Of the five different kinds of taste our tongues can recognize, ‘umami’ is the newest – or was at least the last one to be discovered. Almost impossible to define, unlike the other tastes – sweet, sour, bitter and salty – it’s present in all foods that are rich in glutamates, the most common kind of protein.
Meat, aged cheeses (like Italy’s Parmigiano cheese), shellfish, some kinds of fish, mushrooms and milk are all rich in it. It’s impossible to resist: so much so that the Umami Burger restaurant chain, which first started out in Los Angeles, has just announced that it’s opening a branch in New York, and will soon also have a presence in Miami, Las Vegas and Houston.
Its secret? Added ‘umami’ (you can find it sold in tube form, like mayonnaise) in every hamburger, in order to create sandwiches featuring the ‘highest concentration in the world of the fifth taste’, and to make its customers come back time and time again.
Young chef and self-professed lasagna head, Valerio Braschi, harnesses his love of his favourite dish in a lasagna flavoured toothpaste dish at his Roman restaurant. Find out more.
Millions will be watching as Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States of America, but how many of them know that he is a massive foodie? Here we take a look at the presidential palate, both past and present, and round-up some of Joe Biden's favourite hometown dining spots.
