Tag: Savory ingredients

Over 100 years ago, Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda first identified umami, the savory fifth taste. This distinctive flavor is what makes many dishes so deeply satisfying and can be achieved with ingredients that naturally mimic MSG, or monosodium glutamate, which is its manufactured salt form. Understanding these natural glutamate sources allows home cooks to replicate that rich, savory profile in their dishes naturally.

While most people sort produce by color or preparation method, the true classification of vegetables can be viewed from two distinct perspectives: botanical and culinary. These two groups of vegetables explain why some foods, like tomatoes, can be a fruit to a botanist and a vegetable to a chef.