What is umami?

• means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese.
• is the taste of glutamate, often described as "savoury" or "meaty".
• glutamate occurs naturally in foods such as tomato paste, soy sauce, mushrooms, miso, aged cheeses, seared meats, etc.
• promotes salivation.
• the Maillard reaction, where you brown ingredients over high heat, creates new molecules, among which are elements of umami!
• adds more depth to dishes that feels too light.
• amplify the amount of umami that comes through by adding salt.
• can be mellowed with acid or diluting the dish.
• ⚠️ too much umami can make a dish overwhelming or overly intense. In fact, if a part of the dish is too high in umami, it can completely bury other flavours and ingredients around it.

History
The Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda who discovered umami also created monosodium glutamate (MSG). After discovering that glutamate was responsible for the umami taste of some of his favourite foods, Ikeda made monosodium glutamate into a seasoning. That way, he could add umami flavour into every dish he made.