18 min listen
Umami: A Century Of Disbelief
FromScience Diction
ratings:
Length:
21 minutes
Released:
Aug 18, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Salty, sweet, sour, bitter. Scientists once thought these were the only tastes, but in the early 20th century, a Japanese chemist dissected his favorite kombu broth and discovered one more: umami. In recent years, umami has become a foodie buzzword, but for nearly a century, the Western world was in full-blown umami denial—didn’t believe it existed. And we might have stayed that way if it weren’t for our most notorious and potent source of umami: MSG.
A 1930s advertisement for Ajinomoto.
(Courtesy of the Science History Institute.)
Advertising brochure from the late 1940s until the early 1950s for Ac'cent, an MSG product manufactured by the International Minerals & Chemical Corporation.
(Courtesy of the Science History Institute.)
Kikunae Ikeda, who proposed the idea of umami as a fifth basic taste.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Guest:
Nirupa Chaudhari is a professor of physiology & biophysics at the University of Miami.
Kumiko Ninomiya is the director of the Umami Information Center.
Footnotes & Further Reading:
Special thanks to Sarah Tracy for some background on MSG in the United States.
Read a translation of Kikunae Ikeda's original manuscript in Journal of the Chemical Society of Tokyo.
"A Short History Of MSG" discusses Ajinomoto's marketing techniques, as well as reception of MSG in the United States and around the globe.
If you're dying to see the Mr. Umami video mentioned in this story, watch it here.
Hear more chefs gushing over umami at the Austin Food & Wine Festival.
Credits:
Science Diction is hosted and produced by Johanna Mayer. Elah Feder is our editor and producer. Nathan Tobey contributed story editing, and Kaitlyn Schwalje contributed writing and research. Thanks also to Lauren J. Young and Attabey Rodríguez Benítez for research help. Our composer is Daniel Peterschmidt, and they also did sound design. Chris Wood mastered this episode. We had fact checking from Michelle Harris. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer.
A 1930s advertisement for Ajinomoto.
(Courtesy of the Science History Institute.)
Advertising brochure from the late 1940s until the early 1950s for Ac'cent, an MSG product manufactured by the International Minerals & Chemical Corporation.
(Courtesy of the Science History Institute.)
Kikunae Ikeda, who proposed the idea of umami as a fifth basic taste.
(Wikimedia Commons)
Guest:
Nirupa Chaudhari is a professor of physiology & biophysics at the University of Miami.
Kumiko Ninomiya is the director of the Umami Information Center.
Footnotes & Further Reading:
Special thanks to Sarah Tracy for some background on MSG in the United States.
Read a translation of Kikunae Ikeda's original manuscript in Journal of the Chemical Society of Tokyo.
"A Short History Of MSG" discusses Ajinomoto's marketing techniques, as well as reception of MSG in the United States and around the globe.
If you're dying to see the Mr. Umami video mentioned in this story, watch it here.
Hear more chefs gushing over umami at the Austin Food & Wine Festival.
Credits:
Science Diction is hosted and produced by Johanna Mayer. Elah Feder is our editor and producer. Nathan Tobey contributed story editing, and Kaitlyn Schwalje contributed writing and research. Thanks also to Lauren J. Young and Attabey Rodríguez Benítez for research help. Our composer is Daniel Peterschmidt, and they also did sound design. Chris Wood mastered this episode. We had fact checking from Michelle Harris. Nadja Oertelt is our Chief Content Officer.
Released:
Aug 18, 2020
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (43)
Ketchup: A Fishy History: At the turn of the 20th century, 12 young men sat in the basement of the Department of Agriculture, eating meals with a side of borax, salicylic acid, or formaldehyde. They were called the Poison Squad, and they were part of a government experiment to figure out whether popular food additives were safe. (Spoiler: Many weren’t.) Food manufacturers weren’t pleased with the findings, but one prominent ketchup maker paid attention. Influenced by these experiments, he transformed ketchup into the all-American condiment that we know and love today. Except ketchup—both the sauce and the word—didn't come from the United States. The story of America’s favorite condiment begins in East Asia. Harvey Wiley (back row, third from left) and the members of The Poison Squad. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) Members of the Poison Squad dining in the basement of the Department of Agriculture. Harvey Wiley occasionally ate with them, to offer encouragement and support. (U.S. F by Science Diction