In addition to the four basic flavors food scientists in the mid-1980s developed a strong

argument in favor of a fifth flavor, umami. It is a Japanese word that means deliciousness. Umami,

the flavor of the food enhancer MSG, is a flavor that cannot be classified into any of the four basic

flavors. You can experience this basic flavor yourself by sprinkling a few grains of MSG on your

tongue. Don't expect anything "delicious". In such high concentration not even the best chocolate

flavor is delicious, but you will get the idea. Many flavor scientists now accept that we have at least

these five basic flavors that most of us can taste.

In addition to these five tastes, there are others which are not primary flavors in the strict

sense, yet we cannot ignore them because they are distinctive and they are there. Think of such

tastes as spicy, metallic and astringent—flavor scientists yet to figure out how to deal with them.

Flavorings and Enhancers in the Kitchen

Buying and storing flavorings

Virtually all of us use herbs and spices in their conventional forms we find in retail food

markets. You can always buy herbs dried, some of them fresh. Spices are available dried, whole or

ground, rarely in the fresh form. Ginger is an exception. Chefs and professional cooks use

flavorings for the same reasons home cooks do, but they rely more on fresh ones whenever possible.

That is because maximum flavor impact, which is what the fresh version offers, is important to them

and that is one notable reason why their food tastes so good. The fresh forms are also more readily

available and fresher at wholesale than retail because there is more demand for them and they have

high turnover rate. But if restaurant chefs use dry herbs, they make certain they don’t keep them on

their shelves for years as many home cooks do.

Another reason for tasty professional food is that chefs use herbs and spices far more

generously than home cooks do. And they know how to use them. Today's diners prefer full flavor

with plenty of impact, and being heavy-handed with flavorings helps. Remember this in your own

kitchen. In many recipes you can safely increase, double, even triple the amount of herbs and spices

called for.

But remember, too, that children taste food differently than you do. Children still have a

large number of very sensitive taste buds. The flavor impact on those buds is more powerful than on

ours, highly flavored foods easily overpower them. As we get older, we lose more and more of our

taste buds, and highly seasoned foods become more acceptable. We may even seek out more intense

flavors to titillate our remaining taste buds, something you need to know when cooking for older

people. But use caution—even though older people have less taste buds, their tradition may favor

mild, almost bland foods. You need to know your diners’ tastes and background to season their

foods for their pleasure.

Most of us buy fresh herbs mainly for special meals. But you don't really need fresh herbs

and spices to get great-tasting food, dry seasonings are fine as long as they are not old and stale.

Unfortunately, in many kitchens they have been on the shelf far too long to give much flavor. I am

amazed to see spice containers in kitchens that should be in antique stores, though their content is

still in use. Buy spices and herbs in small quantities, write the date on the container and replenish

them with fresh ones when they get stale, usually within a couple of years of stored cool and dry.

Buy all your flavorings whole as much as possible. They keep fresh far longer for two

reasons. They expose a much smaller surface area to the air when whole, slowing the staling

process. But when you grind them fresh, you break the cell walls open, allowing the essential oils to

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