Abstract
The identification and acceptance of umami as a basic taste together with the
recent advances in umami research are reviewed, beginning with fish sauces in
ancient Greece and Rome and concluding with an examination of the data of umami
to the realization that umami is indeed a basic taste. The contribution of umami
to the flavor of a variety of foods, the role of glutamate and
5'-ribonucleotides in triggering the perception of umami as well as the role of
glutamate, the dominant umami compound, in human metabolism are also
reviewed.