Test Your Knowledge of Umami!

1. Pick the five primary tastes:

Sweet
Buttery
Sour
Pungent
Salty
Bitter
Hot
Umami

2. A primary taste is one that:

a) Can’t be produced by combining other tastes
b) Can be sensed on every part of the tongue
c) The tongue perceives more strongly than it does other tastes

3. Researchers conclusively proved the existence of umami, the fifth taste, when they discovered that:

a) Umami-rich foods produce electrical signals in taste nerves
b) The human tongue has taste-bud receptors that identify umami specifically
c) A high level of glutamic acid is the main umami indicator
d) All of the above

4. True or false: Aged beef is higher in umami than fresh beef.

5. Soy sauce was developed in:

a) Japan
b) Southeast Asia
c) China
d) India

6. To make non-brewed soy sauce quickly, manufacturers boil soybeans for several hours in:

a) Glutamic acid
b) Hydrochloric acid
c) Sulfuric acid
d) Ascorbic acid

7. Compared with non-brewed soy sauce, naturally brewed soy sauce has:

a) Slightly more transparent color
b) Subtle, complex aroma
c) Rounded, multidimensional flavor
d) All of the above

8. Umami-rich foods include:

a) Anchovy paste
b) Mushrooms
c) Tomatoes
d) All of the above

9. To transform koji (dry-cultured wheat and soybeans) into moromi (the mash), soy sauce brewers add:

a) Ethanol
b) Brine
c) Spring water

10. The natural brewing process used to make Kikkoman Soy Sauce takes:

a) 6 weeks
b) 16 weeks
c) 6 months