Umami

You probably eat umami all the time: it's that meaty, savory, broth-like, full flavor taste we get from things like: parmesan cheese, mushrooms and red wine. Generally speaking, the more "mature" a food is, (say, a parmesan cheese versus a "younger" cheese like mozzarella), the more umami flavor it will have. I have never hear of umami before, I like to drink wine and never knew this was in it.

Conventional wisdom used to tell us that there were only four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Now, in the last decade, umami has been established as the "fifth" basic taste, and is gaining in popularity and influence. Read more on this umami food item...