Behind the taste

Umamismagen

Umami is also called savouriness, and it's a little harder to define than the other basic tastes. It adds richness, depth and roundness to the flavour. Preparation plays a role in umami, and the more cooked a sauce is, for example, the deeper the umami. Umami is also known as a flavour enhancer - the same as "the 3rd spice", which has been used extensively in the food industry simply to make food taste more and to enhance the other flavours. The 3rd spice is a chemical variant of the naturally occurring glutamate, which is the substance that gives the umami taste.

Umami was first recognised as the fifth basic flavour around the year 2000, and was initially known as "meat flavour". However, it is also present in many vegetables and the method of cooking has an impact on how much the flavour comes through. So umami, defined as 'flavour', can be achieved without meat, although it is often meat that is emphasised when umami is mentioned. Roasted mushrooms, seaweed and sun-dried tomatoes are all great green umami options.

Umami can help us eat less salt, as one of the dietary guidelines recommends - simply because umami enhances flavour and can reduce the need for salt.

PUT TOGETHER THE RIGHT FLAVOUR

Umami is also known as a flavour enhancer, and when building your dish, it's a good idea to consider the natural sources of umami found in meat, cheese and some vegetables.

Broth and stock When meat and bones are cooked for a long time, large quantities of glutamate, one of the main substances in the umami stomach, are released. Bouillon and stock are flavourings that can add both salt and umami to food in one go. Broths and stocks have in common that they are decoctions of flavouring ingredients which are strained and then used as bases and seasonings in soups, stews and sauces, for example. Stock is prepared by browning meat, fish or vegetables, for example. Water is then added and left to simmer for a long time. Herbs and spices, including salt, are often added. Stock cubes are the result of industrially produced stock, where the water is removed and all the flavour is compressed into a small cube, which is then easier to store both in the shop and in the kitchen. It is easy to make your own stock and it can be frozen, so you have an alternative to stock cubes - but it takes time to cook the stock. Stock is very similar to broth, but traditionally stock is cooked from power bones and vegetables, so it contains a lot of gelatine from the power bones, which gives a more gelatinous consistency when cooled. Stock often has a more concentrated flavour compared to broth.
Parmesan Parmesan has a distinct umami flavour, but other cheeses also contain umami to a greater or lesser extent. However, Parmesan contains the most glutamate and therefore has the strongest umami flavour. At the same time, Parmesan salt easily adds flavour to more subdued dishes by adding both salt and umami flavour. Parmesan is just often used with pasta, which doesn't taste like much on its own. Together with, for example, finely grated lemon and some fresh rosemary, Parmesan is also ideal on, for example, baked root vegetables.
Sundried tomato Tomatoes have a lot of unami flavour in themselves, and the flavour is enhanced during cooking. For example, long-bake tomatoes have a more intense flavour, as do sun-dried tomatoes, which actually have up to 3 times the umami flavour of a fresh tomato. Tomatoes are the most distinctive vegetable when it comes to umami flavour, and they are used in all kinds of dishes across countries and food traditions. The intense umami flavour of sun-dried tomatoes is easy to exploit in sauces, dressings, salads and hot dishes, for example, where the sun-dried tomatoes can be shredded, chopped or blended before adding.
Mushrooms Mushrooms are one of the vegetables that contain umami. Dried mushrooms contain more umami than the fresh ones, and shitake and portebello are some of the varieties that contain the most umami. The umami flavour intensifies when mushrooms are roasted or fried. In most mushroom species, it is the dark mushrooms that contain the most umami, but the reverse is true for truffles, where the light truffles have the highest content.
Tang Both fresh seaweed and dried tank have a high umami content. In fact, it was in seaweed that umami was first recorded as a flavour in the early 1900s. Seaweed can be added to many different types of dishes and used in spice mixtures, for example, in dried, powdered form. Thus, seaweed can contribute umami flavour to both hot and cold dishes but also to bakery products. In Denmark, edible seaweed is best known and used in sushi rolls and as seaweed salad. Seaweed can also be served fresh in soaked or blanched form, and it can also be blended or chopped. It can therefore be used in many types of dishes. Danish seaweed contains as much umami as the more familiar Japanese varieties. For example, the species Seaweed is almost as high as Kombutang in glutamate content.

Products

Sun-dried tomatoes Aioli, pesto and tapas Sun-dried tomatoes
Red Pesto Aioli, pesto and tapas Red Pesto
Tomato Ketchup Dressing, sauce & soups Tomato Ketchup
  • recycling symbol
Organic Tomato Ketchup Dressing, sauce & soups Organic Tomato Ketchup
  • eus organic regulation
  • state-controlled-organic
Pizza topping Dressing, sauces & soupsPizza topping

CREATE A BASE STOMACH

Read more about the taste here
Read more about the taste here
Read more about the taste here
Read more about the taste here
Read more about the taste here
Read more about the taste here

Discover the different flavours
Turn the wheel and get inspired by which ingredients can contribute exactly the flavour you think your dish is missing.

Sweet
Salt
Umami
Bitter
Spicy
Surt

5 basic flavours - and one extra!

The basic flavours are the foundation of the tasting, and in addition to the 5 basic flavours you can also work with the flavour "strong", which can help to enhance the other flavours if dosed correctly.

Turn the wheel and get inspired to work with the basic flavours and complete the taste experience of your food!

Good Food Group A/S

Herredsvej 30 A
DK-7100 Vejle
CVR no.: 54664028

Phone: +45 75 71 18 00

Navigation
Information
Follow us

© Copyright Good Food Group A/S - All rights Reserved