Umami is one of the five main flavors you can identify in foods, but what IS umami, and what does it taste like?
Umami, also called savory, is a flavor that is described as being “brothy” or “meaty”. Umami flavor occurs naturally in foods that are high in the amino acid glutamate (glutamic acid) such as tomatoes, meat, chicken, and mushrooms. Some foods with added monosodium glutamate also taste savory/umami, like some fast food, deli meats, and salty snack foods.
We’ll break down the five flavors you can sense through taste and more about the umami flavor in this article!
The main flavors in taste
When it comes to your sense of taste, the main flavors you can detect generally fall into five different categories:
- Sweet: this taste quality is one of the easiest to detect, and one of the most preferred flavors of most people along with salty. Sugars and sweeteners taste sweet, as well as foods that contain natural sugars like fruit. Non-nutritive sweeteners like sucralose and stevia also taste sweet but they aren’t sugars.
- Salty: anything that contains sodium will taste salty, whether that’s regular salt, sea salt, or monosodium glutamate (MSG). Potassium chloride, a common ingredient in salt substitutes, also tastes salty.
- Sour: lemons and limes are sour, as well as fermented foods like plain yogurt
- Bitter: citrus peels, some vegetables, very dark chocolate, and bitter gourd (bitter melon) are examples of foods with bitter qualities, which can also be described as tasting “sharp”.
- Umami (also called savory): umami is its own flavor and likely the one people might not be able to immediately identify compared to the other flavors. What does umami taste like We’ll expla
What does umami taste like, exactly?
Umami is also described as “brothy” or “meaty” and also goes by “savory”. Umami means “delicious savory taste” in Japanese!
The primary source of the umami/savory flavor is an amino acid called glutamate, which is – you guessed it – part of the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG). Other sources of glutamate include:
- Parmesan cheese
- Chicken
- Beef
- Seafood like scallops and shrimp
- Tomatoes
- Mushrooms
- Nutritional yeast (often used as a plant-based alternative to cheese for vegans due to its savory flavor)
- Miso (fermented soybean paste)
What’s in savory seasoning?
Savory seasoning is a seasoning blend that usually consists of herbs and spices to give a savory flavor, often without salt. Here is an example of savory seasoning by Simply Organic brand:
- Organic Garlic
- Organic Onion
- Organic Black Pepper
- Organic Carrot
- Organic Orange Peel
- Organic Basil
- Organic Parsley
- Organic Marjoram
- Organic Rosemary
- Organic Fennel Seed
- Organic Thyme
- Organic Oregano
- Citric Acid
- Organic Cayenne
This seasoning blend is different from the herb savory, which has two types: summer savory (Satureja hortensis) and winter savory (Satureja Montana).
What about monosodium glutamate (MSG)?
Glutamate is part of the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG). Foods that contain MSG can often be called umami or savory. Which foods contain MSG? A few examples include:
- Certain types of fast food (especially Chinese and Asian food)
- Chips and other “savory” snack foods
- Frozen meals
- Soups
- Processed cheeses
- Deli meat
How is umami different from salty?
Umami is often paired with salty flavors, such as soy sauce, salted broth, deli meat, and fast food that contains MSG. However, umami is its own flavor apart from salty. Umami flavor is different from salty because it occurs naturally in some foods like tomatoes and mushrooms, while salty foods are usually salty because salt is ADDED to those foods.
You can have salty foods that don’t have the savory or umami flavor, like salted caramel and salted popcorn, which is one way to see how umami is different from salty.
Is MSG bad for you?
We had to address this common question quickly since it comes up a lot. Despite the common belief that MSG is bad for you or worse than you for salt, the bottom line is that:
- MSG is considered safe according to the Food and Drug Administration.
- MSG contains less sodium than regular salt.
Some people prefer to avoid MSG and other additives for health reasons. Whether you choose to eat or avoid MSG is a completely personal preference, as are most choices when it comes to what you eat!
FAQs:
Umami is a flavor that is also called savory. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an umami flavor enhancer because it provides umami flavor as well as some salt. Umami flavor is also in other foods like tomatoes, cheese, and meat, so umami is NOT the same as MSG since those foods don’t naturally contain MSG.
Foods that contain glutamate (a type of amino acid) have an umami flavor. Examples of foods that contain glutamate include tomatoes, parmesan cheese, meat, chicken, and mushrooms. Monosodium glutamate also contains glutamate, so foods with added MSG have an umami flavor.
Umami is also called savory flavor, or tasting meaty or like broth. Umami and salty are two different flavors – they just happen to be combined often such as in fast food, some salty snacks, and soups, so they are often mistaken as being the same thing.
To see the difference, consider salted caramel, which is salty and sweet but not umami.
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