Black Garlic

[mk05]

Originally Posted by markem

I've been talking to a friend who is an executive chef for a highly rated restaurant in Spokane (Clover). He says that black garlic is well known and difficult to pair for westerners as we do not have a refined enough palette. He recommends a bacon and spinach salad with a salty Brie.

That's (hopefully) not what he meant. As an Asian who transplanted to Oregon early, I understand both Eastern/Western palates and preferences innately. What I've found is that Americans do not have a taste for umami - it is the black hole in their palate. The concept was, and is, practically unknown to most here. The idea (and the taste) is so foreign, that the word literally does not exist in the English language.

The chef does know what he is talking about. Umami does well balanced with salty and fatty sweet. It would be passable with bacon and fresh baby spinach, which is another great example of umami hiding in plain sight. Bacon fat has an umami texture, as do cheese and spinach. What the chef is looking to do is introduce Asian umami (black garlic) by relating with known Western umami, so even if the taster has no idea, it makes sense subconsciously.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by mk05

That's (hopefully) not what he meant. As an Asian who transplanted to Oregon early, I understand both Eastern/Western palates and preferences innately. What I've found is that Americans do not have a taste for umami - it is the black hole in their palate. The concept was, and is, practically unknown to most here. The idea (and the taste) is so foreign, that the word literally does not exist in the English language.

The chef does know what he is talking about. Umami does well balanced with salty and fatty sweet. It would be passable with bacon and fresh baby spinach, which is another great example of umami hiding in plain sight. Bacon fat has an umami texture, as do cheese and spinach. What the chef is looking to do is introduce Asian umami (black garlic) by relating with known Western umami, so even if the taster has no idea, it makes sense subconsciously.

I had the most insane wild mushroom and yellow noodle soup recently in Singapore. Famous place called Din Tai Fung; a Chinese food chain in South East Asia. The umami flavors were so amazing, I almost fell of my chair!

Americans that do not think of umami flavor just need a few strong umami dishes to associate the flavor with the name. Most know flavor, but may not have the descriptor or memory point.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by mk05

That's (hopefully) not what he meant. As an Asian who transplanted to Oregon early, I understand both Eastern/Western palates and preferences innately. What I've found is that Americans do not have a taste for umami - it is the black hole in their palate. The concept was, and is, practically unknown to most here. The idea (and the taste) is so foreign, that the word literally does not exist in the English language.

By that logic, neither did the Japanese prior to the early 1900's, when they invented the word.

[mk05]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

I had the most insane wild mushroom and yellow noodle soup recently in Singapore. Famous place called Din Tai Fung; a Chinese food chain in South East Asia. The umami flavors were so amazing, I almost fell of my chair!

Americans that do not think of umami flavor just need a few strong umami dishes to associate the flavor with the name. Most know flavor, but may not have the descriptor or memory point.

Exactly, all you need is a couple things to relate to what you already know, then associate that to umami, as said above.

Originally Posted by T.G

By that logic, neither did the Japanese prior to the early 1900's, when they invented the word.

OK...so they got a hundred years head start being able to use it with mastery. This is like rolling your eyes at people using gunpowder vs bows and arrows. Or rolling your eyes at Copernicus or the guy who discovered that the world is round. Or a German rolling his eyes at the English because Shakespeare just discovered some words several hundred years ago. But this isn't the point, the point is that all you need is to relate and associate, and open your mind to new ideas.

[Genetic Defect]

Yes, yummy.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by mk05

OK...so they got a hundred years head start being able to use it with mastery. This is like rolling your eyes at people using gunpowder vs bows and arrows. Or rolling your eyes at Copernicus or the guy who discovered that the world is round. Or a German rolling his eyes at the English because Shakespeare just discovered some words several hundred years ago. But this isn't the point, the point is that all you need is to relate and associate, and open your mind to new ideas.

No, I was rolling my eyes at you. Not them.

Moses hit the nail on the head, umami had been there all along, it just needs to be pointed out. Prior to the invention of the the word by the man who isolated msg as a way to describe the specific flavor sensation it creates, everything was just lumped in under "savory".

Once it's pointed out, it's amazing how fast people look back and go "oh, I've always wondered what that flavor / sensation was"

[markem]

Originally Posted by mk05

That's (hopefully) not what he meant.

I am pretty sure that I am quoting him correctly. Some people think that "refined" equates only with "elegant and cultured" while missing the equally important "developed or improved so as to be precise".