umami

[oo-mah-mee]

noun

1. a strong meaty taste imparted by glutamate and certain other amino acids: often considered to be one of the basic taste sensations along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

Word History and Origins

Origin of umami¹

First recorded in 1960–65; from Japanese: literally, “savory quality, delicious taste,” equivalent to uma-, the inflectional stem of umai “(to be) delicious” + -mi, a suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives

Example Sentences

“When researchers consider the classic five categories of taste — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami — there’s little disagreement over which of them is the least understood,” wrote Katherine J. Wu for The Atlantic.

From Salon

“Creatures crave sweet for sugar and calories. A yen for umami, or savoriness, keeps many animals nourished with protein. Salt’s essential for bodies to stay in fluid balance, and for nerve cells to signal. And a sensitivity to bitterness can come in handy with the whole not-poisoning-yourself thing.”

From Salon

This step is crucial for developing the tea's signature "umami" flavour - a savoury taste that complements its natural sweetness.

From BBC

“The Nasty Bits” A collection of essays and stories from his travels, organized by taste — sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami.

From Salon

Tomatoes bring acid and glutamates, the backbone of umami.

From Salon