GLUTAMATES, INOSINATES, AND THE UMAMI

BOMBS

For many years, food scientists believed that our

tongues were sensitive to four different basic tastes:
sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness. Turns
out that there’s a fifth: umami. First discovered in
Japan, it’s best translated as “savory.” It’s the
saliva-inducing qualities that, say, a good steak or a
hunk of Parmesan cheese has in your mouth. Just as
the sensation of sweetness is triggered by sugar,
saltiness by salt, sourness by acid, and bitterness by
a number of mildly poisonous classes of chemical,
umami flavor is triggered by glutamates—essential
amino acids found in many protein-rich foods. The
key to getting many dishes to taste meatier—turkey
burgers, chili, stew, soups, etc.—is to increase their
level of glutamates.
Now, you can do this with powdered monosodium
glutamate—a natural salt extracted from giant sea
kelp—but some folks are squeamish about using it (I
personally keep a little jar of it right next to my
saltcellar). However, there are alternatives, namely,
what I like to call the three umami bombs: Marmite,
soy sauce, and anchovies.
If you’ve ever been to England, you’ve probably
seen Marmite. It’s that strange dark-brown goo with