Umami is a loan word from the Japanese and can be translated as \u201cpleasant savoury taste\u201d.<\/p>\n Scientists have debated whether umami was a basic taste since Professor Kikunae Ikeda\u00a0first proposed its existence in 1908.<\/p> In 1985, the term\u00a0umami\u00a0was recognized as the scientific term to describe the taste of glutamates and nucleotides\u00a0at the first Umami International Symposium in Hawaii. Its effect is to balance taste and round out the overall flavour of a dish.<\/p>\n Glutamate\u00a0has a long history in cooking. Fermented fish sauces (garum), which are rich in glutamate, were used widely in ancient Rome,\u00a0fermented barley sauces (murri) rich in glutamate were used in medieval Byzantine and Arab\u00a0cuisine,\u00a0and fermented fish sauces and soy sauces\u00a0have histories going back to the 3rd century in China. In the late 1800s, famous French chef Auguste Escoffier created dishes that combined the five tastes without knowing the science behind umami.<\/p>\n Adding a few flakes of salt\u00a0to a recipe isn’t just about adding saltiness; it’s a flavour enhancer, so when\u00a0you \u201csalt to taste\u201d, it also coaxes\u00a0out low-lying aromas and flavours.\u00a0It can also balance unwanted bitterness in a\u00a0dish.<\/p>\n Although we all have different tolerances, people tend to be sensitive to bitterness. Bitterness helps to balance any cloying sweetness.\u00a0Great ingredients to add a bitter taste are horseradish, rocket, endive, radicchio and dark chocolate.\u00a0Chicory is the common name in the United States for curly endive<\/strong>.\u00a0These two closely related species are often confused.<\/p>\n![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/albertonrecord.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/35\/2016\/02\/nog-parmesan.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>Salty<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nBitter<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSweet<\/h2>\n