Table Of ContentVi siger normalt, at der er fire slags grundsmag - sur, sød, salt og bitter,
og at velsmagende mad karakteriseres ved særligt heldige kombinatio-
ner af disse fire smagsindtryk. I Østen har man imidlertid i de sidste
hundrede år brugt udtrykket umami om en femte smag, som betyder
noget i retning af god smag eller lækkert. Denne femte smag er ikke en
kombination af de fire første.
Umami. Gourmetaben & den femte smag er den første bog, også i in-
ternational sammenhæng, som giver en samlet beskrivelse af umami
ved at kombinere kulturhistorie, videnskab, madlavning, ernæring og
sundhed med en god historie om madkultur, kogekunst og udviklingen
af mennesket som en gourmetabe, der eftertragter mad med god smag.
Madens smag har været en drivende kraft i menneskets evolution, og
umami er blot et nyt ord for en ældgammel smag.
Vi finder den femte smag i vores eget køkken i for eksempel supper, kød-
retter, lagret ost, lufttørret skinke, skaldyr, svampe og modne tomater.
Vi ved nu, hvilke stoffer i maden, der kan fremkalde den femte smag,
og det bedst kendte stof omtaler vi som det tredje krydderi. Det helt
særegne er, at små mængder af ét af disse umami-stoffer i vidunderlig
grad kan forstærke smagen af et andet, så man kan tale om, at den femte
smag i et måltid skaber en oplevelse i en højere dimension. Viden om
umami kan bruges til at lave velsmagende og sundere mad med mindre
salt og sukker.
Bogen er opstået som et usædvanligt samarbejde mellem en kok og en
videnskabsmand, der sammen har udforsket smagen. I bogen beretter de
om deres fælles erfaringer og giver en lang række opskrifter og gode råd
om, hvordan man selv kan frembringe mere umami ved madlavningen i
sit eget køkken. Bogen kan bruges som en kogebog, men er i lige så høj
grad tænkt som en kilde til forundring og inspiration.
Ole G. Mouritsen er dr. scient. og professor i biofysik ved Syddansk
Universitet og interesseret i videnskaben bag madlavningen.
Klavs Styrbæk er kok og har gennem mere end tyve år drevet Restaurant
Kvægtorvet i Odense.
Jonas Drotner Mouritsen er designer og arbejder i sit firma Chromascope
med grafisk design, animation og filmproduktion.
Unlocking the Secrets
of the Fifth Taste
Unlocking the Secrets of the Fifth Taste
Umami
Umami
Ole G. Mouritsen & Klavs Styrbæk
Columbia University Press
Umami
Arts and Traditions of the Table:
Perspectives on Culinary History
Salt: Grain of Life, Pierre Laszlo, translated by Mary
Beth Mader
Culture of the Fork, Giovanni Rebora, translated by
Albert Sonnenfeld
French Gastronomy: The History and Geography of
a Passion, Jean-Robert Pitte, translated by Jody
Gladding
Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food, Silvano Serventi
and Françoise Sabban, translated by Antony Shugar
Slow Food: The Case for Taste, Carlo Petrini, translated
by William McCuaig
Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History, Alberto Capatti and
Massimo Montanari, translated by Áine O’Healy
British Food: An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History,
Colin Spencer
A Revolution in Eating: How the Quest for Food Shaped
America, James E. McWilliams
Sacred Cow, Mad Cow: A History of Food Fears,
Madeleine Ferrières, translated by Jody Gladding
Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor,
Hervé This, translated by M. B. DeBevoise
Food Is Culture, Massimo Montanari, translated by
Albert Sonnenfeld
Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking,
Hervé This, translated by Jody Gladding
Hog and Hominy: Soul Food from Africa to America,
Frederick Douglass Opie
Gastropolis: Food and New York City, edited by Annie
Hauck-Lawson and Jonathan Deutsch
Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary
Constructivism, Hervé This, translated by M. B.
DeBevoise
Eating History: Thirty Turning Points in the Making of
American Cuisine, Andrew F. Smith
The Science of the Oven, Hervé This, translated by Jody
Gladding
Pomodoro! A History of the Tomato in Italy, David
Gentilcore
Cheese, Pears, and History in a Proverb, Massimo
Montanari, translated by Beth Archer Brombert
Food and Faith in Christian Culture, edited by Ken
Albala and Trudy Eden
The Kitchen as Laboratory: Reflections on the Science of
Food and Cooking, edited by César Vega, Job Ubbink,
and Erik van der Linden
Creamy and Crunchy: An Informal History of Peanut
Butter, the All-American Food, Jon Krampner
Let the Meatballs Rest: And Other Stories About Food
and Culture, Massimo Montanari, translated by Beth
Archer Brombert
The Secret Financial Life of Food: From Commodities
Markets to Supermarkets, Kara Newman
Drinking History: Fifteen Turning Points in the Making of
American Beverages, Andrew Smith
Italian Identity in the Kitchen, or Food and the Nation,
Massimo Montanari, translated by Beth Archer
Brombert
Fashioning Appetite: Restaurants and the Making of
Modern Identity, Joanne Finkelstein
The Land of the Five Flavors: A Cultural History of Chinese
Cuisine, Thomas O. Höllmann, translated by Karen
Margolis
The Insect Cookbook: Food for a Sustainable Planet,
Arnold van Huis, Henk van Gurp, and Marcel Dicke,
translated by Françoise Takken-Kaminker and Diane
Blumenfeld-Schaap
Religion, Food, and Eating in North America, edited by
Benjamin E. Zeller, Marie W. Dallam, Reid L. Neilson,
and Nora L. Rubel
Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History
Albert Sonnenfeld, Series Editor
Umami
Unlocking the
Secrets of the
Fifth Taste
Ole G. Mouritsen and Klavs Styrbæk
Columbia University Press
New York
Photography, layout, and design
Jonas Drotner Mouritsen
Translation and adaptation to English
Mariela Johansen
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup.columbia.edu
Copyright © 2014 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mouritsen, Ole G.
Umami: unlocking the secrets of the fifth taste / Ole G. Mouritsen and Klavs Styrbæk
p. cm. — (Arts and traditions of the table: perspectives on culinary history)
Includes index
ISBN 978-0-231-16890-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-231-53758-2 (e-book)
Library of Congress Holding Information can be found on the Library of Congress Online
Catalog.
2013952514
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper.
This book is printed on paper with recycled content.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover design by Jonas Drotner Mouritsen.
www.umamibook.net
References to websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author
nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed
since the manuscript was prepared.
Contents
acknowledgments
ix
prologue: how it all began
xiii
what exactly is taste, and why is it
important?
1
The basic tastes: From seven to four to
five and possibly many more 1
Why do we need to be able to taste our food? 4
There is more to it: Sensory science,
taste, smell, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel,
texture, and chemesthesis 5
Is there a taste map of the tongue? 7
Why are some foods more palatable than others? 8
A few words about proteins, amino acids,
nucleotides, nucleic acids, and enzymes 9
Glutamic acid, glutamate, and the glutamate ion 11
Glutamic acid and glutamate in our food 12
How does glutamate taste, and how little
is required for us to taste it? 13
the first four:
sour, sweet, salty, and bitter
15
The physiology and biochemistry of taste 15
The interplay between sweet and bitter 16
Taste receptors: This is how they work 17
When words fail us: Descriptions of tastes 20
the fifth taste: what is umami?
23
Science, soup, and the search for the fifth taste 23
Glutamic acid and glutamate 24
What is the meaning of the word umami? 26
From laboratory to mass production 27
How msg is made 28
A little letter with a huge impact:
The ‘Chinese restaurant syndrome’ 32
The Japanese discover other umami substances 34
It all starts with mother’s milk 35
Umami as a global presence 36
Umami has won acceptance as a distinct taste 38
And umami is still controversial … 39
1 + 1 = 8: gustatory synergy
41
Amazing interplay: Basal and synergistic umami 41
Detecting umami synergy on
the tongue and in the brain 42
Japanese dashi: The textbook example
of umami synergy 43
The art of making Japanese dashi 45
Nordic dashi 47
Dashi closer to home—a Japanese soup
with a Scandinavian twist 48
Seaweeds enhance the umami in fish 52
How to make smoked shrimp heads 53
Many substances interact synergistically
with umami 54
A breakthrough discovery of yet
another synergistic substance 54
The interplay between glutamate and
the four classic tastes 55
A simple taste test: Umami vs. salt 56
Umami-rich ‘foie gras from the sea’ 57
Food pairing and umami 60
Creating tastes synthetically 60
Umami: Either as little or as much as you like 62
umami from the oceans: seaweeds,
fish, and shellfish
65
Seaweeds and konbu: The mother lode of umami 65
A world of konbu in Japan 66
Fresh fish and shellfish 69
Cooked fish and shellfish dishes and soups 69
Umami and the art of killing a fish 72
A traditional clambake:
New England method, Danish ingredients 74
Everyday umami in ancient Greece and Rome 79
Ahashare.com
vi
Contents
Fish sauces and fish pastes 81
Modern garum 85
Shellfish paste 87
Oyster sauce 87
Sushi and fermented fish 88
Katsuobushi 90
Catching katsuo to optimize umami 91
Niboshi 91
The hardest foodstuff in the world 92
Kusaya 96
Nordic variations: Horrible smells
and heavenly tastes 96
Fish roe 98
Seven friends, The Compleat Angler, and a pike 100
umami from the land: fungi and plants
105
Umami from the plant kingdom 105
Dried fungi 110
Fermented soybeans 111
Soy sauce 112
Production of shōyu 113
Miso 114
Production of miso 114
The Asian answer to cheese: Fermented
soybean cakes 118
Nattō 120
Black garlic 122
Shōjin ryōri: An old tradition with
a modern presence 122
The enlightened kitchen 124
Tomatoes 126
Green tea 134
umami from land animals: meat,
eggs, and dairy products
137
The animal kingdom delivers umami in spades 137
Homo sapiens is a cook 140
Preserving meats in the traditional ways 142
Air-dried hams 143
Salted beef: Pastrami and corned beef 144
Bacon and sausages 145
Dairy products 146
Blue cheeses 146
Aged, dried, and hard cheeses 148
Eggs and mayonnaise 151
Harry’s crème from Harry’s Bar 151
umami: the secret behind
the humble soup stock
155
Soup is umami 155
Osmazome and The Physiology of Taste 158
Amino acids in soup stocks 160
A real find: A dashi bar 160
The taste of a beef stock 162
Ready-made umami 164
Knorr and Maggi: European umami pioneers 165
making the most of umami
167
msg as a food additive 167
Other commercial sources of umami 168
Hydrolyzed protein 169
Umami in a jar 170
Yeast extract 172
Nutritional yeast 172
More sources of umami for vegans 173
Ketchup 174
Bagna càuda 175
Worcestershire sauce 176
Umami in a tube 177
Twelve easy ways to add umami 178
Quintessentially Danish: Brown gravy,
medisterpølse, and beef patties 180
Slow cooking: The secret of more umami 182
Ratatouille and brandade 190
This is why fast food tastes so good 191
Green salads and raw vegetables 194
Umami in dishes made with small fowl 196
Cooked potatoes: Nothing could be simpler 197
Rice and sake 197
Beer 200
Umami in sweets 202
Mirin is a sweet rice wine with umami 203
vii
Contents
recipes
umami and wellness
207
Umami and msg: Food without ‘chemicals’ 207
Umami satisfies the appetite 209
Why does umami make us feel full?
The ‘brain’ in the stomach 209
Umami for a sick and aging population 210
Umami for life 211
epilogue: umami has come to stay
213
technical and scientific details
217
Umami and the first glutamate receptor 217
Yet another receptor for umami 218
Umami synergy 220
The taste of amino acids 222
Taste thresholds for umami 223
Content of glutamate and 5'-ribonucleotides
in different foods 223
bibliography
233
illustration credits
237
glossary
239
index
255
the people behind the book
264
Potato water dashi with smoked shrimp heads 53
Monkfish liver au gratin with
crabmeat and vegetables 58
Pearled spelt, beets, and lobster 70
Crab soup 76
Clambake in a pot 78
Patina de pisciculis 82
Garum 86
Quick-and-easy garum 86
Smoked quick-and-easy garum 87
Seriously old-fashioned sourdough rye bread 107
Anchovies, grilled onions, sourdough bread,
pata negra ham, and mushrooms 108
Deep-fried eggplants with miso (nasu dengaku) 115
White asparagus in miso with oysters,
cucumber oil, and small fish 116
Grilled shōjin kabayaki: ‘fried eel’
made from lotus root 123
Baked monkfish liver with raspberries
and peanuts 128
Slow-roasted sauce with tomatoes,
root vegetables, and herbs 130
Fried mullet with baked grape tomatoes,
marinated sago pearls, and black garlic 132
Mushrooms, foie gras, and mushroom essence 138
Parmesan biscuits with bacon and yeast flakes 150
Harry’s crème 152
Chicken bouillon 157
Green pea soup with scallops and seaweed 163
Dressing with nutritional yeast 173
Eggplant gratinée with garlic, anchovies,
and nutritional yeast 174
Oysters au gratin with a crust of nutritional
yeast and smoked shrimp head powder 175
Bagna càuda 176
Old-fashioned Danish medisterpølse 181
Beef patties, Danish style 183
Chicken Marengo 185
Cassoulet 186
Beef estofado 188
Sicilian ratatouille 190
Brandade with air-dried ham and green peas 191
Three-day pizza with umami—not
really a ‘fast food’ 192
Quail pâté 196
Risotto 197
Oxtails braised in wheat beer 201
Umami sorbet with maccha and tomato 202
White chocolate cream, black sesame seeds,
Roquefort, and brioche with nutritional yeast 203
Acknowledgments
The undertaking of a joint project that encompasses as many diverse as-
pects of a topic as this book does is rarely possible without the assistance
and support of a wide range of individuals and organizations. In the
course of the many months that went into gathering the material, test-
ing recipes in laboratories and kitchens, and exploring new options, we
accumulated an enormous debt of gratitude to those who gave so freely
of their time and knowledge to assist us along the way. Their scientific
curiosity and passionate interest in the culinary arts have inspired and
guided us in the process of composing and writing this book.
Of the many individuals who put technical and professional knowledge
at our disposal, cheerfully participated in our experiments, and facili-
tated our expeditions around the world to seek out umami, particular
thanks are due to: the fascinating people who gather together as The
Funen Society of Serious Fisheaters and The Dozen Society, who helped
to shape our sensitivity to umami from the pantry in the sea; our good
friend and fish expert Poul Rasmussen, for enjoyable and inspiring con-
versations and gastronomical experiments with fish, shellfish, ikijime,
clambakes, and fish sauce production; and the chefs Torsten Vildgaard,
Lars Williams, and Søren Westh from Restaurant noma and Nordic Food
Lab, and the chefs Pepijn Schmeik and Remco van Erp from Restaurant
Eendracht for providing insight into their playful, yet serious, approach
to culinary adventures.
Thanks also are due to: Yukari Sakamoto, for carefully scrutinizing the
Japanese expressions; Dr. Carl Th. Pedersen, for advice with respect to
the chemical and gastronomic expressions in the book; Dr. Niels O. G.
Jørgensen and Lars Duelund, for measurements of glutamate in a large
number of samples; wine experts Peter Winding and Pia Styrbæk, for
tastings and enlightening discussions regarding wine pairings for dishes
with umami; Dr. Ling Miao, for information on Chinese soups and help
with Chinese quotes; Professor Ylva Ardö, for information on matura-
tion of cheeses; Ayako Watanabe, for pointing out references to data
for the amino acid content of sake and for conversations together with
chef Yoshitaka Onozaki about shōjin ryōri; chef Hiroaki Yamamoto for
information on kobujime; Dr. Christian Aalkjær, for information about
salt and blood pressure; chef Søren Gordon from bar’sushi, for preparing
