Dear Queenie, can you explain umami to me? Veena D., Mosman
Dear Veena – Taste is one of our basic senses. It helps us evaluate food and drinks. Like when you realise the milk has gone sour, it lets us know what’s safe to eat and also gets our bellies ready to digest our food.
Of late people have been talking about ‘umami‘ as if it’s something new. It’s not new at all, it’s a savoury taste but we didn’t have a name for it until a few years back.
Umami.
We have receptors for five kinds of tastes:
- sweet
- sour
- salty
- bitter
- savoury or umami
I love umami. I’m sure we all do.
Aged cheese, mushrooms, anchovies, tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, garlic, kimchi, asparagus and so many more eminently delicious things including, of course, the Great Australian Vegemite.