If you’re late jumping on the umami bandwagon and want to know what this foodie craze is all about, keep reading.
This article will cover:
- The definition of umami
- What foods have umami?
- Umami seasoning
- The benefits of umami seasoning
- How to use umami seasoning
- Is MSG in umami seasoning bad for health?
- Where to buy umami seasoning
What is umami?
Sweet. Salty. Sour. Bitter. Your taste buds are intimately familiar with these four taste profiles. Umami is like the 5th Beatle of taste: elusive yet tantalizing.
In one word, umami can be defined as savory. But that alone fails to capture the unique flavor profile that’s titillated taste buds not just in Japan, where the phrase was coined, but all over the world.
The increasing popularity of this addictive flavor profile has led to the creation of umami ice cream, beer, wine, pretzels and pretty much everything else.
Savory, according to a dictionary, defines food that is either salty or spicy but not sweet. But salty is already one of the five flavor profiles. Spicy in itself is not one of the five flavor profiles. The reason why is that the five flavor profiles occur via a chemical reaction with the 10,000 taste buds in your mouth. But spiciness registers in the brain.
Umami, then, combines savoriness with hints of nutty, meaty, fatty and brothy.
More accurately, umami can be defined in two words: savory deliciousness, which is the rough translation of the Japanese term.
What Foods Have A Umami Profile?
Meat, fish, fish sauces and shellfish are naturally rich in umami profile. But don’t worry if you’re plant-based. There are a handful of vegan-friendly foods that are rich and savory, including olives, tomatoes, nutritional yeast, dried/powdered mushrooms and fermented foods such as miso soup and sauerkraut.
How can a vegan or vegetarian tickle their taste buds with umami—without solely relying on these limited number of plant-based foods?
Enter the huge foodie trend of umami seasoning.
The best umami seasoning combines certain spices and other ingredients that can resurrect taste buds from the dead!
As a plant-based Superfood company, we wanted to combine the best of both worlds for our customers: a umami seasoning blend with health-forming superfoods and incredibly savory ingredients.
The result is a highly-addictive but highly-nutritious Umami Organic Superfood Seasoning.
Here’s why we call it the Superfood Spice.
Umami Superfood Seasoning contains:
- Nutritional Yeast
- Hemp Heart Seeds
- Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
- Toasted White Sesame Seeds
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Course Ground Pepper
- Coriander Powder
- Turmeric Root Powder
- Himalayan Salt
- Cayenne Powder
- 20 Mushroom Powder Blend (BōKU Super ‘Shrooms)
The nutritional yeast and 20 edible and adaptogenic mushrooms provide the bulk of the Umami profile. (Adaptogens are scientifically proven herbal ingredients that neutralize stress in the body.)
Benefits of Umami Seasoning
Nutritional yeast is one of the most nutritious ingredients in vegan cooking. It has a nutty, earthy and cheesy taste. It’s different from baker’s yeast and brewer’s yeast because the yeast is inactive. So unlike the yeast in bread or beer, you don’t have to worry about yeast buildup in the gut.
When you consume nutritional yeast, you don’t have to worry about food combining (beans and rice, for example) because it’s a complete protein. This means nutritional yeast contains all 9 essential amino acids.
Plus, “nooch” as foodies love to call it, is also a rich source of all the B vitamins, including B12, which is challenging for some strict plant-based eaters to obtain.
Hemp seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, fiber and are a complete protein. Sesame seeds are packed with phytosterols, which help support healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Now let’s move on to the super spices in BōKU Umami Seasoning that really pack a nutritious punch and please the palate….
Umami Seasoning Spice Blend
Garlic powder supports the immune system and boosts digestion and onion powder is loaded with antioxidants. Coriander, which is powdered cilantro seeds (fun fact!), supports urinary tract health.
Meanwhile, turmeric is perhaps the most studied spice of all time. Research demonstrates it has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
Even the black pepper, cayenne pepper and himalayan pink salt offer numerous health-supporting benefits.
And as for the benefits of the 20-blend Super ‘Shroom blend, well, that’s a subject for another blog post.
BōKU Umami Seasoning contains 3 grams of complete protein in just one tablespoon serving. Plus, thanks to hemp seeds, it’s rich in essential fatty acids and also contains vitamin B12 from nutritional yeast. No other umami alternative seasoning contains as many different edible, functional mushrooms (20 Super ‘Shrooms per serving).
How To Use Umami Superfood Seasoning
It’s simple. Just sprinkle some on pasta, rice, soup, tacos, popcorn, avocado toast, salads, steamed veggies and basically any entree and anything your belly desires.
Is MSG in umami seasoning bad for health?
Glutamate is an amino acid that features prominently in umami-rich foods. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a controversial ingredient that can either occur naturally or be used as a food additive. BōKU Umami Seasoning contains no added MSG.
Watching your sodium intake? Then good news because BōKU Organic Umami Seasoning contains about one-eighth the amount of sodium as soy sauce per tablespoon. (Just 115 mg per serving, or 8% daily value.)
Condiments such as soy sauce and ketchup contain added sugars. But there’s absolutely no sugar or added sugars in BōKU Organic Umami Seasoning.
Where to buy Umami Seasoning?
You can purchase Organic Umami Seasoning or Organic HOT MAMI, which contains three extra spicy ingredients (but not too spicy): Ancho Chili Powder, Organic Cayenne Pepper Powder, Organic Habanero Powder.
Superfoods and umami in one super topping.
Warning: it’s addictive.
Save 10% on Umami Superfood Seasoning
Order 3 bottles at the same time and you’ll get an automatic 10% discount on your order.