“This is umami!” Umami Experience Classroom at a junior high school
September 2020
A special umami experience class was held at a junior high school in Tokyo by Dr. Ninomiya, Director of the Umami Information Center (UIC), on September 12. About 100 students and homeroom teachers participated in this workshop.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, hygiene was taken into consideration, such as the use of masks and disinfection of hands.
Students learned that umami is the fifth taste along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, and was discovered by Dr. Kikunae Ikeda in the Meiji era and called umami overseas as well.
Then they actually tasted umami using thinly sliced Rausu kombu, ichiban-dashi and miso water.
The students commented, "This is the first time I learned what umami tastes like," "I want to look for umami in food when I eat it," "I am happy to know that a Japanese person discovered umami," etc.
We believe it is important for the younger generation to know about umami properly and will continue to expand these activities in the future.