# What's the deal with umame, the fifth taste? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331 "2001-06-02T15:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/1 "2001-06-02T15:46:38Z")
I heard there is a new taste (as in sweet, salty, bitter, sour) that is called umame. It is apparently the taste of monosodium glutamate. Ive never tasted msg alone but just kind of assumed it was on the salty spectrum. Anyway, who the hell decides one day that there is a new taste, and then proceeds to convince everyone else? How many other tastes remain undiscovered (rhetorical)? ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/2 "2001-06-02T16:07:13Z")
Actually it is **umami**. If you go to [http://google.com](http://google.com) and search for umami you will get several different sites with good information. ---
**Author:** ![mongrel\_8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@mongrel\_8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mongrel_8)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/3 "2001-06-02T16:08:49Z")
Oh and welcome to the boards by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/4 "2001-06-02T18:30:56Z")
You may also want to check a little known resource called “The Straight Dope”. [Besides sweet, sour, etc., is there a fifth taste sensation, “umami”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mumami.html) ---
**Author:** ![typo\_mna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@typo\_mna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typo_mna)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/5 "2001-06-02T18:35:24Z")
You might check out the column: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mumami.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mumami.html) ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/6 "2001-06-02T19:07:15Z")
Hey! I recently read somewhere, that thre is an article on The Straight Dope about umami… ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/7 "2001-06-02T19:10:25Z")
**I’ve got an idea!** Maybe Cecil wrote an article on umami! NNAAAaahhhh! ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/8 "2001-06-02T19:29:54Z")
Sorry just signed up and asked every question i ever wanted answered. Ill do my research first 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-umame-the-fifth-taste/67331/9 "2001-06-02T22:26:04Z")
OK, ever had Ramen noodles? That’s what umami tastes like. It’s not actually just MSG: There’s several proteins that taste umami. Glutemate is just the strongest of them, and MSG is the most familiar form of glutemate.