New Frontiers of Taste Symposium Just Days Away!

The full menu has been announced for the New Frontiers of Taste event in San Francisco. Full of new and exciting combinations of umami-rich ingredients and gastronomic surprises made by the some of the world’s top culinary pioneers and most respected chefs, this is yet another reason to register now for the event, which will celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the discovery of umami. Be a part of this special event!

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New UIC Office Opens in New York City

In response to the recent surge of interest in umami across the USA, the Umami Information Center has opened a second overseas office —this time in the US culinary capital of New York City.

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UIC English Website Expanded and Improved

To coincide with the centenary anniversary this year of umami’s discovery by Professor Kikunae Ikeda, we are pleased to announce that the Umami Information Center (UIC) English Website will be undergoing an exciting makeover, with plenty of new content added.

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The Taste of Manila

Report on the Umami Symposium organised by the Filipino Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) which took place on 25 January (exact date:confirmation needed) in Manila’s Blue Leaf Events Pavilion.

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Paris for Umami Lovers

Report on the Umami Seminar, organised by the European Committee of Umami and Ecole Ferrandi in Paris, on 28 January 2008. World-renowned both for its exceptional continental-style beauty and its culinary traditions, there could hardly be a better place for an umami seminar than gay Paris.

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Commemorating one hundred delicious years
AdelaideCommemorating one hundred delicious years

The Umami Information Centre is excited to announce New Frontiers of Taste, a unique San Francisco event to celebrate a centenary of umami, where a lucky audience of 250 will come together to explore umami with the world’s most innovative scientists and reputed food and wine specialists.

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Umami goes Brazilian
Report on the Educational Umami Events held as part of I CONAG in Recife, Brazil from the 8 to 11 of October.

It is difficult to imagine a cuisine more vibrant than that of Brazil. With all its meat, tomato, cheese and eggs, it will come as no surprise to learn that Brazilian food is unusually high in umami. To celebrate this fact

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Umami From Down Under
Report on the Umami - Exotic Taste or World Taste? Seminar, held in the University of Adelaide on 18 October 2007

Perhaps Australia's most famous gastronomic innovation, Vegemite, is acknowledged as one most umami-rich of the world's condiments, and Australia's cuisine in general shows a high attentiveness to umami, even if it has been an unconscious one until recent times

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Brought Together by Kombu
kombu Report on the inaugural Kombu Summit held on Rebun Island, Hokkaido, Japan on 4 July 2007

In Japan, the ‘kombu road’ is the name given to the ancient trading route by which the umami-rich sea vegetable kombu (kelp) was transported from Hokkaido in the north to the capital Kyoto. This unique summit revived the links

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Add Some Belacan To Your Life
Malaysia Report on the Umami Symposim held at the Putra University of Malaysia (UPM),
Kuala Lumpur on 24 August 2007

Each country in the world has its own particular ingredient or condiment that epitomizes umami. In Japan it is dashi stock, in the USA, tomato ketchup. In Malaysia, meanwhile, it is belacan: a distinctive seasoning that was the focus of

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Discover Umami in Five Languages

In line with its aim of introducing the concept of umami to as many people around the world as possible, the Umami Information Center is proud to present several new editions of Umami: The World.

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NPO Status for the UIC

In April 2007, the Umami Information Center was awarded non-profit organization status in Japan by the Office of the Governor, Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

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Hungary for Knowledge of Umami
hungary Report on the Special Lecture on Umami at the Hungarian Physiological Society, Pecs, Hungary, 8 June 2007.

Around 250 physiology experts were present when Professor Takashi Yamamoto, Deputy Director of the Umami Information Center, gave a special lecture on umami in Hungary's former capital city, Pecs.

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The Appliance of Science
The Appliance of Science Report on the Umami Symposium at the European Sensory Network Seminar in Porto, Portugal, 9 May 2007.

The significance of umami is becoming increasingly understood by chefs and those consumers who take an interest in their food. Among scientists, however, the taste has long had a fundamental effect on the way that human taste and flavour is studied.

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The Tempting Taste of Thailand
Umami The Movie Report on the “Umami: Science and Art of Taste” symposium held in Bangkok, Thailand on 25 January 2007

Thailand is undoubtedly a country with a cuisine rich in umami. But how aware are its citizens of the concept of the fifth taste? A recent umami symposium aimed to heighten awareness – just in time for a special anniversary.

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Kyo-Ryori: A Cuisine With Umami At Its Heart
Umami The Movie REPORT: The 101st Kyoto Cuisine Grand Exhibition, Kyoto 13-14 Dec. 2006

One of the most eagerly awaited events in the Japanese food lover’s calendar is the annual celebration of Kyoto cuisine held in Japan’s ancient capital city. The indigenous cuisine of Kyoto, known in Japanese as kyo-ryori, is a uniquely intricate and fascinating style of cooking, with a heritage stretching back centuries

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Giving Kids a Taste of Umami

Umami DVD While elsewhere in the world some chefs and food experts are still getting to grips with the concept of the fifth taste, in Japan school children are being given an opportunity to learn about umami thanks to a new educational DVD.

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The Umami Story Hasn't Finished...
Umami The Movie Interview with Tim Jacob, Professor, School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff

The word ‘umami' is now widely recognized and used amongst chefs, food writers and food fans around the world, but not so long ago it was known only in Japan, or among scientists, and even then viewed with considerable skepticism. One man who has been aware of umami longer and understands it better than most is Tim Jacob

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The Umami Man
Umami The Movie Interview with Mr. David Kasabian

David Kasabian is a man who has come on an extraordinary culinary journey over the past few years. Having only discovered the concept of umami around five years ago – he can date it to early April 2002 – he has since gone on to co-author an acclaimed book entitled The Fifth Taste – Cooking with Umami. We caught up with him to learn more

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Vietnamese Umami
Umami The Movie Report on the Culinary Culture and Umami Symposium, held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 26 October 2006

That Vietnam boasts a cuisine rich in umami is not in doubt - our own Vietnamese recipe book is testament to that - but how well is the concept grasped in Vietnam at present? This recent event aimed to alert Vietnamese to the fifth taste

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Umami in Brazil
Umami The Movie Report on The 1st Molecular Gastronomy Symposium: learning about the Umami, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on 6 November 2006

The national dish of Brazil, a tantalizing stew of black beans, pork and beef called feijoada, is just one of several umami rich dishes to be found in the nation’s cuisine. With this in mind, it was high time that the first ever symposium on umami was held in the country

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'Umami - The World' DVD Offer Returns!
Umami The Movie'Umami - The World' DVD Offer Returns!

Due to unexpectedly high demand, we are giving subscribers another opportunity to obtain a copy of our 'Umami - The World' DVD, which offers a comprehensive overview of umami and its role in contemporary cuisine, as well as an extensive reference section, with information on umami rich foods.

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A Taste of Umami in Ecuador
A Taste of Umami in Ecuador Report on the Workshop on Umami Taste Consciousness held in Quito, Ecuador on 20 July 2006

Ecuador is the latest country to wake up to the taste of umami, thanks to a seminar held in the countr's capital, Quito in July 2006. It brought together a panel of food experts from Ecuador, elsewhere in South America, the USA and Japan

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Rediscovering the Fifth Taste Umami
Umami The Movie Report on the Umami Open Symposium held on 17 June 2006 at the Panasonic Center, Tokyo, Japan

We frequently bring you reports from countries around the world that are waking up to the importance of umami, but what about the country that first discovered and named the fifth taste? A recent high profile seminar in Tokyo

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Have you been to Kyoto, Italy?
- Interview with Yasuhiro Sasajima

Renowned Japanese chef Yasuhiro Sasajima describes his experiences fusing Italian ingredients and techniques with the ingredients and principals of traditional vegetarian shojin cuisine, which has its roots in Kyoto, and was originally consumed by Buddhist monks as a sign of their devotion.

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Umami - The Movie!
- Interview with Yasuhiro Sasajima

The Umami Information Center presents an exciting opportunity to obtain a copy of our ‘Umami - The World' DVD, which offers a comprehensive overview of umami and its role in contemporary cuisine, as well as an extensive reference section, with information on umami rich foods.

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A taste of Umami - with a Polish flavour!
Report: Umami Symposium at the Future of Food Engineering Conference, Warsaw. 26-28 April 2006

Always willing to travel the world in pursuit of new perspectives on umami, the UIC Website Team journeyed to Warsaw to attend a symposium on the fifth taste – and sample some umami rich Polish delicacies!

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Kyoto: A City Steeped in Umami Tradition
REPORT: The 100th Kyoto Cuisine Grand Exhibition

Visitors were given a taste of umami at the 100th Kyoto Cuisine Grand Exhibition, a showcase of all that is uniquely fascinating about the cuisine of Japan's ancient capital held on 10 and 11 December 2005 in the city's International Exhibition Hall.

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Making the Most of Kombu
An Introduction to the Art of the ‘Kombulier'

Kombu, or kelp, has the highest level of free-found glutamate of any foodstuff, and its umami-rich flavour is often used to make dashi or stock, which forms the basis of many Japanese dishes. Here, Mr. Takashi Okui, President of Okui Kaiseido Ltd., explains why there is more to kombu than meets the eye

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No Longer a Foreign Word in Peru
Report of the ‘Taste Consciousness: Umami' workshop held in the Hotel Melia Lima, Peru on 5 August 2005

Umami has not traditionally been a commonly used word in Peru, but a considerable step towards rectifying this was taken recently as the result of

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REPORT: ‘New Frontiers of Taste' Vols. 3-5
Read the last in our series of reports from the ‘New Frontiers of Taste' event at the 2005 Cheltenham Science Festival

・Heston Blumenthal - A True Genius
・Ichiro Kubota - Umami Made Simple
・Isake - Raise Your Glass to Umami and Sake

Getting a Taste for Wine
- Interview with Tim Hanni MW

Although interest in and knowledge of umami is continually increasing amongst many different people all over the world, one field where it seems to be becoming an especially popular topic of discourse is in the appreciation of wine

Too Good To Be Missed!

The Umami Information Center is offering FREE copies of "Umami The World" to all those who register with us. As stocks are limited, this compact guide to the world of Umami is only available to a limited number of lucky individuals. Register with us now!

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Harness the Power of Umami in Your Cooking
Great culinary tips from experts at Polish conference

Interest in umami seems to be spreading throughout the world! In the wake of the 'New Frontiers of Taste' event at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK earlier in the month (click here for details), June 28 saw another event getting to grips with umami.

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In Search of the Umami Experience
Food experts gather at Cheltenham Science Festival to explore the 'taste of the future'.

On the evening of 9 June, the pioneering 'New Frontiers of Taste' event, a highlight of the Cheltenham Science Festival, set out to explore the realm of taste, more specifically what it is exactly that makes something taste delicious, and discuss the future of gastronomy.

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REPORT ‘New Frontiers of Taste’ Vol. 1
-Professor Edmund T. Rolls

Professor Rolls was billed as someone who would take the audience on a 'journey through the science of pleasure', and at the end of his 10 minute talk on the subject, the Cheltenham audience can certainly be said to have travelled a long way towards an understanding of how taste affects our body, and in particular

REPORT : 'New Frontiers of Taste' Vol. 2
-Getting to Grips with Umami

"I usually love quirky ideas about food," said Stefan Gates, food writer and self-confessed 'gastronaut', as he began his talk at the 'New Frontiers of Taste' Event held in Cheltenham, UK, on 9th June 2005 (click here to read an overview of this event), " so it annoys me to admit that amongst this array of umami-loving panelists

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It's umami, but not as we know it
Shanghai Blues
Chinese

There is no doubt that Chinese cuisine is becoming increasingly hip at the moment, in the UK and elsewhere?and in the words of one restaurant critic, "London is in the throes of a ... dim sum explosion."

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