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Article Excerpt
Whenever we consume food, we instinctively perceive much more than its obvious flavors. Our palates experience aspects of food that we may not understand or even be aware of. Any dish's flavor can be dramatically altered by our unique sense of taste or perception. The most basic function of food preference, or sense of taste, is the ability to detect the almost indiscernible subtleties of the foods we eat.
There is a whole range of tastes that we, as chefs, can tap into to make our dishes more appealing. If we are conscious of how our diners experience the food we cook, we can prepare dishes that far transcend the basic purpose of filling their stomachs.
TASTE SENSATION
As culinarians, we try to create the perfect balance between the four basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. As diners, however, we have all experienced that intensity that somehow eludes definition: that enigmatic fifth taste known as umami. Yet up until the nineteenth century, the Western world believed that our mouths could not sense anything beyond the basic four tastes. In actuality, however, our ability to perceive other tastes has been known throughout the world for thousands of years. In ancient Greece, Aristotle identified seven basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, spicy, astringent, and sandy. As early as 1000 B.C., the Chinese documented five basic tastes whereas believers in ancient Indian yogic principles identified eight. Nevertheless, these early classifications were based more on observation than scientific fact.
In recent history, the debate on the validity of umami has been a heated one, to say the least, especially in America, where the concept of umami has taken quite some time to gain recognition. Throughout this controversy, one question has most often been disputed: Is umami a taste or a flavor? The answer lies in the definition of these two terms. Taste involves only a single sensation of each of the five basic tastes. A flavor, on the other hand, is a combination of multiple sensations experienced at the same time. Flavor, most notably, includes taste and smell.
By isolating the sense of taste, we can illustrate the difference between a taste and a flavor. If you bold your nose while eating a lemon, for example, the only sensation that you perceive is sourness, a taste. The sour taste of a lemon cannot be distinguished from that of vinegar, yet when you proceed to open your nose and inhale, you can sense the specific flavor of lemon.
Umami can be perceived by taste alone. Although the presence of other basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) does make umami more apparent, the entire sensation is experienced on the tongue. This categorizes umami as a basic taste, not a flavor. Despite this fact, umami has not always been considered a basic taste in America. In the 1950's, the FDA categorized umami as a flavor enhancer because it requires the presence of other tastes in order to be perceived. It wasn't until 1990 at an international symposium that umami was widely accepted as the fifth basic taste.
PERFECTING THE PALATE
Ever since people have savored food, they have felt the presence of umami but have had trouble in accurately defining the term.
Umami is a Japanese word that roughly translates into English as "robust" or "delicious." Umami can also be described as heartiness, savoriness, or fullness of the mouth.
Even though it was only recently "discovered," many foods and seasonings popular throughout history have been naturally high inumami. One such flavoring agent used in ancient Greece and Rome was a pickled fish sauce called garum. This condiment dates back 2500 years, making it the oldest recorded umami seasoning. Other classic international dishes that include umami are Japanese broth true Italian pizzas, and French sauces.
In addition to pleasing the palate, umami was beneficial to early human survival. Our bodies are actually designed to appreciate and even crave the umami taste. Historically, one purpose of our sense of taste is to enable us to differentiate between healthy and harmful foods. Specifically, we naturally desire sweet foods so that we can maintain enough calories in our diet. Likewise, our affinity towards salt allows us to keep the proper water balance in our bodies. On the other hand, many sour and bitter foods were either unhealthy or poisonous for early humans. Our ancestors, therefore, naturally craved or avoided certain tastes in foods. Humans' preference for the umami taste ensured they would consume the proper amino acids to make proteins, which in turn forms muscle tissue. Their desire for umami--as well as the other four tastes--actually helped early humans to maintain their health by ensuring that they ate a balanced diet.
Even the word umami has an interesting history of its own. The root comes from the word uma'i, a Japanese word derived from Zen, indicating goodness. The word umami also stems from a Zen word signifying oneness with the universe. Based on the spiritual connotation of these words from which umami is derived, the term is sometimes used to convey a broader concept than simply a taste. In a more philosophical sense, umami can be thought of as the intangible satisfaction involved in the total experience of eating. Umami also suggests a deep connection and feeling of oneness with the food we eat. From a culinary standpoint, this concept is very appealing. The ability to promote a spiritual bond between our diners and our dishes is something that all chefs strive for. In this sense, umami is rooted in our love for food and the reasons we cook. This philosophy of the spiritual power of food is one that is gaining both recognition and praise in the culinary world.
WEIRD SCIENCE
Row for the fun part--scientifically, umami is the sensation caused by the presence of free glutamate in food. Glutamate is the most widely occurring amino acid in nature and a main component of proteins. It accounts for 40% of plant protein and 15-20% of animal protein. Although proteins cannot be tasted, the amino acids produced as they break down can - - this is part of why fruit tastes better as it ripens. Umami can also be achieved with the presence of certain nucleotides. These nucleotides, when combined with glutamate, can also have a synergistic effect, and the resulting umami sensation can be up to nine times stronger than the ingredients could produce individually. When scallops, for example, an ingredient high in free glutamate, are combined with dried shiitake mushrooms, an ingredient with high levels of nucleotides, the umami sensation in the finished dish will be greatly increased. Aging, drying, and fermenting certain ingredients can also concentrate their umami levels. Aged beef, for example, has more umami than fresh beef. Similarly, drying skipjack (a small Pacific fish in the tuna family) or shiitake mushrooms substantially increases their existing umami levels.
In 1909, shortly after the discovery of umami, monosodium glutamate, or MSG, began to be produced commercially. MSG is a powdered form of glutamate made by fermenting molasses from sugar cane and beets. It has quickly become the primary umami seasoning used worldwide. The addition of MSG is the quickest and easiest method of introducing umami to a dish. Because of this fact, this seasoning has become extremely popular in Chinese cuisine. MSG can add the feeling of depth and "meatiness" to food that does not actually contain any meat. Adding MSG also makes a dish cheaper because the more expensive ingredients can be cut out completely. Common egg drop soup at many Chinese restaurants, for example, contains no actual chicken stock, which would normally cause the umami sensation in the dish, Instead, it is comprised of nothing more than water, cornstarch, MSG, eggs, and food coloring. MSG is substituted for the stock in order to lower food costs. Umami, however, includes a much wider spectrum than just MSG. Say ing that MSG is umami is like saying that everything sweet is sugar. There are many foods that have naturally high levels of umami. These ingredients can be used instead of MSG to truly harmonize a dish.
FOODS HIGH IN UMAMI
KONBU (DRIED KELP USED FOR JAPANESE BROTH)
* DASHI
* PARMESAN CHEESE
* NORI
* MUSHROOMS (ESPECIALLY DRIED SHIIT AKES)
* TOMATOES
* SCALLOPS
* PORK
* CHICKEN
* TUNA
* HAM
* SOY SAUCE
* WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
Umami can also interact with other basic tastes to create new levels of flavor. Since umami is difficult to taste on its own, the presence of other tastes, especially sweet, intensifies the feeling of umami. For example, adding sweetness enhances umami in shellfish, especially oysters. To put it simply, professional chefs can utilize the fifth taste, umami, to elevate the taste and flavor of their dishes far beyond what they thought possible.
There are many intricacies of taste that we, as chefs, must master in order to please our diners. With a solid understanding of the principles of umami as part of our repertoire, we can create dishes that far surpass our customers' expectations.
RELATED ARTICLE: UMAMI TIMELINE
1000 B.C.
The Yellow Emperor's book of internal medicine, an ancient Chinese text, is the first to classify the five basic tastes.
500 B.C.
Garum, a pickled fish sauce extremely rich in umami, is the most commonly used seasoning ingredient of the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is the first recorded umami seasoning ever used.
1825
In his book, The Physiology of Taste, Brillat-Savanin makes reference to "osmazome." Considered a precursor to the concept of umami.
1908
Professor Kikunae Ikeda officially discovers umami and identifies glutamate as the main cause of the sensation.
1909
The first commercial production of MSG begins. The sensation of umami can now be added to food using a seasoning agent
1920's
The We stern concept of the four basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) is first introduced and adopted by culinarians in the United States.
1950's
The FDA rejects umami as the fifth basic taste, categorizing it as a flavor enhancer.
1990
Umami is ultimately widely accepted as the fifth basic taste.
GARY DANK
* WHEN YOU TAKE RAW ASPARAGUS AND YOU COOK THEM, AT SOME POINT IN THE COOKING PROCESS, THEY STOP BEING PULPY AND SOMEWHAT BITTER AND START TO BECOME SWEET. AT THIS POINT, YOU HAVE CREATED UMAMI.
Raised in a small town in upstate New York, Gary Danko credits his mother for his introduction to the culinary world: Her Louisiana roots - - as well as her use of farm fresh ingredients and flair for balancing flavors with simple seasonings - - all influence his cooking style even today. At fourteen, Danko landed a job in a local restaurant where he managed to learn all facets of the business by the time he had graduated from high...
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