Melinda > wrote:
>
>Yeah, actually one webpage I looked at had the old "four tastes" and one had
>the more recent-to-the-West five tastes with umami added. One of those pages
>I mentioned also had info about the specific molecules that trigger 'sour"
>and "bitter" etc., which I found very interesting.

You can argue that umami changes other flavours that come along with it.
But then again, saltiness and sweetness also change other flavours that
come along. That's what makes cooking interesting.

>Is MSG still considered an evil substance to add to food? I'd seek some out
>to add to my food as an experiment but I seem to recall that it was or is
>considered bad for the health.

Some people seem to have very bad reactions to it. Growing up in Hawaii
as a kid, I used to see little old ladies carrying ten-pound bags of the
stuff home from the grocery. If it was all _that_ bad for you, most of
Asia would be dead by now.

I can still sing the ajinomoto commercial jingle, too.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."