Black Garlic

[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"