In search of umami: product rebranding and the global circulation of the fifth taste

Abstract

This article examines how a Japanese food corporation used its vast resources to rehabilitate one of its products. In doing so, it helped promote the so-called fifth basic taste of umami as a natural taste rather than one that is extracted in its factories. In Japan, umami now operates on many levels: as a criterion of deliciousness, a scientific “fact,” and an element of cultural nationalism. Its appeal, however, spread beyond the borders of Japan to become a globally recognized taste. Outside of Japan, chefs and food entrepreneurs combine umami research with existing cultural concepts of deliciousness to build a new taste category that is removed from its original context. As umami crosses national and cultural boundaries, it has become more than a rebranding strategy. For the initiated, it has grown into a shared point of reference that can be discussed, cultivated, and experienced. Ultimately, umami’s public recognition in Japan and around the world forces us to rethink monolithic definitions of taste categories.