The Fifth Flavor?

Have you heard of the four elements of life? I'm not sure which basic philosophy these come from but Google it and you'll discover that some one thinks that there are four basic elements and that they are air or wind, fire, earth, and water. It has also been generally excepted until recently that there are four basic flavors. These, of course, were sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. In 1985 a fifth basic flavor was recognised. It was called Umami. The word is borrowed from the Japanese language and it means "pleasant savory taste".

Now there are some basic food ingredients that contain the "flavor" umami. Some of these are fish, shellfish, cured meats, and certain vegetables like mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, and spinach. Also incuded in the foods containing umami is aged cheese and soy sauce.

Tonight for dinner I prepared what might be considered artisan pizza.

There were two different pizzas. They each had the same dough from Grand Central Bakery and the same sauce from allrecipes.com. The difference between them was the first had only salami, pepperoni, and sausage. The second had those three ingredients and also mushrooms, shallots, and fresh tomatoes. They were both very good but the second was really outstanding. Notice that it contained two umami ingredients that the first did not.

What I didn't tell my other dining companions was that there was a third important umami ingredient that they wouldn't have appreciated if they'd have known. That ingredient was in the sauce. Make sure you get some and hide it in your refrigerator. It adds remarkable flavor but most Americans don't want anything to do with it. That secret ingredient is anchovie paste. Who would have thought? It might not taste that great by itself but it adds a world of flavor to other foods if used in moderation.