I haven't done a "word du jour" blog post for awhile, but am prompted to do so after hearing the word "umami" repeatedly on recent MasterChef Australia episodes. I'd first come across it a few years ago in Pasadena, California, where there's a trendy burger restaurant by this name in Old Town Pasadena. Since the judges on MasterChef were throwing "umami" around like we should all know what it means, thought it was worth exploring to make sure we do.
"Umami" is now considered one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. It is a savoury taste imparted by glutamate and certain other amino acids. Where things get murky is that there is also a more nuanced Japanese cultural meaning that no one really seems to be able to put into English definitively. So I won't try to explain this and muddy the waters further.
Parmesan cheese is considered umami. Does this help?
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