Umami, the Fifth Taste Sense

Salty, sweet, bitter, and sour—these are the four types of taste our tongue recognizes. Is that really all there is, though? Have you ever had the sensation that you weren’t eating something salty, bitter, sweet, or sour? A dish that might have had all those components to it, and yet…it just wasn’t describable in such terms?

What you perceived was umami (oo-MAH-mee). The fifth taste. Yes, umami is considered to be the fifth fundamental human taste. But to many diners, it’s still a mystery. So what is exactly the umami taste? Well, the word itself is Japanese and there's no English word that's synonymous with umami. However, it is most often described as a ‘savoury’ or ‘meaty’ taste. Have you ever wondered why adding ketchup to a burger can make it taste out of this world? Or why chicken soup is so tasty? The answer is that tomatoes and chicken are full of umami. We also taste umami in many everyday foods like bacon, Parmesan cheese, beef jerky, seaweed, shellfish, asparagus, mushrooms, sweet corn, carrots, soy sauce and green tea.

Umami is a flavour that may be difficult to describe, but most people know it when they taste it. It’s rich, earthy, flavourful, sultry, and savoury. Simply put, it just makes the food taste more delicious. Umami is the reason people put bacon in their omelettes, the reason a cheeseburger is more satisfying than a hamburger, and the reason people just know that their spaghetti Bolognese needs grated Parmesan cheese on top. It may not be sweet, salty, sour, or bitter, but it’s the quintessential taste that makes our mouths water. Hmm…yummy umami!