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A few years ago we all stumbled upon this thing called Umami. What the heck is that? Why hadn't we heard of it before? Do we all have it somewhere, hidden or hiding?
The foods that harbor umami contain natural glutimates (getting kind of scientific here). Remember MSG - the evil thing we used to sprinkle on all of our foods? Well, yes, monosodium GLUTIMATE. So, if MSG contains glutimate and these foods (yes I will get into them later) contain glutimates, is it bad for you?
Put simply, no. Both MSG and those Umami foods are not inherently bad for you. In this article from the Wu Tsai Neuroscienes Institute of Stanford University, the dilemma is explained simply and quite well.
This "5th taste" is so interesting. It can be found in certain foods and capitalized on to add a savory depth of flavor to almost anything. The powder pictured above makes it easy. Kinda like cheating only not.
When I first tried it I immediately thought "Hey, this is just a fancy way to slip MSG back in my diet". But then, looking at the ingredients, it specifically states no MSG. So what gave it that flavor? Well duh...mushrooms, one of the top umami foods.
Have you ever had a really good bone broth? Rich, deep in flavor, indescribably comforting. Why? BOOM! Umami.
What about vegetable soup? No meat, right? Certain veggies contain that illusive glutimate so again - BOOM! Umami.
So there you have it. Mindless, brainless umami for all. Keep it around, it has become my new best friend.
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