Most people can easily imagine the taste of sweet, sour, salty, or bitter foods. A sugary cake or a ripe strawberry might come to mind when thinking about “sweet.” The image of a baby tasting lemon for the first time perfectly describes the taste of “sour.” But What Does Savory Mean In Food, and how would you describe it?
Savory, also known as umami, is one of the five basic tastes, alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Its presence is often intertwined with the other tastes, making it difficult to isolate and identify its distinct contribution to a food’s flavor profile. Savory is commonly described as a meaty flavor, which correlates to the presence of protein, specifically the amino acid glutamate. People also describe savory as “flavorful,” “delicious,” and “tasty,” but it is difficult to define and quantify.
If you’ve eaten Parmesan cheese, soy sauce, or salami, you have experienced the savory taste. Foods that are slow-cooked (such as soup or broth), aged (such as aged meats and cheeses), or fermented (such as miso paste or soy sauce) are rich in savory flavor. These processes break down proteins, freeing the amino acid glutamate to interact with our taste buds.
However, salami, soy sauce, and the other foods described still contain tastes other than savory. How do you taste pure savory? An easy way to isolate the savory taste is to put a small amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on your tongue. Because MSG is pure glutamate, the compound responsible for the umami taste, you will get a burst of savory. Like bitter, salty, sweet, and sour, the savory taste can be a strong experience, but when added to almost any food, it’s easy to see why people love it, even if they can’t describe it.
Understanding the savory taste in food is essential for chefs and food enthusiasts. Savory is not just a flavor but an enhancer that can elevate a dish’s overall taste. Umami ingredients are staples in various cuisines worldwide, adding richness and depth to dishes. Recognizing umami and the ways it interacts with other flavors enables cooks to create complex and satisfying culinary experiences.
Examples of foods that have savory tastes include:
- Meats: Beef, pork, lamb, and poultry contain glutamate.
- Seafood: Tuna, sardines, and shellfish are naturally rich in umami.
- Vegetables: Tomatoes, mushrooms, seaweed, and potatoes are good sources of umami.
- Dairy: Aged cheeses such as Parmesan and Gruyère have high levels of glutamate.
- Fermented foods: Soy sauce, miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut have umami flavors.
The savory taste is more than just a flavor; it’s an experience. It’s the depth of a slow-cooked stew, the complexity of aged cheese, and the satisfying richness of a perfectly seared steak.
Experiment with these foods and ingredients to develop your palate and truly understand what does savory mean in food and how it contributes to the overall culinary experience.
