Umami: The Meat of the Matter

When discussing umami, I have consistently described it as “savory,” “satisfying,” and “meaty.” What is more “meaty,” than meat? It is true that meat and poultry have a great deal of potential umami locked within them. Since umami is nothing but the flavor of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins and muscle […]

Umami In The West

After the long series of posts where I outlined the prevalance of umami ingredients in use in Asia, this singular post on umami ingredients from Europe and the Americas will seem rather paltry by comparison. The fact is, however, when it comes to Western methods of using the umami flavor, cooks traditionally have reached for […]

Umami : The Power of Fermentation and Fungus

The last category of umami ingredients from Asia contains what at first appears to be a disparate group of food items: wine, kimchee, pickled and preserved vegetables, mushrooms, rice and vinegar. Believe it or not, all of these items have characteristics in common–they all involve fungi or bacteria in some way, shape or form. Yeast […]

Food Blog Awards 2005: I’m a Finalist!

Okay, I am going to do something that I am not good at doing, and toot my own horn a wee bit here, because if I don’t, Zak will bean me on the head with a pillow. So here we go–a post that is all about me. Or rather, my writing. I’m a finalist for […]

Umami From the Oceans of Asia

I think it may be the strong use of feremented condiments, sauces and flavor enhancers in Asian foods that first grabbed my attention. Of course, I didn’t have the knowledge to articulate that thought–I just was of the opinion, from the first taste, that Chinese food was “damned good,” and that I needed some more. […]

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