The Fifth Taste: Cooking with Umami

The Fifth Taste, Cooking with Umami, is a comprehensive work including the history of the discovery of Umami, what it is and how and why it affects our taste buds, and a collection of recipes from 25 chefs. Authors David and Anna Kasabian did their homework, and their book will surely become a classic. Every serious food enthusiast owes it to her/himself to own a copy of The Fifth Taste, Cooking with Umami.

My 12 year old son introduced me to this book! What a find! We enjoyed the "jelly bean" test to understand just what the "fifth taste" is. Vegetarian Muffaletta Roll-Ups is one of my favorites and my son (willing to chop and measure with zeal) loves the braised ribs and fish. We highly recommend this cook book!

As a professional cook and avid reader of all things culinary, I can assure you that the Kasabians hit the nail on the head with this book. Yes, it contains terrific recipes from some of the USA's top chefs. And, yes, the Kasabians have kindly divulged some of their own mouth-watering recipes for us to sample. Best of all, though, they explain in detailed but easy to understand language just what the formerly mysterious term "umami" is all about and how everyone - chefs and home cooks alike - can put it to use making better tasting food in our own kitchens. Kudos David and Anna!

There are four basic tastes: Bitter, sweet, salty and sour. This book defines the fifth taste: Umami. In culinary school we learned about it as "savory". This book does a very good job of tracing Umami's history and current application. If you want better tasting food for a small investment in ingredients, buy this book. It relates to all levels of culinary/cooking skills.

I've been spicing up my cooking with The Fifth Taste, and getting great results! These recipes are really fun and creative, and the variety is enhanced by many sources. It's like many cookbooks in one. The photos are also helpful in preparation. I've already learned a lot from this book.