In third grade (I think it was), I learned that different parts of our tongues were responsible for sensing the four basic tastes. Those four basic tastes were sour, bitter, salty and sweet. Salty and sweet are handled by the front part of the tongue. Sour is found along the sides midway between the front of the tongue and the back. Bitter is recognized in an arc along the back and far back sides of the tongue. The center of the tongue is a no man's land of no taste (there's a pun in there somewhere, I'm sure of it). This is where I try to place the supplements that I take each day in order not have to experience any of their unpleasant tastes.
In recent years, however, researchers have come to the conclusion that this tongue taste map is incorrect. Some researchers have attempted to refine it further, but the original map arose in the 1800's and it is not generally given much credence today. It is now thought that any part of the tongue that possesses taste buds is capable of sensing all of the basic tastes. I'm going to have to guess that the center of my tongue actually does not have any taste buds because I am quite successful at not tasting my supplements when I put them on the center of my tongue. Sometimes they stick to my tongue, however, and lots of water is required to dislodge them. Then they start to dissolve before I can swallow them and it gets icky.
As if the four basic tastes were not enough, a new one has recently been identified. Actually, that's relative. The earliest mention of it was in 1908, but it's only recently made the "news". It is umami, or "savory," as the closest translation from Japanese allows (although "tasty," "brothy," and "meaty" have also been suggested). Things change and that is for sure, because now that means I have to remember that there are not just four basic tastes, but rather five. Oh bother. Umami can be detected in miso, soy sauce and other Asian foods. It is particularly found in foods to which monosodium glutamate (MSG) has been added.
Umami is the name given to the sensing of the carboxylate anion of glutamic acid which is found in meats, cheese, broths made from meats, stocks made from meats and other protein heavy foods. Monosodium glutamate easily ionizes to give the same carboxylate form and hence the same taste. Or so they say. Personally, I wouldn't get anywhere near to MSG or anything that contains it. Did you know that you can use meat tenderizer (the main ingredient of which is MSG) to stop the bleeding of wounds on horses? Aside from that tasty fact, MSG gives me a migraine headache; hence my aversion to it.
This new basic taste has lead researchers to speculate that there are receptors on the human tongue for other flavors as well. Gee now, let me see hmmm yup, I'd have to agree with that. For example, let's say I am sitting here happily munching away on a carrot. I've done nothing to this carrot except peel it. Now ask me what I am tasting. I'm most likely not going to say umami, or bitter or you get the idea. I am tasting carrot. So naturally, I have taste receptors for carrot. Duh. Or maybe I'm missing the point. I don't know.
What I do know is that as I've grown older, I've discovered the benefits of simplifying my life. Complicating things by adding one more basic taste seems silly. I mean, why do we even need to concern ourselves with those original tastes? Food tastes however it tastes. And does it really matter where on our tongues we taste them?
I have this picture in my head of a laboratory setting. There are men in white coats with clipboards. There is a table in front of them and a lone test subject sitting at the other side of it. She is blindfolded and told to stick out her tongue. The researchers place a piece of strawberry on a specific spot on her tongue and she is asked what she tastes. She replies that she tastes strawberry and they mark down on their clipboards that the subject possesses at least one taste bud that is capable of recognizing strawberry flavor in that area of her tongue. I think a lot of time and money could be wasted in this manner. It's like some of those research projects that get government funding from time to time to discover things that are obvious to all of us anyway. For example, there have been studies done to determine that teenagers sleep more than adults, three years were spent to determine the makeup of belly button lint (the largest part of it was determined to be body hair and dead skin cells; who couldn't guess that), or that if you don't put sufficient water in the pasta pot, it will boil over during cooking. Then there are the seemingly totally useless studies such as: " Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage" or " Pressures Produced when Penguins Pooh Calculations on Avian Defaecation". I'm all for understanding ourselves and the world better than we do now, but is this really necessary? At any rate, now when I cook up a batch of chicken soup, I can have the satisfaction of saying, "Ummm, umami."
Dianne Lehmann is a jewelry designer who has been in business since January of 2000. Her interest in designing and manufacturing jewelry goes back beyond that to 1994. It took her many years of trying various creative outlets to finally figure out that making jewelry is where she could really shine. Dianne began with simply stringing beads onto cable and has progressed from there. She is now an accomplished lapidary (cuts and polishes stones) and silversmith. Dianne and her husband, Bernd, live in northern Arizona and both love to hike. Dianne can not help but pick up rocks (they are her first love) and some of these find their way into her jewelry. Dianne makes one-of-a-kind pieces that she hopes give people as much joy to view as she gets from the making of them.If you like, you may view her work at http://www.syzygyjewelry.com
The only problem I have with this is...Umami? I mean, cmon...Sweet Salty, etc. at least they are English words. Umami doesnt even fit in. I also heard about this a while back. Savory sounds just about right. Umami doesn't even bring anything to mind when thought of...I don't look at my stake and think...mmmm...it's so umami...unless its thanks mami for the steak. ;)
That was kind of my whole problem with the thing to begin with. But then I ran with it and ended up somewhere entirely different. That happens. I would also prefer savory. But you know that we have all sorts of foreign words in our American English language that we have just become accustomed to over time. "Kindergarten" comes to mind. It's a German word that basically means "child's garden." Then there is "delicatessen." It breaks down to "delikat" and "Essen," which in German mean "delicacy" and "food," respectively. Sorry about the lesson, can't help myself sometimes.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Love your little bit at the end. :)
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