Umami (a word of Japanese origin meaning "delicious and appetizing") is the name of the fifth basic flavor discovered by Japanese researcher Kikunae Ikeda, in the year 1908.
O umami complements the other four basic tastes of the human palate: bitter, sweet, sour, salty.
The flavour umami it is composed of three main substances present in several foods: glutamate, inosinate and guanylate.
Glutamate is a common amino acid found in large amounts in foods such as meat, seafood, tomatoes, peas, corn and Parmesan cheese, and was the first substance associated with umami.
Some foods and sauces used in Japanese cuisine such as fish and soy sauce are also great sources of umami.
O umami it is described as a dense, deep and lasting taste that produces a velvety sensation on the tongue.
July 25th is the official date of discovery of the umami. Despite having been discovered at the beginning of the century. XX, it was only in the year 2000 that researchers confirmed that there is a specific receptor for the human language in the human language. umami.
When tasting a food or drink, the taste cell receptors located on the surface of the tongue receive the substances that taste. At this moment, about 7,500 and 12,000 taste buds are activated that will identify the basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami) and transmit information to the brain via the taste nerves.