanylate that teams up with the glutamate in kombu.
True. Dried shiitake are rich in guanylate, which pairs with the glutamate in kombu.