Umami

Psychophysicists (those who study a subdiscipline of psychology dealing with the relationship between physical stimuli and their subjective correlates, or percepts) have long suggested the existence of four taste "primaries", referred to as the basic tastes: sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. The basic tastes are those commonly recognized types of taste sensed by humans. Humans receive tastes through sensory organs called taste buds or gustatory calyculi, concentrated on the upper surface of the tongue.

Umami, or savoriness, has been suggested as a fifth basic taste, exemplified by the non-salty sensations evoked by monosodium glutamate (MSG). This week, we look at umami.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." - William Faulkner (American novelist, 1897 – 1962)

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Umami