Umami: The Flavor Connection

In the West, chefs sometimes think of soy sauce as a savory condiment for Asian foods. They're right, of course. But that's just the beginning.

Kikkoman Soy Sauce also offers the advantage of umami, a taste that can't be created artificially. Umami is the fifth primary taste—in addition to the traditional sweet, sour, salty and bitter taste sensations—and has been described as "savory" or "brothy."

The types of molecules responsible for umami flavor vary from one food to another. When chefs pair two umami-rich foods, these molecules combine to produce more than the simple sum of their parts, creating "umami synergy"—the "two-plus-two-equals-wow!" effect you get when you pair soy sauce with beef, pork, chicken, seafood, mushrooms or tomatoes. In other words, soy sauce can be "instant umami."

It's this connection to umami that makes Kikkoman Soy Sauce one of the most versatile food ingredients available. And that versatility has been the key to Kikkoman's success in bringing soy sauce into the American mainstream.