Flavor and the Fifth Taste; Umami

Flavor and the Fifth Taste; Umami

The human tongue, it has been said, can detect only four basic tastes; sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, and that all tastes are merely a combination of these. There is a belief that the taste buds are actually helped along by the sense of smell, by the feel of substances in the mouth and even by the noise that food makes when we chew it.
“There is a taste which is common to asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and meat but which is not one of the four well-know tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, and salty“, remarked Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University. In 1907 Professor Ikeda began his experiments to identify what the source of this distinctive taste was. His studies found that crystals of glutamic acid (or glutamate) found in the broth of a type of seaweed, KOMBU, produced this unique flavor. Professor Ikeda found that glutamate had a distinctive taste, different from the basic four tastes, and named it “umami”. It turns out that for every 100 grams of dried kombu there is 1 gram of glutamate contained therein. Professor Ikeda decided to make this new found glutamate into a seasoning but was determined to make it have the same properties as sugar and salt: it had to be easily soluble in water but neither absorb humidity nor solidify. His findings produced a knowledge that monosodium glutamate had good storage properties and a strong umami or savoury taste. Alone, monosodium glutamate has no distinct smell or specific texture. It can be used in many different dishes where it naturally enhances the original flavor of the food.
Both the word and the concept of UMAMI are Japanese, and in Japan are quite antiquated. Umami is difficult to translate into English because there are numerous words to suggest equivalents, such as savoury, essence, pungent, deliciousness, and meaty. It is sometimes associated with a feeling of perfect quality in a taste, or of some special emotional circumstance in which a taste is experienced. It is also said to involve all the senses, not just that of taste. One can even say, there is more than a suggestion of a spiritual or mystical quality about the word.
Granted, one can speculate that words are used to describe feelings, tastes and flavors, and even to bridge the concepts. To simply call umami the “Fifth Taste” seems perfectly reasonable, especially when speaking strictly of flavor. Since “flavor” and umami are the topics of today, here is a special recipe that illustrates the pinnacle of both. Caesar salad meets Umami. A Caesar salad dressing is the perfect example of Umami. Umami is known to make relatively tasteless green vegetables, like lettuce, become more appealing. the aged cheeses provide a considerable amount of glutamate. Anchovy, used in very small quantities provide functional amounts of nucleotides. Throw in some egg protein and boom, you have the ultimate synergistic umami concoction.

Enjoy






Caesar Salad
10 appetizer servings

1 lb 4 oz romaine lettuce, chopped 3/4 inch squares

DRESSING

1 tbs garlic, crushed
5 each anchovy fillets
3/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground or to taste
2 oz pasteurized egg, whole or yolk only
2 fl oz lemon juice, fresh squeezed

10 fl oz olive oil, extra virgin
6 oz parmesan cheese, finely grated

12 oz croutons, garlic flavored or plain

1. Seperate the romaine leaves. Clean and thoroughly dry. Tear or cut into pieces if necessary. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. To prepare the dressing, mash together the garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper in a bowl to form a relatively smooth paste. Add the egg and the lemon juice and blend well. Gradually add the olive oil, whisking as it is added to form a thick emulsion. Stir in the Parmesan. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
3. Salad Assembly: For each serving, combine 2 oz greens with 1 fl oz dressing, tossing gently until evenly coated. Garnish with a few croutons.