What is umami?

Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda identified umami in 1908 while studying why kombu seaweed broth tasted so rich, and he traced the flavour to glutamate. He named it from the Japanese word umai, meaning delicious, and his discovery led to monosodium glutamate, sold by Ajinomoto from 1909. For decades Western scientists doubted it was a separate taste, until taste receptors for glutamate were identified on the tongue in the early 2000s. Foods rich in umami include parmesan, ripe tomatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, anchovies and cured meats. Human breast milk is also high in glutamate, which may explain why the taste is so appealing.