The essence of flavour

If ever someone needed a good publicity agent then it's MSG, mono sodium glutamate or as the Chinese call it, Wei Jing, the essence of flavour. It's only been around commercially for about 100 years but during that short time it has attracted as much bad press as both tomatoes and potatoes did a few hundred years ago when first introduced to Europe. Just as we eventually realised how versatile both those ingredients were so the same will happen with MSG in the future once the media and ill informed foodies stop their scaremongering.
Here are some documented facts - MSG does not cause Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, headaches, shortness of breath and chest pains in normally healthy people. MSG is a natural ingredient extracted from dried seaweed. MSG does not cause cancer. MSG is a harmless ingredient for most people even in large quantities. MSG acts in synergy with other ingredients to act as a flavour enhancer and the ONLY problem with MSG is when it is exploited as a cheap, one dimensional substitute for real flavours by food manufacturers and poorly skilled chefs in Chinese restaurants.
In 1908, Kikunae Ikeda, a Japanese scientist, found that kombu seaweed was an especially rich source of MSG and it provided a unique, savoury taste sensation, different from the familiar sweet, salty, bitter and sour tastes - it has since been recognised as the fifth flavour - umami, a rough translation from the Japanese for " deliciousness ". It is interesting to note that after the kombu seaweed, the second highest concentration of free glutamate is to be found in aged Parmesan cheese followed by sundried tomatoes and tomato paste. Other instances include nam pla Thai sauce, Bovril, Marmite, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce - do you notice the trend developing here, bearing in mind that MSG works best in synergy with other foods ? Think parmesan sprinkled on pasta, tomato ketchup on chips, soy sauce with sushi, fish sauce in Thai soups and curries.
I have no problem with companies like Woolies removing MSG from their products simply because it forces the producers to ensure that there is real flavour in the food in the first place but let's get past the melodramatic product claims and advertising and let's not perpetuate the myth that MSG should carry a Government Health warning, there are lots more baddies in the food world deserving of our attention.
( By the way, I want to silence the ugly rumour that this blog is sponsored by Aromat ! )