Kikunae Ikeda

It roughly translates to something like pleasant, savory taste.

The term is generally credited to Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda, who identified glutamate as responsible for the distinctive savory quality he noticed in kombu broth in the early twentieth century.

Today, umami is widely recognized as one of our basic tastes.

You encounter it in foods such as mushrooms, tomatoes, aged cheeses, seaweed, soy sauce, broths, and many fermented foods.