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Umami Basics
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Sharing umami
with the world

Umami is one of the basic tastes along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter. The Umami Information Center disseminates various information about umami globally.

Umami Information Center Activity

Activity

2026.06.02
The 2nd Umami Lecture has held at the Shinjuku Culinary Institute
2026.04.28
Umami, Kokumi, and Koku: Unlocking the Deliciousness of Dry-Cured Ham
2025.12.26
Umami Lecture for Graduate Students of Otsuma Women’s University

Umami Clips

Master Umami and Transform Your Food
History of umami and MSG

Sat Bains, Claude Bosi & Yoshihiro Murata on the Future of Washoku in Western Food Culture
Johnny Drain talks on fermented foods of Washoku
Dr. Ninomiya talks on umami at Washoku UNESCO registration 10th anniversary sympo.
【Spanish subtitles】History of umami and MSG

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What is Umami

Umami is the fifth basic taste and was discovered by a Japanese scientist. Japanese people are full of knowledge on umami from both cultural as well as scientific standpoints.
Umami-Rich Ingredients

Information on ingredients rich in glutamate, inosinate and guanylate.
Local Cuisine in Japan and Umami

There are a variety of local cuisines that have been passed down over generations all over Japan. Local cuisine has supported the lives of the people in the region while making the most of regional ingredients, and it makes use of umami-rich soup stock and the umami in seasonal ingredients.
Umami Database

Have you ever wondered how much umami is present in certain foods? The Umami Database will be one of the sources through which you can find the answer.
Umami Tasting

In order to help people learn about the umami taste, the Umami Information Center always includes a tasting of umami-rich soup stocks and foods during our lectures. Let's try umami.
Umami founder Kikunae Ikeda

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) was discovered in 1908 by Kikunae Ikeda, a professor at the School of Science's Department of Chemistry at the Imperial University (now called The University of Tokyo).

Umami Rich Ingredients Shoyu(Soy sauce)

Soy sauce is a fermented condiment and seasoning sauce that plays a central role in Japanese culinary culture.
Umami Rich Ingredients Miso

Miso is one of the traditional Japanese fermented ingredient made from soybeans, koji and salt.Recently, it is often used not only in Japanese cuisine but also in Western cuisine. Miso is rich in glutamate which is one of major umami substances.
Umami Rich Ingredients Kombu(Kelp)

Of all foods, kombu is the richest in glutamate, a component of umami and an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine. In particular, kombu stock is indispensable for cooking vegetable dishes in Buddhist cuisine, which does not use meat and fish.
Umami Rich Ingredients Katsuobushi(Dried Bonito Flakes)

Along with kombu, katsuobushi is indispensable to Japanese cuisine. Bonito is rich in inosinate, a substance of umami. In combination with glutamate, the beneficial effects of umami are multiplied several fold. Japanese ichiban (primary) dashi uses this synergetic effect.
Umami Rich Ingredients Mushroom

Mushrooms come in various shapes and flavors. Raw mushrooms contain glutamate, a component of umami. Dried mushrooms are also rich in guanylate, another substance of umami.
Umami Rich Ingredients Tomato

Tomatoes are rich in glutamate. The amount of glutamate reaches its peak as tomatoes ripen to a vivid red color.
Seasonings made of tomatoes are used around the world. Umami-rich tomatoes are an important part of the human diet.
Umami Rich Ingredients Vegetables and Beans

Familiar vegetables contain glutamate, a constituent of umami. What types of vegetables have the highest umami content?
Umami Rich Ingredients Cheese

Compare the umami substances of different types of cheese. Do you see a large difference in the amount of umami between fresh and matured cheeses?

What is Dashi

Japanese cuisine is an invaluable part of our culture, which we are proud of. Dashi is the base of this cuisine. Information on and cooking methods of dashi are given here.
Umami Culture around the World

In every country around the globe, there are various umami-rich ingredients that impart deliciousness to food.

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Chinese（ZH-CN）
Chinese（ZH-TW）
English
French（FR）
German（DE）
Italian（IT）
Korean（KO）
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Spanish（ES）
Thai（TH）
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Umami Basics
- What is Umami
- Umami Tasting
Umami Rich Ingredients
Umami Database
Umami Clips
Umami Culture around the World
What is Dashi
Local Cuisine in Japan and Umami
Umami Recipe
Talking about umami
PLANT BASED ✕ UMAMI
Actvity
Academic Papers
Publications
FAQs
About us
Contact
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