We wrote a while back about what “umami” is and why it’s important. Umami is the Japanese term that essentially describes foods that have a savory (and sometimes even meaty) flavor. Think of it like the “fifth taste” next to your sweet, sour, bitter, and salty profiles. Umami is becoming so mainstream these days that just Googling the term yields 2.8 million results as of today. Restaurants these days are paying close attention and creating restaurants and menus revolving around this flavor. You’ll even find some restaurants with term in their names!
Umami is not necessarily as exotic as you might think. Foods like tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, beef, chicken, and pork all contain this flavor, so incorporating umami into your restaurant dishes will be relatively simple. A great umami-rich dish will be a truly satisfying experience for your guest!
The following list is a small example of some dishes that pack an umami-punch:
1) Eggplant Parmesan
2) Miso soup
3) Pho
4) Tuna fish sandwich
5) Shrimp gumbo
6) Aged steak with sauteed mushrooms
7) Classic meatloaf
8) Pepperoni pizza
9) Ratatouille
10) Bacon-wrapped scallops
In the end, it is crucial to understand that flavor is still what drives customer preference. For more umami-rich dishes including recipes, check out the Umami Information Center.