# MSG - what gives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555 "2003-05-26T10:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![capnfutile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@capnfutile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capnfutile)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/1 "2003-05-26T10:30:09Z")
Monosodium Glutemate - why is it used in Chinese cooking? It’s not traditional is it? How is it made? How does it “enhance” flavor? If so many people have reactions to it, why is it so popular? (I suppose the same could be asked about peanuts) capnfutile ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/2 "2003-05-26T10:37:36Z")
[Some information here.](http://www.ecit.emory.edu/ECIT/chem_ram/receptors/Emily.html) It is, apparently, a traditional ingredient, although in a different form. > [@](#): > > The use of MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) in food goes back to the Asian cooks of antiquity, who used seaweed called Sea Tangle to make a starch. The link between the seaweed (Laminaria japonica) flavor improvement, and glutamate, (first isolated in 1866) was discovered by Professor Kikunae Ikeda of the University of Tokyo in 1908. (Amerine 115). The Japanese began production of glutamate almost immediately, although 30 years passed before it was produced in North America, from corn and wheat gluten (Amerine 115). ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/3 "2003-05-26T12:22:26Z")
This question comes up regularly. It was discussed in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181901) which links to other threads. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/4 "2003-05-26T16:48:08Z")
[Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_086.html) ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/5 "2003-05-26T16:56:02Z")
umami 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/6 "2003-05-26T19:57:13Z")
Check [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=182223) thread. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/7 "2003-05-26T20:03:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*Check [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=182223) thread. \*\* That was the thread i intended to link to. I do’t know what I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/8 "2003-05-26T22:16:51Z")
Thing is, you can’t search for three letter words, so this one would be tricky to find. At least last time I looked you couldn’t search for three letter words. dunno how you guys found it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/msg-what-gives/177555/9 "2003-05-26T22:27:52Z")
search: chinese food