What is umami? Exploring the fifth taste in your cooking

Check out Japanese products with umami

What is umami flavour?

We’re familiar with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. But have you also experienced the fifth taste? ‘Umami’ is one of the five fundamental tastes. The umami flavour was first identified and named by a Japanese scientist. While eating seaweed, he encountered a taste that he couldn’t quite place as sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. He named it ‘umami’ (うま味), which translates to ‘deliciousness’ or ‘savoury taste’ in Japanese.

What is umami? Why does this fifth taste matter, and why is the Japanese cuisine so fond of it? You’ll find out quickly. Oh, and scroll down for delicious umami dishes or some handy shortcuts to add umami to your dishes.

What does umami taste like?

The umami flavour can be described as powerful, savoury, salty, or broth-like. While the umami taste also occurs in European foods (for example, in Parmesan cheese), it’s a bit more challenging for most Europeans to recognize. What the umami taste actually does is bring together, balance, and even enhance flavours. It adds a certain depth and dimension to a dish. Quite remarkable, isn’t it?

Our Japanese artisans continue to brew and ferment tamari (soy sauce) until you can taste all 5 flavors. Umami is prominently present!

Our Japanese artisans continue to brew and ferment tamari (soy sauce) until you can taste all 5 flavours. Umami is prominently present!

Umami examples: where can you find the umami flavour?

The umami flavour naturally occurs in many Japanese products. You’ll find the taste in shiitake mushrooms, kombu seaweed, nori, wakame (seaweed), bonito flakes, and Japanese tea. The umami taste also arises from koji fermentation, which could include miso, tamari, shoyu, mirin, amazake, and sake.

However, the fifth taste is present in European products too. Think of ripe tomatoes, Parmesan or aged cheese, and certain types of meat and fish. And if you’re a fan of sushi or poke bowls, it’s no coincidence that these exotic dishes have become so popular. They are loaded with umami!

Umami vs. Monosodium Glutamate

In Europe, the umami taste is often mimicked in many products by adding monosodium glutamate (a flavour enhancer), for example, to broth cubes and chips. Both we and the Japanese don’t like this artificial approach. For the Japanese, it has become an art to naturally bring out the umami taste. Perhaps the most ingenious way is through the process of fermentation.

Umami-infused dishes: how to bring umami into your kitchen

If you want to naturally incorporate the umami taste into your dishes, start by having a few Japanese seasonings in your kitchen, like:

Miso

Japanese fermented soy pasteAdd a spoonful of miso to your soup base for a profound umami-rich taste. Create a quick marinade by mixing miso with sesame oil and herbs. Read more

Tamari or shoyu

Japanese soy sauce containing all five tastes!Revitalize your poke bowl, (miso) soup, or sauce by adding a dash of tamari. Craft your very own umami sauce with tamari, tahini, sesame oil, and genmai su. Read more

Dried shiitake mushrooms

Packed with umami and nutrientsCraft an umami-laden broth (dashi) by soaking shiitake and kombu in a liter of water. Alternatively, use shiitake in your stir-fries or miso soup. Read more

Seaweed

Or opt for kombu if you're not a seaweed enthusiastEnhance the nutritional value and umami of your rice and beans by simmering a strip of kombu with them. Alternatively, use kombu to make dashi (refer to shiitake).Read more

Teriyaki sauce

Natural umami in a ready-to-use sauceMarinate tofu, seitan, or tempeh in teriyaki sauce for a sweet-umami glaze when baking or grilling. Utilize teriyaki sauce as a stir-fry sauce to give your veggies a delightful twist. Read more

Mirin

Japanese fermented sweet cooking rice wineAdd a splash of mirin to sauces and marinades for a sweet-umami hint. Or incorporate mirin into stir-fries for a subtle sweet undertone that amplifies the umami flavour. Read more

Umami and the Japanese cuisine

Japanese people are connoisseurs; this is evident from those who craft our Japanese products. They have a meticulous approach to flavours, adhering to centuries-old recipes to preserve authentic tastes. Umami is an integral part of this. Especially for fermented products like miso, tamari, and shoyu, it’s an art for Japanese connoisseurs to bring out the umami taste. In fact, creating umami is the ultimate goal with these seasonings. Natural fermentation aids in this process. In Japan, they are capable of waiting and working for months (even years) to achieve the perfect balance of the five tastes.

Umami shortcut: use ready-ade umami sauce

If you’re not a kitchen expert, lack inspiration, or have limited time, then TerraSana’s ready-made umami sauce is the best way to quickly and easily add umami to your dishes. The sauce is specially crafted to naturally enhance the umami taste in your dish. It’s a sauce without glutamate and unnecessary additives, yet it prominently features the fifth taste. This is effortless umami enjoyment! In fact, umami sauce is an all-around seasoning that could literally be used in any dish.

More umami dishes

This umami seasoning serves as a dressing, dip, and marinade all at once. Here are our best ideas for using umami sauce:

Umami dressing

Drizzle over a salad. Delicious with sesame seeds, furikake, or chopped nuts for that extra crunch and flavour. Or: pour over quinoa, couscous, or other grains for an extra hearty kick. Or: mix with a bit of tahini or plant-based yogurt for a slightly thicker and creamy dressing.

Umami dip sauce

For sushi, you can mix a small amount of the umami sauce with soy sauce for a tasty salty flavour. Or: for summer rolls, you can thicken the sauce by mixing in some peanut butter, nut paste, or tahini, creating a rich dip. Or: on a vegetable burger, mix it with hummus or mashed avocado for a deliciously thick sauce.

Umami sauce

When mixing with (rice) noodles and vegetables, lightly sauté the vegetables to reduce their moisture content, allowing the sauce to adhere better to the ingredients. Or: in a stir-fry dish, cook the sauce together with the vegetables and tofu, melding the flavours.

Umami marinade

For tofu or tempeh, you can add the umami sauce in the final minute, once the tofu and tempeh are already golden brown. Or: you can also simmer the sauce in a pan before marinating the tofu or tempeh, intensifying the flavours and thickening the sauce.