How umami overcame discrimination and took its place as the 5th taste
Everything about this savory flavor is mysterious, from how it tastes to why it took so long to get recognized as the fifth taste. What is it, and how does it make food taste delicious?
What makes a meal delicious? Often, the answer might be umami. The Japanese word means "delicious taste," and refers specifically to a savory, meaty flavor often found in fish broths, mushrooms, cheese and tomato sauce.
Umami is now considered the fifth primary taste — next to sweet, sour, bitter and salty, but as I discovered, umami has a character and history all its own.
Having Japanese immigrant parents meant steeped in umami: Soy sauce, miso paste, and dashi, a broth made from
