The Secrets of Xian (Umami)
2022-01-01 00:00:00
中國新書(英文版) 2022年2期
We often praise a dish for being very umami， but it seems that very few can explain what exactly “umami” stands for. In this book， the most representative dishes throughout 7 Eurasian countries （Britain， France， Russia， Japan， Denmark， Thailand， and China） have been selected to examine the process of human discovery， exploration， and creation of the umami flavor. The journey begins with an introduction of the historical and cultural origins of umami， followed by the depiction of how people use fast （fresh） and slow （fermentation） processes to obtain umami， the wide array of elaboration methods （cooking）， and mysterious yet scientific mix and match methods that enable mankind to create the climax of umami taste， that is， the formulation of umami essence---umami flavoring condiments. Ultimately， the purpose is to portray the wonders and beautiful lifestyle in which mankind learns to live and blend with the exceptional fifth taste of umami.
The Secrets of Xian （Umami）
The Secrets of Xian （Umami） documentary crew
China Light Industry Press
May 2020
58.00 （CNY）
Despite it being a substance， sensation， and science that every human being may come into contact with on a daily basis， when we talk about umami as a flavor and as a science， few are capable of understanding and expressing them with much precision.
What is umami？ Where does it come from？ Why do we call umami the fifth basic taste？
Is umami a nutrient？ Can it benefit our life and health？ How do umami substances affect our processing and appreciation of food quality？ What is the role of the umami industry in the food industry system？ What role do umami products play in the culinary industry？ If we were to answer these seemingly simple everyday questions through a research survey， we might find that people probably are a lot less aware of these aspects compared to how much they understand about tough science topics such as ions， atoms， universes， planets， organisms， and microorganisms.
As human beings living in an era of highly developed civilizations， we have more urgent desires and aspirations for a better life. The criteria that determine what we consider a better life have also increased with the development of the times and the advancement of science and technology. In particular， with the new discoveries of umami science， nutrition science， and life science， people have gone from being hungry to having enough of food and shelter. We have gradually climbed up the ladder to not only eating well but also eating healthi， thus achieving eating enough， eating nutritiously， and eating healthily as three standards of living a good life.
Since ancient times， mankind has always regarded food as the utmost priority in life. It took millions of years for us to go from drinking blood and tearing up raw flesh to the appreciation of the finest ingredients we can fathom. From the earliest realization of “salty” as a basic human taste to recognizing “umami” as our fifth basic taste just over 20 years ago， it took over a millennia of adventurous exploration. Mankind has never stopped searching for the taste of umami in our experimentation and coincidental findings. From the phenomena of spoilage， deterioration， and taste transformation in our attempts to preserve food， to the use of natural conditions and microorganisms to ferment food， the knowledge accumulated over the years has formed its very own discipline of umami science. Nevertheless， the majority of us are still none the wiser when it comes to the laws and patterns behind it all.
The Secrets of Umami does not shy away from online skepticism and some pseudo-scientific bizarre theories. Instead， the production team has reached genuine scientific conclusions with a large number of practical factual data based on consumer habits of more than one billion people over the period of several decades.
We can proudly say that this umami documentary also serves as a vivid illustrated “textbook” that is unprecedented in the field of umami study. It records the process of human exploration of umami for the very first time， which without doubt， is of quintessential and pioneering significance to the world.
