Why Humans Seek Umami
Umami is one of the five basic tastes, alongside sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, and sourness.
Although the scientific concept of umami was formally proposed by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908, the sensory experience itself has long been recognised in many cultures around the world. In France, the gastronome Brillat-Savarin referred to a similar quality using the term osmazome.[*1] In the Roman Empire, fermented fish sauce known as garum was traded as a highly valued commodity.
These examples suggest that while the term umami originated in Japan, the experience of umami is not culturally specific. Umami, in this sense, is not a Japanese invention—it is a human universal.
The Biology of Umami: Protein, Survival, and Comfort
The ability to perceive different tastes serves important biological functions.
Saltiness helps us detect essential minerals. Sweetness signals the presence of energy-rich carbohydrates. Sourness can alert us to spoilage or fermentation, while bitterness often serves as a warning sign for potentially harmful substances. Umami, by contrast, enables us to detect amino acids—the building blocks of protein that are essential for growth, maintenance, and survival.
From an evolutionary perspective, sweetness, saltiness, and umami are closely associated with nutrients that the body requires to function. Bitterness and sourness, on the other hand, are more strongly linked to caution, risk assessment, and learned avoidance. Together, these taste systems help guide food choices that support both survival and safety.
There is another reason why umami may hold a special place in human experience. Human breast milk contains relatively high levels of free glutamate, one of the principal compounds responsible for umami taste.[*2] Researchers therefore suggest that humans may encounter umami before birth and continue to experience it immediately after birth.[*3]
While the relationship is complex, this early exposure may help explain why umami is often associated not only with nourishment, but also with feelings of comfort, reassurance, and psychological satisfaction.
Umami Exists in Every Culture
Many natural foods contain compounds associated with umami. What is particularly striking, however, is how often umami emerges through processes such as fermentation, preservation, and aging.
These techniques represent more than culinary innovation. Developed in response to scarcity and the need to preserve food, they reflect generations of accumulated knowledge—including the ability to distinguish beneficial fermentation from dangerous spoilage.
From aged cheeses in Europe to fish sauces in Southeast Asia and fermented seasonings in China, cultures around the world developed their own ways of harnessing these transformations. Each reflects local resources, environmental conditions, and generations of accumulated knowledge.
What began as practical solutions for survival gradually became culinary traditions and cultural identities. Seen in this light, umami is not the export of a single culture. It is part of a shared human heritage.
Umami in Contemporary Life
Sweetness and saltiness are closely linked to powerful reward systems in the brain. From an evolutionary perspective, these tastes helped humans rapidly identify sources of energy and essential nutrients. As a result, they are often associated with cravings and overconsumption in modern food environments.[*4]
Umami appears to function somewhat differently. Research suggests that it contributes to satiety, meal satisfaction, and the regulation of food intake.[*5]
Modern food systems have become remarkably effective at delivering calories, intensity, and convenience. Yet many people experience a growing sense that something is missing from the act of eating.
Umami is not defined by intensity. Rather than overwhelming the palate, it often contributes a subtle, lingering sense of depth and satisfaction. It encourages slower, more mindful eating and can enrich the experience of sharing food with others around the table.
In this sense, umami may offer a different perspective on wellbeing, satisfaction, and the role of food in contemporary life.
Ultimately, umami is about more than taste—it is a lens through which we can explore how humans have nourished themselves, lived together, and created meaning around food across cultures and throughout history.
[*1]: Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, *The Physiology of Taste* (1825).
[*2]: Research has shown that glutamate is the most abundant free amino acid in human milk (Rassin et al., 1978; van Sadelhoff et al., 2020)
[*3]: Glutamate and the UMAMI taste: sensory, metabolic, nutritional and behavioural considerations(Bellisle,1999), Umami and Satiety (Yeomans, 2023)
[*4]: Berridge & Kringelbach, 2008; Rolls, 2011 [5]: Bellisle, 1999; Masic & Yeomans, 2014
Image Credits: Haring pakken en roken bij de Haringpakkerstoren, ca. 1600, printmaker: Claes Jansz. Visscher (II), Northern NetherlandsRijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Public Domain