You know sweet, sour, salty and bitter. But do you know umami?

You do if you’ve enjoyed tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, mushrooms, cured ham, aged beef, and miso soup.

Those are just some of the ingredients or dishes that are high in umami, otherwise known as the “fifth flavor.” Often described as tasting “savory”  or “delicious,” umami was discovered 100 years ago by Japanese scientist Dr. Kikunae Ikeda who studied the taste of kombu dashi (kelp soup stock).

Last week, chefs and scientists gathered in San Francisco for a one-day seminar on umami, followed by a four-course lunch spotlighting that savory flavor. The event was organized by the non-profit Umami Information Center (which is funded by various food companies) to mark the centennial anniversary of umami’s discovery.

Glutamate (glutamic acid), the most common amino acid we consume, is what produces umami. Although we tend to blanch when we hear the words “monosodium glutamate” (glutamate with salt), glutamate is a naturally occurring substance in many foods. “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” (a supposed reaction to eating too much MSG-laced food) has been largely debunked, says Gary Beauchamp, director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center.

“The idea that glutamate could be poison is ludicrous,” he says. Indeed, human milk is much higher in glutamate than cow’s milk.

What glutamate does is make many things taste so much better by adding more complexity and mouth fullness.

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