It took the better part of the 20th century for the scientific community to accept the existence of the fifth taste, umami. But chefs and excellent home cooks were onto it much earlier, and growing interest in its savory goodness continues today. You'll undoubtedly find umami-rich ingredients at a Japanese market, but they're also present in foods you buy anywhere. The butter that makes baked goods tasty is an excellent example of umami goodness. Amino acids produce the flavor, and they are present in many foods we buy and enjoy every day. You can thank a Japanese scientist for confirming it.

If you love food and cooking and haven't read up on the topic already, it's a fun online search, and you'll discover more than a few articles and recipes. The umami flavor is about tasting a savory flavor distinct from the standard four tastes of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. A fun fact is that the interest in umami has roots in many food traditions, including both Asia, where it is well known today, and Europe. Food historians understand that a fermented fish sauce known as garum was popular in early Europe and added a savory flavor similar to soy sauce. Good cooks everywhere appreciate its importance.

It's one thing to learn favorite recipes handed down through your family or try some new ones on your own. While you can learn cooking techniques that way, increased knowledge of food and things like umami makes a difference. Knowing the umami taste comes from amino acids in food and how to add them to more things you make improves the flavor of your food. Some of it is based on personal preference, but other things are more universal, and everyone who eats your cooking will appreciate it. The salty-sweet umami flavor is one that adds deliciousness to a wide range of the foods we love.

No discussion of umami is complete without a mention of monosodium glutamate (MSG). It's an artificial food additive widely avoided in the United States and still in use elsewhere. It was popularized during the 1950s and '60s in the early days of umami being more broadly accepted. Some have allergies to it, and along with a general reluctance to use artificial ingredients in foods, its use has diminished. But the original idea was to add MSG to a variety of foods to enhance their savory flavor. While there was excitement about it initially, its use has decreased during the past several decades.