Cooking With Umami: How to Build Savory Flavor in Everyday Food
Umami is the savory taste that helps make broth taste fuller, Parmesan more satisfying, tomatoes richer and fermented sauces especially flavorful. It is recognized alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter as one of the basic tastes.
You do not need a special umami ingredient to cook with it. Tomatoes, mushrooms, aged cheese, soy sauce, miso, fish sauce, cured meats and browned tomato paste are familiar ways to bring savory depth to everyday food.
What Creates Umami Taste?
Glutamate is one of the principal compounds associated with umami. Other naturally occurring compounds, particularly the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate, can strengthen the perception of umami when they are combined with glutamate-rich ingredients. That is one reason combinations such as meat with tomatoes, broth with mushrooms or Parmesan with tomato sauce can taste especially savory.
Umami is not the same thing as saltiness. An ingredient can contribute both, as soy sauce does, but the two tastes are distinct.
Umami, Glutamate and MSG
Glutamate occurs naturally in many foods. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid and is used as a seasoning because it supplies glutamate in a form that produces umami taste. MSG and naturally occurring glutamate are related, but it is clearer to think of MSG as one possible source of umami rather than treating the terms MSG, glutamate and umami as interchangeable.
Where the Idea of Umami Came From
Cooks around the world were building savory flavor long before scientists had a name for the taste. Fermented fish sauces, aged cheeses, cured meats, seaweed broths and other concentrated savory ingredients have long histories in many cuisines.
In 1908, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified glutamate as the distinctive savory component of kombu broth and used the word umami for the taste. Later research established umami as a taste quality distinct from sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
Cooking With Tomatoes for Umami
Tomatoes are an easy place to start because they naturally contain glutamate. Cooking removes water and concentrates flavor, which is why tomato sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste can provide more savory impact than you might expect from fresh tomato alone.
When using tomato paste, cook it briefly in the pan until it darkens and smells richer before adding liquid. That browning adds another layer of flavor. My Cooking With Tomato Paste guide explains the technique, while Cooking With Sun-Dried Tomatoes covers another concentrated tomato ingredient.
Soy Sauce, Miso and Fish Sauce
Fermented sauces and pastes are efficient ways to add savory depth because a small amount can season an entire dish. Soy sauce brings salt and umami, miso adds fermented complexity and body, and fish sauce can add depth without making the finished dish taste overtly fishy when used judiciously.
These ingredients are particularly useful in stir-fries, noodle dishes, marinades, soups and sauces. Chicken Yaki Udon Noodles Stir-Fry, Garlic-Soy Pork Noodles and Umami Ginger Pork Rice Bowls are good examples of building savory flavor around these kinds of ingredients.
Parmesan and Other Aged Cheeses
Aged cheeses such as Parmesan are naturally rich in free glutamate. A little grated Parmesan can therefore contribute more than salt and fat: it can deepen the savory character of pasta, vegetables, soups and sauces.
That is part of what makes Parmesan and anchovy such an effective combination in Caesar dressing. Try my Authentic Caesar Salad Dressing or One-Skillet Creamy Parmesan Dijon Chicken.
Mushrooms, Meat and Broth
Mushrooms are another useful savory ingredient, and dried mushrooms can be especially concentrated. Meat and long-cooked broths bring different umami compounds to the table. Combining ingredients from these groups can make a dish taste fuller without simply adding more salt.
Cured and Smoked Meats
Ham, bacon, sausage and other cured meats bring concentrated savory flavor along with salt and fat. Because those ingredients already contribute a great deal of seasoning, taste the dish before adding additional salt.
Layer Umami Instead of Relying on One Ingredient
Umami should support the food rather than announce itself as a separate flavor. When a soup tastes thin or a sauce seems to be missing depth, consider whether one savory ingredient—or a thoughtful combination of two—could fill in what is missing before reaching automatically for more salt.
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