Umami
Umami is the savoury taste, one of the five basic tastes alongside sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It is triggered mainly by glutamate, an amino acid found in foods like parmesan, tomatoes, soy sauce, mushrooms and meat broth, and it gives food a rich, brothy depth.
How umami works
Your tongue has receptors (called T1R1/T1R3) that respond to free glutamate. "Free" matters: glutamate locked inside intact proteins doesn't register. Ageing, fermenting, cooking and drying break proteins apart and release it, which is why aged cheese tastes more savoury than fresh.
Two other compounds, inosinate (in meat and fish) and guanylate (in dried mushrooms), barely taste of anything alone but multiply umami dramatically when paired with glutamate. This umami synergy can make the combination taste several times stronger than either alone.
That is why classic pairings work so well:
- Japanese dashi: kombu (glutamate) + bonito flakes (inosinate).
- Italian ragù: tomato and parmesan (glutamate) + beef (inosinate).
- Chinese stir-fry: soy sauce (glutamate) + dried shiitake (guanylate).
High-umami foods
| Food | Approximate free glutamate (mg per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Kombu | 1,500–3,000 |
| Aged parmesan | 1,200–1,700 |
| Soy sauce | 400–1,700 |
| Fish sauce | 600–1,400 |
| Ripe tomatoes | 150–250 |
| Dried shiitake | about 1,000 |
Values vary by ripeness, age and brand.
How to add umami
- Stir 15 g (1 tbsp) tomato paste into stews and fry it until it darkens.
- Add a parmesan rind to soups and beans while they simmer.
- Use a splash of fish sauce or soy sauce in sauces, even non-Asian ones.
- Season with a pinch of MSG, about 0.5 g (⅛ tsp) per serving.
- Dissolve 15 g (1 tbsp) white miso into dressings or butter.
- Brown meat and vegetables well; the Maillard reaction creates savoury compounds too.
Chef Fizz says: Soup tasting flat even with enough salt? It might be begging for umami, not more salt. Try a dash of soy sauce.
Umami and salt
Umami and salt boost each other, so savoury dishes often need less salt once umami is high. Glutamate on its own tastes oddly flat; a little salt makes it pop.
Questions
What does umami taste like?
A savoury, brothy, mouth-filling richness. Think of the deep taste of chicken stock, aged parmesan or a ripe tomato that makes your mouth water.
What foods are high in umami?
Aged parmesan, soy sauce, miso, fish sauce, anchovies, kombu, dried shiitake, ripe tomatoes, tomato paste, cured ham, nutritional yeast and MSG.
Is umami the same as MSG?
No. Umami is the taste; MSG (monosodium glutamate) is one ingredient that delivers it. Glutamate in MSG is chemically identical to the glutamate in tomatoes and cheese.
Who discovered umami?
Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified glutamate as the source of kombu broth's savoury taste in 1908 and named it umami, roughly 'pleasant savoury taste'.