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Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

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  1. savory
    • ex. She prefers savory snacks like chips to sweet ones like cookies.
    • ex. The cheese has a distinct taste that is strong and easy to recognize.
    • ex. The soup’s richness comes from the fresh cream and butter, making it taste smooth and full.
    • ex. The cabbage was fermented to make kimchi, a popular Korean food.
  2. enhance
    • ex. Spices enhance the taste of food and make it more delicious.

Article

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The savory flavor in foods like meat, fish, mushrooms, and miso is called umami. This distinct flavor was discovered in 1908 by a Japanese scientist named Kikunae Ikeda. It is now known as the fifth basic flavor, along with sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. While umami has been part of Asian food for a long time, many people in the West are still learning about it.

Umami comes from glutamate, a part of the protein found in many foods. A common source of umami is monosodium glutamate (MSG), which was thought to be bad for health in the past but is now seen as safe. Foods rich in umami include roasted meats and savory soups used in ramen and udon. Fish and seafood like anchovies and shrimp also have strong umami richness.

Foods that are fermented, like soy sauce and fish sauce, are full of umami. When we ferment food, proteins break down and enhance the flavor. Soy and fish sauces are used as condiments in many Asian dishes. They help make the flavors of food from Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines more distinct and delicious.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Umami

  • Do you enjoy foods with a savory flavor? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Why do you think umami is less known in Western countries? Discuss.
  • Imagine you opened a restaurant in a Western country. What kind of dishes would you add to your menu to introduce the umami flavor to them? Why? Discuss.

Cooking and Culture

  • How often do you use soy sauce, fish sauce, or other fermented ingredients when cooking? Discuss.
  • What is your opinion about MSG in food (ex. it’s safe, I don’t like it)? Why? Discuss.
  • Do you think you can learn about a country’s culture through its cooking and dishes? Why do you say so? Discuss.