What? Yup, umami, you heard me. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m guessing a lot of you also haven’t heard this word before, so it’s the perfect way to get back to our A-Z series. Umami is the 5th of the 5 basic tastes, along with sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Turns out it’s key to feeling that your palate is complete, so while it’s not necessary to be consciously aware of it, being aware and accounting for it can certainly help in making the transition to a vegan diet. Making sure you include this 5th flavor on your plate helps you feel your diet is complete and satiates that feeling of “something’s missing.” Because, without it – something is. :)
The word “umami” is derived from the Japanese word for “deliciousness” – which pretty much tells you all you need to know right there. How could one’s diet be complete without deliciousness?!
Umm, I want all of those things.
Ok, so a bit more detail. The taste of umami comes from the amino acid L-glutomate. What that taste is is a bit more difficult to describe, but it is somewhat salty, somewhat meaty… just that something special that you can’t really put your finger on in a great dish. It also really works in synergy with the other 4 basic tastes – it’s why parmesan cheese goes so well on top of pasta with marinara sauce.
While umami is very much found in meats and cheeses, it is also found in many vegetables as well as aged and fermented foods, so this is what is key for the vegan diet. If you make sure to incorporate items such as mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, spinach, celery, sauerkraut, nori, tamari, miso, balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, green tea, and wine, you will be filling this necessary spot in your diet, and this should help to counter any potential cravings you may experience for animal products. Interesting fact – human breast milk is very high in glutomates, so it’s a taste we acquire literally from birth, so it makes sense that we would crave it! But it’s important to note that, like other cravings, we can fulfill them without leaving the plant kingdom. :)
Recipe and Resources
1. Umami is a topic that’s a bit hard to wrap your head around, so I’m going to send you to the vegan r.d. for a great post on it. Hopefully she will add some extra insight and help you know how to get it covered!
2. If you want the more scientific details, check out the Wikipedia article.
3. I’m still working on perfecting my own recipe, but until then, VegNews swears their mac and cheese is the best on the planet, and cheezy flavors are a great source of umami.
4. Sea flavors also carry a lot of umami, so if you want to get fancy, there’s always vegetarian caviar! I haven’t tried it, never being a caviar person, but if you do, let me know what you think!
