Foodies can't stop talking about umami — the savory taste that's taking over the culinary scene and which, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty, is one of the five basic tastes that our tongues perceive.
But if you're a fan of Chinese takeout, you've been team umami from the get-go.
That's because MSG — that flavoring often associated with American Chinese food— is umami in its purest form.
And while you might have been told it's bad for you or causes the so-called “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” science disagrees.
As much as we associate MSG with Chinese food, there isn't anything inherently Chinese, or even Asian, about the compound.
MSG stands for monosodium glutamate — the sodium salt of glutamate, it's an amino acid that the human body can synthesize, but that we also get from our food.
Like other amino acids, glutamate is an important building block for proteins, and it also helps nerve cells send signals to other cells in the body — it's the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in vertebrates.
Since it's so important for our bodies, it's not surprising we've evolved a taste for it.
We have umami-specific receptors on our tongues and in our stomachs, and these drive our love for foods that contain glutamate like tomatoes, mushrooms, and aged cheeses.
And umami-rich foods have been staples in human diets for, forever.
