Explainer | What is umami? How the savoury flavour makes food of many kinds taste better

Explainer | What is umami? How the savoury flavour makes food of many kinds taste better

Umami is present in almost all savoury foods and is one of the five primary human tastes, along with salty, sweet, bitter and sour. It is often conspicuous by its absence, like the lack of meat taste in vegan stock. The word “umami” was coined in 1908 to describe the flavour discovered by Japanese chemist … Read more

Opinion | Addicted to cheese, ramen, pizza? It’s not your fault – our bodies are hard-wired for it

Opinion | Addicted to cheese, ramen, pizza? It’s not your fault – our bodies are hard-wired for it

“I would literally just eat a block of cheese with my hands,” she told the tabloid, adding that she fed her habit, in true addict style, sitting on her apartment floor alone in the dark. “It was the only thing that would make me feel somewhat whole.” Cheese contains a protein called casein that is … Read more