Umami taste in desserts: try cheesecake with aged cheese

October 2021 – The famous cheesecake dessert, a combination of sweetness and cheese, became popular in New York, USA, around 1880. The pie is so acclaimed that it has its own day of celebration worldwide, October 30. Over the years, the recipe has received various adaptations, pleasing different palates and offering new tastes and textures.

Nutritionist Mariana Rosa, from the Umami Committee – the organization responsible for promoting the fifth taste – explains that although some people think umami can only be found in savory dishes, it is also present in desserts such as cheesecake.

“There are several dessert options that combine sweet and salty flavors with ingredients that provide the umami taste, creating an incredible gustatory experience. Cheesecake, for example, can be made with aged cheese, and the result will be delicious,” says Mariana.

Other dessert options that blend sweet and salty flavors and also provide the umami taste include: corn brigadeiro, corn brigadeiro pie, tomato ice cream or jam, cheese petit gateau, and green tea crème brûlée.

The umami taste can be perceived in foods that contain the amino acid glutamate – corn, tomato, and parmesan cheese –; the nucleotides (inosinate and guanylate); and theanine from green tea. These substances contribute to increased salivation and, consequently, to the prolongation of flavor that fills the entire palate — the main characteristic of the fifth taste.

UMAMI

It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in the year 2000, when researchers from the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the lingering taste that remains for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br.