Students have already learned about umami as one of the basic tastes in their school classes. Even so, they seemed to have increased their interest of umami by concentrating only on umami during the 50-minute lecture and learning it through tasting.

The experience of synergistic effect by kombu dashi and katsuo dashi seemed especially impressive to many students. They also discovered many other facts: that they could taste umami in dried tomatoes and cheese by concentrating on them, that umami is a homonym with two meanings in Japanese, and that proper use of umami can reduce the calorie content of a dish and add depth to its flavor even with little salt.

We received many comments in the post-lecture questionnaire. Some comments were very impressive, as they are unique to those who aim to become chefs. After experiencing the synergistic effect of kombu and katsuo, I felt that katsuo dashi alone was plain and unsatisfying. I learned that mixed dashi, which I make casually in the daily practice, is meaningful.” “During the tasting session comparing the effects of vegetable bouillon with/without umami substances, I learned that the two types of bouillon actually had almost the same salt content, and I realized, 'This is what it means to have umami.'”