Umami

You will see me reference this term often as it is the essence of all things I consider delicious. Remember the little diagrams of the regions of our tongues mapping out sweet, sour, salty, and bitter detection zones? Umami, a late entrant to the flavor order, appearing about a century ago, covers the entire tongue and corresponds to the flavor of glutamates, the substances that imparts savory or meaty notes to our food—think seared beef, soy sauce, ripe tomato, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, and sautéed mushrooms. An example from Mexican cuisine of an umami-rich food is Chintextle, a smoked chili paste from Oaxaca made with dried shrimp, nuts and black beans. The mouthwatering spreadable paste is thick and nourishing. In a word, umami is yum.