Umami

The book is written in a very engaging manner, easily moving between vignettes of the latest science and mouth-watering menus and photographs. -- Gordon Shepherd, Yale University, author of Neurogastronomy Mouritsen and StyrbA|k demystify and explain in layman's terms the science of umami, including many Japanese elements that have not been explained in English before in this all-encompassing book. Along with Mouritsen's other publications Sushi and Seaweeds, Umami will be referred to time and time again. -- Yukari Sakamoto, author of Food Sake Tokyo A remarkably comprehensive account of umami taste and one in which the science is not only accurate but accessible and interesting. -- John Prescott, author of Taste Matters: Why We Like the Foods We Do In his earlier books Sushi and Seaweeds, Ole Mouritsen wove together biological, chemical, and gastronomical perspectives into rich portraits of these intriguing foods. In Umami, writing with the chef Klavs StyrbA|k, he does the same for this much celebrated yet enigmatic 'new' taste. Umami is a wide-ranging and welcome progress report on our understanding of taste and deliciousness. -- Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen This book will be your go-to umami resource. The content is cleverly layered with molecular-level explanations of how we taste alongside rich cultural perspective and beautiful recipes. With its stunning graphics, this book is eye candy. -- Amy Rowat, founder of Science & Food Biophysicist Ole Mouritsen... seamlessly meshes science and gastronomy... Nature This book, representing the fruits of a longstanding collaboration between the scientist Ole G. Mouritsen and the Danish chef Klavs Styrbaek, is richly illustrated and packed with umami-rich recipes to try at home. It should be required reading for those catering for the airlines, since umami is one of the only tatste that holds up well in the air. Times Literary Supplement An engaging read... Umami is at once a scientific treatise, cultural history, unique collection of recipes, and handsome coffee-table--or for that matter, kitchen-table--book. -- Sandra J. Ackerman American Scientist