Prof. Yamamoto (right) with event director Prof. Karadi |
Hungary for Knowledge of Umami
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 the historic Hungarian city of Pecs.
Different perspectives
The umami information corner at the event |
Prof. Yamamoto, who is also a professor of graduate school at Osaka University, gave a lecture on the ‘Roles of Taste in Feeding and Reward’ to members of the Hungarian Physiological Society. The talk included analysis from a number of different perspectives including the nature of taste, what pleasant tastes are, the make-up of the human brain, recollection of previously experienced tastes, etc.
The nature of taste
The website of the Hungarian Physiological Society |
A page on the society’s website introducing the UIC |
Prof. Yamamoto began his lecture with the question, “what exactly is taste?” and explained the different types of taste, as well as how human beings react to different tastes. He then moved on to discuss the discovery of umami by Professor Kikunae Ikeda, how umami is perceived by human beings and how it has become internationally recognized as the fifth basic taste alongside sweet, salty sour and bitter.
An appetite for information
At an umami information corner set up within the event venue, UIC publications, including the ‘Umami: The World’ book and umami recipe books, were distributed and there was a high level of interest in the world of umami from those who were encountering it for the first time.
This event marked the first step towards dissemination of information on umami in Hungary, and will serve as a basis for future activities in the country.
Hungarian Physiological Society website: met2007.aok.pte.hu/
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