A century ago, a Japanese professor named Dr. Kikunae Ikeda embarked on a journey which would lead to the discovery and production of a tantalizing new taste which continues to delight palates throughout the world.

Having read a report by Dr. Hiizu Miyake,M.D. which suggested that the digestion of food is related to its taste, Dr. Ikeda set out to investigate this topic further. While studying in Germany, he discovered a distinctive and common taste in European fare quite unlike the four then-known tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter.

Dr. Ikeda's research into the origin of this elusive flavour led him to the nutritional seaweed kombu, in which glutamate was identified as the source of the tantalizing taste. The taste was named umami, and it is now regarded worldwide as one of the five basic tastes in our food repertoire.

PRODUCTION BEGINS

A year after his discovery, Dr. Ikeda invented a process using wheat protein and salt for the large-scale production of monosodium glutamate as a seasoning. The product provided a simple means for people to add the umami taste to their dishes. He named it AJI-NO-MOTO®, or “essence of taste”. It quickly became a success.

At a time when the freshness and variety of ingredients for food preparation was often insufficient, the availability of this new seasoning played an important role in improving quality of life. The invention of a mass production method for AJI-NO-MOTO® is therefore listed as one of Japan's 10 most important inventions.

Today, AJI-NO-MOTO® has become a staple ingredient in kitchens throughout the world — lauded for adding subtle depth and definition to all varieties of foods. It can be found on supermarket shelves in more than 100 countries and regions across the globe.

These days, AJI-NO-MOTO® is produced through fermentation, usually from molasses and starch, using raw materials such as sugarcane, corn and tapioca.

Not only is its umami taste popular, but it is also a kitchen favourite for practical reasons. It is simple to store. Like salt, it does not go bad. It is also easily water soluble, making it an excellent addition for broth or sauces, and is readily digested.

CENTURIES OF HERITAGE

Even before Dr. Ikeda identified the source of this elegant flavour, culinary connoisseurs from ancient civilizations had been using umami in their everyday menu, without knowing its origin.

Consider the timeless usage of soy sauce and fish sauce in Asian dishes — sauces rich in glutamate. Fish sauce was also used in Europe by the ancient Greeks and Romans in their cooking.

In earlier times, umami fulfilled a greater role than enhancing the natural flavour of the limited range of foods available to these cultures.