UMAMI
RunsWithBees
Posts: 1,508 Member
Merriam-Webster.com defines Umami as the taste sensation that is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides (such as glutamate and aspartate) and has a rich or meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes.
I’m surprised there wasn’t already a thread dedicated to “the fifth taste” that is Umami. What are your favorite umami foods? Recipes? Likes? Dislikes? Have you ever noticed something unexpectedly tasting umami or never tasted it at all or does it even exist as a separate taste? Let’s talk about umami
I’m surprised there wasn’t already a thread dedicated to “the fifth taste” that is Umami. What are your favorite umami foods? Recipes? Likes? Dislikes? Have you ever noticed something unexpectedly tasting umami or never tasted it at all or does it even exist as a separate taste? Let’s talk about umami
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Replies
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Mushrooms are one of my favorite umami foods ever!1 -
Great thread idea!
I like the flavor of mushrooms, but not the texture, so when I cook with them I often pick them out after they have done their job flavoring
My favorite way to add umami is with fish sauce: https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/news/fish-sauce-the-ultimate-umami-bomb-0159854/
I made Copycat Near East Rice Pilaf for dinner tonight. My OH thought it was missing something. I hadn't added anything to replace the autolyzed yeast extract (an MSG substitute) and was planning on adding 1 t or so fish sauce next time.
I use Squid, which is widely available and cheap (locally; most Asian staples are way overpriced on online stores like Amazon), but see it was dead last on this taste test https://ourdailybrine.com/fish-sauce-taste-test/ so will look for Red Boat next time I'm at Kam Man, as I have never seen that brand in a supermarket.
Cook's Illustrated also ranks Red Boat # 1 https://www.cooksillustrated.com/taste_tests/1625-fish-sauce
Here's more on umami from them: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/features/8376-the-fifth-taste-theres-more-to-umami-than-you-thought
...More and more food scientists are concluding that when ingredients rich in naturally occurring glutamates are paired with ingredients that contain either one of the nucleotides inosinate or guanylate, the perception of umami, or savoriness, is dramatically amplified.
...FOODS RICH IN GLUTAMATES- Parmesan cheese
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce
- Tomato paste
- Cured ham
- Anchovies/sardines
- Beef
- Cheddar cheese
- Worcestershire sauce
FOODS RICH IN NUCLEOTIDES- Anchovies/Sardines
- Dried shiitake mushrooms
- Pork
- Beef
- Dried porcini mushrooms
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kshama2001 wrote: »Great thread idea!
I like the flavor of mushrooms, but not the texture, so when I cook with them I often pick them out after they have done their job flavoring
My favorite way to add umami is with fish sauce: https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/news/fish-sauce-the-ultimate-umami-bomb-0159854/
I made Copycat Near East Rice Pilaf for dinner tonight. My OH thought it was missing something. I hadn't added anything to replace the autolyzed yeast extract (an MSG substitute) and was planning on adding 1 t or so fish sauce next time.
I use Squid, which is widely available and cheap (locally; most Asian staples are way overpriced on online stores like Amazon), but see it was dead last on this taste test https://ourdailybrine.com/fish-sauce-taste-test/ so will look for Red Boat next time I'm at Kam Man, as I have never seen that brand in a supermarket.
Cook's Illustrated also ranks Red Boat # 1 https://www.cooksillustrated.com/taste_tests/1625-fish-sauce
Here's more on umami from them: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/features/8376-the-fifth-taste-theres-more-to-umami-than-you-thought
...More and more food scientists are concluding that when ingredients rich in naturally occurring glutamates are paired with ingredients that contain either one of the nucleotides inosinate or guanylate, the perception of umami, or savoriness, is dramatically amplified.
...FOODS RICH IN GLUTAMATES- Parmesan cheese
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce
- Tomato paste
- Cured ham
- Anchovies/sardines
- Beef
- Cheddar cheese
- Worcestershire sauce
FOODS RICH IN NUCLEOTIDES- Anchovies/Sardines
- Dried shiitake mushrooms
- Pork
- Beef
- Dried porcini mushrooms
Wow! Great info thanks for sharing! 🙂1 -
Umami always kind of felt like a “texture” to me. The way I describe it: it’s a salty taste but with like almost a “warm & fuzzy” mouth feel in contrast to things that are just plainly, sharply salty. I don’t have a problem adding msg to my food and it certainly does seem to wake-up and enhance the natural flavors.0
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As a vegetarian, adding umami to dishes is something I think about. Things I often add (without theoretical justification, just personal taste) include dark miso (like hacho), roasted veggies (esp. eggplant, brussels sprouts, and a recent revelation - okra), cocoa/cacao powder (try it in chili or stews), mushrooms of course (including mushroom powder or dried mushrooms), soy sauce, . . . .4
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Tomato paste, cheddar cheese and flavorful chili peppers are our favorite ways to add umami.2
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Oh yeah, and smoked stuff. Smoked paprika, smoked tofu, smoked cheeses . . . heck, smoke flavor in a bottle.
5 -
Super umami! This shiitake jerky is incredibly delicious! I got this at a special event and haven’t been able to find it anywhere else... why isn’t this more popular???1 -
Tomato paste, or canned tomatoes super reduced down with tons of paprika.2
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Tomatoes and tomato products, mushrooms, fish sauce, Chiles and smoked meats!!
2 -
5 -
Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.1 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.
You have no idea!
Since I can only find it at a yearly special event, I buy a few and ration this stuff to make it last! I’m really surprised vegetarians/vegans don’t have something similar that is popular since jerky is a great take-along snack! 0 -
As a vegetarian, adding umami to dishes is something I think about. Things I often add (without theoretical justification, just personal taste) include dark miso (like hacho), roasted veggies (esp. eggplant, brussels sprouts, and a recent revelation - okra), cocoa/cacao powder (try it in chili or stews), mushrooms of course (including mushroom powder or dried mushrooms), soy sauce, . . . .
Oh I second putting cocoa in chili. Unsweetened cocoa powder is the secret ingredient in my chili that magically takes it to a really rich savory flavor instead of spicy tomato sauce. I'm going to have to try it in stew now!
3 -
Dreamwa1ker wrote: »As a vegetarian, adding umami to dishes is something I think about. Things I often add (without theoretical justification, just personal taste) include dark miso (like hacho), roasted veggies (esp. eggplant, brussels sprouts, and a recent revelation - okra), cocoa/cacao powder (try it in chili or stews), mushrooms of course (including mushroom powder or dried mushrooms), soy sauce, . . . .
Oh I second putting cocoa in chili. Unsweetened cocoa powder is the secret ingredient in my chili that magically takes it to a really rich savory flavor instead of spicy tomato sauce. I'm going to have to try it in stew now!
This is probably why Mole is so loved. Chilis, tomato and cacao.5 -
I don't like mushrooms but marmite is great3
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monkeefan1974 wrote: »
Super umami! This shiitake jerky is incredibly delicious! I got this at a special event and haven’t been able to find it anywhere else... why isn’t this more popular???
Have you checked Amazon? Perhaps not that brand, but they have several pages of 'shroom jerky. (Haven't tried any and cannot vouch for them.....)
1 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »
Super umami! This shiitake jerky is incredibly delicious! I got this at a special event and haven’t been able to find it anywhere else... why isn’t this more popular???
Have you checked Amazon? Perhaps not that brand, but they have several pages of 'shroom jerky. (Haven't tried any and cannot vouch for them.....)
Oooo there are a lot of jerky options there! I don’t normally shop Amazon so didn’t think of this. Pricey though. And indeed not the same brand. I’ll see what looks good though, thanks for the idea!
0 -
There's a umami seasoning at Trader Joe's. Next time I'm there I'll pick it up.1
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monkeefan1974 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.
You have no idea! Since I can only find it at a yearly special event, I buy a few and ration this stuff to make it last! I’m really surprised vegetarians/vegans don’t have something similar that is popular since jerky is a great take-along snack!
Making it yourself might be a fun experiment. It cant possibly be all that difficult. You have a list of the ingredients, you just need a dehydrator and some mushrooms. Failing that, there are definitely recipes for mushroom jerky online (also your oven on lowest setting with door ajar works as a dehydrator).2 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »Super umami! This shiitake jerky is incredibly delicious! I got this at a special event and haven’t been able to find it anywhere else... why isn’t this more popular???
It looks like they sell it on their website https://farwestfungi.com/products/shiitake-jerky-pound?variant=157543567197142 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.
You have no idea! Since I can only find it at a yearly special event, I buy a few and ration this stuff to make it last! I’m really surprised vegetarians/vegans don’t have something similar that is popular since jerky is a great take-along snack!
There is vegan jerky. The kind I tried (Primal Strips) was awful (IMO). It's gluten based (I have nothing against gluten). Took one bite, threw out the rest. Yuck.
There are lots of take-along snacks, I don't need one that's disgusting. It was worse than Quest protein chips (which I think taste like salty sawdust). Ugh.
I'd try the mushroom jerky, if I ran across it, though. Until then, I'll keep carrying single-serve dry-roasted soybeans, crispy chickpeas, shelf-stable mini-hummus, etc. as take-along snacks. No Primal Strips.3 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »Super umami! This shiitake jerky is incredibly delicious! I got this at a special event and haven’t been able to find it anywhere else... why isn’t this more popular???
It looks like they sell it on their website https://farwestfungi.com/products/shiitake-jerky-pound?variant=15754356719714
Cool! Last time I checked their site it wasn’t for sale there but I guess they offer it now! You just made my day
thanks! 0 -
Spadesheart wrote: »monkeefan1974 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.
You have no idea! Since I can only find it at a yearly special event, I buy a few and ration this stuff to make it last! I’m really surprised vegetarians/vegans don’t have something similar that is popular since jerky is a great take-along snack!
Making it yourself might be a fun experiment. It cant possibly be all that difficult. You have a list of the ingredients, you just need a dehydrator and some mushrooms. Failing that, there are definitely recipes for mushroom jerky online (also your oven on lowest setting with door ajar works as a dehydrator).
Great idea! This could be fun! or a disaster lol 1 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »Spadesheart wrote: »monkeefan1974 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.
You have no idea! Since I can only find it at a yearly special event, I buy a few and ration this stuff to make it last! I’m really surprised vegetarians/vegans don’t have something similar that is popular since jerky is a great take-along snack!
Making it yourself might be a fun experiment. It cant possibly be all that difficult. You have a list of the ingredients, you just need a dehydrator and some mushrooms. Failing that, there are definitely recipes for mushroom jerky online (also your oven on lowest setting with door ajar works as a dehydrator).
Great idea! This could be fun! or a disaster lol
Worst outcome, you have salty dried mushrooms for soups and stews. Do it up.2 -
monkeefan1974 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »Deeply roasted mushrooms and tomatoes are my absolute favorites for umami,
That mushroom jerky looks amazing.
You have no idea! Since I can only find it at a yearly special event, I buy a few and ration this stuff to make it last! I’m really surprised vegetarians/vegans don’t have something similar that is popular since jerky is a great take-along snack!
There is vegan jerky. The kind I tried (Primal Strips) was awful (IMO). It's gluten based (I have nothing against gluten). Took one bite, threw out the rest. Yuck.
There are lots of take-along snacks, I don't need one that's disgusting. It was worse than Quest protein chips (which I think taste like salty sawdust). Ugh.
I'd try the mushroom jerky, if I ran across it, though. Until then, I'll keep carrying single-serve dry-roasted soybeans, crispy chickpeas, shelf-stable mini-hummus, etc. as take-along snacks. No Primal Strips.
If you are interested in trying another meatfree jerky, Louisville Vegan Jerky is the best I've ever had. Much, much, much better than Primal Strips (they taste to me like dog food smells).2 -
New_Heavens_Earth wrote: »There's a umami seasoning at Trader Joe's. Next time I'm there I'll pick it up.
I really wanted to try it; but it was too high in sodium for me.0 -
I saw that same article but I've been using Squid brand for several years now. There's nothing wrong with it. It's not an overpowering flavor. It's not fishy. It's in the background and provides that umami flavor, especially in dishes that don't necessarily call for fish sauce. I've used it in salsa and in marinara sauce. Having said that, I did buy the Red Boat brand just to compare.kshama2001 wrote: »I use Squid, which is widely available and cheap (locally; most Asian staples are way overpriced on online stores like Amazon), but see it was dead last on this taste test https://ourdailybrine.com/fish-sauce-taste-test/ so will look for Red Boat next time I'm at Kam Man, as I have never seen that brand in a supermarket.
Cook's Illustrated also ranks Red Boat # 1 https://www.cooksillustrated.com/taste_tests/1625-fish-sauce
1 -
I saw that same article but I've been using Squid brand for several years now. There's nothing wrong with it. It's not an overpowering flavor. It's not fishy. It's in the background and provides that umami flavor, especially in dishes that don't necessarily call for fish sauce. I've used it in salsa and in marinara sauce. Having said that, I did buy the Red Boat brand just to compare.kshama2001 wrote: »I use Squid, which is widely available and cheap (locally; most Asian staples are way overpriced on online stores like Amazon), but see it was dead last on this taste test https://ourdailybrine.com/fish-sauce-taste-test/ so will look for Red Boat next time I'm at Kam Man, as I have never seen that brand in a supermarket.
Cook's Illustrated also ranks Red Boat # 1 https://www.cooksillustrated.com/taste_tests/1625-fish-sauce
Let me know when you have the results of you Red Boat v Squid taste test!0
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