Word
umami
Phoneticsuma·mi
/uˈmɑmi/
Definition
n. a savory taste that is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. You find it in foods like mushrooms, aged cheese, and soy sauce.
n. a category of taste corresponding to the flavour of glutamates, often described as savoury or meaty. It is one of the five basic tastes alongside sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness.
Examples
“Mushrooms add a lot of umami to the soup.”
“Chefs often add ingredients like parmesan cheese or tomato paste to a dish to increase its umami profile.”
“The identification of specific glutamate receptors on the tongue confirmed umami as a distinct primary taste, separate from the traditional four-taste model.”
Examples
simple
“Mushrooms add a lot of umami to the soup.”
contextual
“Chefs often add ingredients like parmesan cheese or tomato paste to a dish to increase its umami profile.”
complex
“The identification of specific glutamate receptors on the tongue confirmed umami as a distinct primary taste, separate from the traditional four-taste model.”
Usage
Often used as a noun to describe the taste itself or as an adjective to describe a flavour profile.
Real-World Examples
“Since this distinct flavor did not fit into the categories of salty, sweet, sour, or bitter, Professor Ikeda named this fifth taste ‘umami,’ which can be interpreted as ‘the essence of deliciousness.” “Our affinity for umami—the recently acknowledged "fifth taste" by Western scientists, alongside salt, sweetness, sourness, and bitterness—offers a captivating insight into our culinary development.” “On December 22, 2008, at 2:52 PM, exciting developments have emerged for those who desire the rich flavors of meats and cheeses without the necessity of consuming them: chemists have uncovered the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the sensation known as umami, often referred to as the fifth taste.” “Still relatively unknown to many Americans (though this may soon change), umami is a Japanese term that loosely translates to "deliciousness.” Etymology
From Japanese 旨味, うまみ (umami), from 旨い (umai, “delicious”), which describes the quality of a pleasant, savory taste.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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