Umami and how to add more of it
Beginner Kitchen science
Umami is the savory, mouth-filling taste of broths, aged cheese and ripe tomatoes, one of the five basic tastes.
Written with AI help from the sources listed, and published by Cory. Spot a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.
How do you do it?
- Stir a spoon of tomato paste, miso or a dash of soy or fish sauce into soups, stews and sauces.
- Grate Parmesan over vegetables, or simmer a Parmesan rind in broth or beans.
- Melt an anchovy fillet or two into a sauce at the start; it adds savory depth without tasting fishy.
- Pair glutamate sources like tomato, cheese or kombu with meat, fish or dried mushrooms for a much bigger savory effect.
Why does it work?
The tongue has receptors for glutamate, an amino acid released when proteins break down through aging, ripening, fermentation or long cooking. That is why aged cheese, cured meat, soy sauce, ripe tomatoes and slow broths taste deeply savory. Two other molecules, inosinate (in meat and fish) and guanylate (in dried mushrooms), multiply glutamate's effect when combined with it, which is why Japanese dashi pairs kombu with bonito flakes. MSG is simply pure glutamate. Controlled studies have not shown that normal amounts cause the reactions long blamed on it, and regulators consider it safe.
What are the common mistakes?
- Adding several salty umami boosters without adjusting salt — dish turns too salty.
- Relying on one source only — flavor stays flat compared with a pairing.
Still stuck? Watch someone do it on YouTube.
More kitchen science
- The Maillard reaction: why browning tastes goodThe chemical reaction between proteins and sugars that turns seared steak, toast, roasted coffee and bread crust brown and savory.Beginner
- Caramelization vs. the Maillard reactionCaramelization is sugar alone breaking down under heat; the Maillard reaction needs protein too, and the two often happen together.Intermediate
- Gluten: how flour turns into structureGluten is the stretchy protein network that forms when wheat flour meets water, giving bread chew and cakes their structure.Intermediate
- How starch thickens saucesStarch granules soak up hot liquid, swell and leak long molecules that tangle together, turning thin liquid into a smooth sauce.Intermediate
- Why emulsions hold together, and why they breakAn emulsion is tiny droplets of one liquid suspended in another that normally will not mix, like oil in vinegar or butter in water.Intermediate
- How heat changes proteins: why eggs set and meat firms upHeat makes proteins unfold and bond to each other, which turns runny egg solid and soft raw meat firm, opaque and drier.Intermediate