Umami???On the Today show...whadda ya think?

I saw it too. Interesting. So very different from salty, sweet etc. Beans, which are

relatively bland but also parmesan cheese which is rich and flavorful. Have to read more about it.

If it's been recognized by top chefs since the 80's why haven't we heard more about it in the last 25 years?

 
Hmmm, perhaps that's why I love simply cooked pinto beans. I missed the broadcast, but there have

been several articles about it recently. I believe it's always been recognized in Asian cooking, soy sauce and msg are two examples.

 
Umami

I totally did not understand this, despite being completely into wine (and cooking). That is, until I read Jamie Goode's book The Science of Wine. I completely trust JG, and he describes it as the meaty or savory component of taste. That I can understand. So now, I go with it. Oh, and Heston Blumenthal also is someone who recognizes umami. So, I guess you can put me in the believer area now. cheers, Bonnie

 
Yes, long recognized as an essential part of Asian flavours, but scoffed at in N. America until

scientists could "prove" it with chemical compound names.

I've read about it here and there over the years. It has an entry in The Food Encyclopedia, by J. Rolland and C. Sherman (well, a cross-reference, not an entry), so it's gaining a profile.

 
Yes, most Asian cookbooks speak of umami. Anytime I've taken a class re: Asian cuisine

they always discuss it.

 
Thanks, curious!!! The show actually di have Chef Jean-Georges on as the interview to describe what

Umami was. Can we really trust a man with two first names????
Just something to think about.

 
What an interesting discussion. H doesn't know it but the addition that takes him to heaven with my

borscht is just ketchup. I had a hard time dealing with such a mundane ingredient having so much responsibility but now I'm fine with it....it just works. For him to admit that mine (the little WASP girl from the other end of the city) is better than his old Mama's, is quite traumatic for him.

It's funny that in the backs of our heads, we know that some foods just take the flavours over the top but have not known why. Parmesan, dried mushrooms, proscuitto, ketchup, soya sauce...

Thanks for sharing the article Cutie.

 
Ketchup and umami. Apparently many people have tried to create another ketchup but

can't pin down that umami that Heinz 57 has.

Read all about it in a Malcolm Gladwell piece in The New Yorker (also reprinted in their new anthology "Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink"). I've linked to page 3, where umami is discussed, but the whole piece is very interesting. (It also contains some neat stuff about why children become picky eaters.)

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/09/06/040906fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=3

 
I am so astonished when I see people buying 'no name' brands. It's just not e

even close (I"m an expert, having tried all of one other),

Such good reading. Thanks Shaun. I've printed all this out to digest shortly.

 
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