4 Ways to Turn Your Next Meal Into an Umami Bomb

How do you turn up the dial on the umami in your cooking? A little science, a simple math equation, and a lot of bacon.
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Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi

Everything I thought I knew about umami was wrong.

That, at least, was my takeaway from a lecture on umami that I attended a few weeks ago. When Kiyomi Mikuni, the Japanese chef who gave the lecture, revealed that umami isn't just one flavor but three flavors, I knew I had a lot of learn about the trendiest taste.

SoI reached out to Ole G. Mouritsen, a professor of biophysics at the University of Southern Denmark and the author of Umami: Unlocking the Secrets of the Fifth Taste. He clarified Mikuni's statement a bit. "There is only one umami," he said. "But there are several compounds that can elicit the taste."

Over the course of the next hour, Mouritsen broke down those compounds and explained his concept of umami synergy, a way to maximize the amount of umami in any dish. I won't lie to you—the science is a little overwhelming and hard to parse. But because umami synergy is actually pretty simple once you break through the science—and because it can change your cooking—it's worth getting into. Let's start slow.

What is umami, anyway?

Simply speaking, umami is the fifth taste (after sour, sweet, salt, and bitter). It is a complex, lingering flavor—often described as "savory deliciousness"—that's often associated with Japanese cuisine (think dashi, a soup stock of kelp).

When it was first discovered in Japan in 1908, umami was identified as glutamate, aka MSG, aka one of the most common amino acids, found in large quantities in kombu seaweed. It was later found that umami also exists in compounds called nucleotides, which are found in common ingredients like soup stocks, preserved fish, aged cheeses, cured meats, and oyster mushrooms.

Those nucleotides explain why chef Mikuni said there are three types of umami—other than glutamate, the nucleotides that contribute the most umami taste are inosinate and guanylate.

Liquid umami bomb or dashi? IT'S BOTH.

Okay, so what's the deal with umami synergy?

It's actually pretty simple. In order to get maximum umami, you need to combine glutamate umami with nucleotide umami. "That's the secret of umami synergy," says Mouritsen.

How much does combining those two types of umami matter? According to Mouritsen's book, umami that is equal parts glutamate and nucleotide is eights times more flavorful than glutamate umami alone. (This is the logic behind Mouritsen's slightly confusing umami math equation: 1 + 1 = 8.)

Dang! How do I start synergizing?

Glutamate umami and a nucleotide umami co-exist in only two foods: tomatoes and nori. All other foods just have one type of umami (if they have umami at all.)

So if you want to achieve maximum umami, you have to start cooking.

Japanese cooking is a good place to start. The Japanese excel at highlighting umami by using dashi as the base for many of their dishes, wrapping rice in nori, and using a lot of fermented products like miso.

But Japanese cooking is not the only option. "This principle of synergy for most Westerners feels a little alien, but that principle is exactly the same principle used in cuisines around the world," says Mouritsen, who called out dishes like classic Italian ragu and ham-and-cheese sandwiches as examples of perfect umami combinations.

Want to add a little umami into your cooking? Here are just a few classic combinations to try out. (For a much more comprehensive list of umami ingredients and umami-packed recipes, check out Mouritsen's book)

Bacon + Eggs

Simple and sweet, bacon and eggs is the go-to breakfast for a reason: it's protein-packed, easy to cook, and full of savory deliciousness. The eggs bring the glutamate, the bacon brings it home with the nucleotide.

Asparagus + Cheese

This risotto brings the umami with glutamates like parmesan, and nucleotides like asparagus and shrimp. Other ways to try out this classic asparagus-parmesan combo: roast asparagus, asparagus salad, or frittata.

Shellfish + Vegetables

A classic combination, the peas provide the glutamate, while the scallops add the nucleotide. This specific recipe goes one step further, adding in bacon for even more umami deliciousness.

Meat + Mushrooms

A stew made with meat—ideally more than one type—and vegetables is a glutamate umami bomb in itself. Add in mushrooms for the nucleotide double whammy. This chicken and dumplings stew packs in umami, and tons of flavor, with chicken, bacon, and mushrooms in the broth.