World map of umami in traditional cuisine (2022)

This map, published by the Umami Information Centre in 2022, shows the presence of umami in traditional food around the world.

Umami is one of the five basic tastes and, despite having been discovered in the early 20th century, it is a flavour that has been present in traditional cuisine around the world for centuries. This map shows some of the most representative dishes on each continent, using three colours to indicate the type of dish:

• In yellow, dishes based on fermented legumes, such as miso in Japan, tausí in China, or soy sauce in Asia.
• In blue, dishes based on fermented seafood or fish, such as garum in the Mediterranean (in ancient times), cured anchovies in Europe, or prahok in Cambodia.
• In orange, dishes that have other bases, such as Marmite in the United Kingdom, aged cheese in Europe, charqui in Peru, or mole in Mexico.

In addition, the map shows tomatoes in all parts of the world where they are part of traditional cuisine, being the most common product that adds a touch of umami.

Sources

• Traditional Food and Umami Around the World
• Umami: You never say its name, yet you taste it every day