umami

(Newser) - Most of us have been taught that salty, sweet, sour, and bitter (that last one added by Greek philosopher Democritus a few thousand years ago) make up the four building blocks of taste. But since the "savory" taste (also called umami) was added as a fifth taste about a...

(Newser) - Many people quake at the mention of anchovies, but if history is any judge, those people are dead wrong, Howard Yoon writes for NPR. In the past, the fish was “so highly prized that it was used to make a condiment, garum, during the Roman Empire that cost as...

(Newser) - Humans crave not only salt and sugar, but also a savory, satisfying flavor known as “umami,” the Japanese term for “deliciousness,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Umami (“oo-MA-mee”) describes the taste of stick-to-your-ribs dishes such as chicken soup or Caesar salad with Parmesan cheese...