Ramp Up the Flavor in Your Food with These Umami-Rich Ingredient Combinations

The savory, mouth-filling taste known as umami occurs naturally in some foods, such as oysters and tomatoes. However, it also occurs when you pair certain complimentary ingredients, thus amplifying their savoriness thirtyfold. Cook's Illustrated explains the science behind magnifying umami.

In its May/June 2012 issue (subscription required), Cook's Illustrated says that when you combine ingredients that are naturally rich in glutamates with ones rich in nucleotides (guanylate or inosinate), the umami flavor of a dish is dramatically amplified. They did an experiment comparing MSG in water with a solution of inosinate/glutamate powder and found that tasters found the MSG only "moderately" or "mildly" savory, but the umami boosters got a perfect score for savoriness.

Not a big fan of chemistry? Don't worry, all you need to know is that some ingredient combinations naturally are more flavorful. Foods rich in glutamate include: parmesan cheese, fish sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, cured ham, anchovies/sardines, beef, cheddar cheese, and Worscestershire sauce. Pair them with these foods rich in nucleotides: anchovies/sardines, dried shiitake mushrooms, pork, beef, dried porcini mushrooms.

You'll notice that some ingredients are rich in both, so you can add them to any dish to amplify the savoriness. (Also, no wonder cheeseburgers taste so good!)

For further reading, the Umami Information Center has much more on the science and history of umami, as well as recipes. You could also get a free 14-day trial to Cook's Illustrated online to read the article mentioned here.

Amping Up Savoriness in Food | Cook's Illustrated

Photo by Umami Information Center

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