Food for thought

[Jogeephus]

Was listening to a food show on public radio today and they were talking about the Taste Tetrahedron which I - of course - had never heard of. The Taste Tetrahedron is the way a food tastes, whether it be salty, sweet, bitter or sour. ( Seems the japanese have studied this pretty hard.

Here is a link. http://old-wjatc.wonju.go.kr/cd/main/%E ... 304011.jpg )

Anyhow the program was quite interesting. They went on to describe a 5th sense which is called umami. I can't explain that one but it is supposedly the taste that makes tomatos and mushrooms so appealling to us and it supposedly enhances the other tastes. Ie - does salt taste like no other salt when put on a tomato? Or a watermellon? Anyhow, they discussed this stuff in great depth and it was really interesting but what was really interesting is that they think they may have discovered a 6th taste. There is still some debate over this but many food scientists are beginning to think there is a 6th legitimate taste. And that is of course FAT. Seems you can toss some fatback or bacon in some peas and make them taste better. Salt pork even better. But why is this so. Seems science has finally caught up to us flesh eaters. And I quote.

Moreover, the recent discovery of fat receptors located on taste receptor cells (Gilbertson et al. 2001) may
provide an impetus to broaden our definition of what a taste actually is.

So what does this mean? Would this not mean that MAN - having fat receptors in his brain - is inherently designed to eat meat? Would this also not mean that depriving one's mind of fat would not be NATURAL? I don't know. Seems there is a lot to think about here. Interesting to say the least. Could this also explain why we so much enjoy a nice, well marbled juicy steak?

For more in depth info here is a link.

http://journals.cambridge.org/download. ... 3a422129d3

 

[Lammie]

I have heard of umani before. All I know is that I eat what tastes good to me.

 

[grannysoo]

In my opinion, umami is nothing more than an advertising campaign by Kikoman Soysauce. They are the ones touting it, advertising it, and basically stating that the way to get to that new sense is to use their product.

IMO - nothing more than typical media manipulation. :roll:

 

[grannysoo]

Could this also explain why we so much enjoy a nice, well marbled juicy steak?

And by the way, I have been marinating my steaks in Kikoman soy sauce for a bit for years before they get grilled. Perhaps I've fallen for the hype? :mrgreen:

 

[Jogeephus]

In my opinion, umami is nothing more than an advertising campaign by Kikoman Soysauce. They are the ones touting it, advertising it, and basically stating that the way to get to that new sense is to use their product.

IMO - nothing more than typical media manipulation. :roll:

I always thought it made things taste better cause of its color.

 

[grannysoo]

I always thought it made things taste better cause of its color.

I caught that..... and the appropriate response is that everything tastes better on a cracker!

 

[Jogeephus]

Does Kikoman also make a fish oil sauce or something. They mentioned a product like this too that had an aweful smell to it but just a few drops would bring out the umami or whatever you call it.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Studies on the tongue reveal very few actual tastes. Aroma has much to do with "flavor." Then there is food texture and temperature and the way it affects nerve endings.

Mental expectations are a killer too. Did you ever expect to bite into something sweet like a piece of fruit only to find it very sour? LOL you expect things to taste similar to the way they always have.

I am in no way familiar with the Japanese studies but they sound very interesting and on the mark.

 

[Jogeephus]

Mental expectations are a killer too. Did you ever expect to bite into something sweet like a piece of fruit only to find it very sour? LOL you expect things to taste similar to the way they always have.

I've read where packaging and sound is also important cause they direct your expectations. Example of this is a bag of chips. The noise of the bag leads your expectations to think crisp. Have also read where the design of the bottle directs some of this as well.