Ajinomoto is the most well known umami seasoning in Japan. Umami seasoning is an artificially refined seasoning that stimulates umami taste.

What is Umami:  Also known as monosodium glutamate it is one of the core fifth tastes including sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Umami means “essence of deliciousness” in Japanese, and its taste is often described as the meaty, savoury deliciousness that deepens flavour. 

To get technical, umami is the taste of glutamate, an amino acid that is one of the building blocks of protein. Glutamate occurs naturally in the human body and in many delicious foods we eat every day, including, but certainly not limited to, aged cheeses, cured meats, tomatoes, mushrooms, salmon, steak, anchovies, green tea—and the list goes on.

 MSG contains only 12% sodium, which is one-third the amount in table salt. 

The reality is, MSG and umami give us the same taste experience. While MSG has a negative connotation and umami has a largely positive one, they actually use the same molecule—an amino acid called glutamate—to activate our taste receptors.

Fun Fact : Scientists identified umami taste receptors on the human tongue in 2002 (alongside the sweet, sour, bitter, and salty taste buds). Meaning that umami is an inherent taste universally enjoyed.

Weight: 200g