Kathy Williams

Last night, I was watching the finals of the contest for the new "Iron Chef America." I know, low brow stuff, but you never know when you'll learn something even with your brows down. The contest supervisors told the candidates that they had to make a plate that showed their skills in satisfying the umami taste, the fifth taste. The cooks seemed to know all about it and the judges looked on smugly as the contestants worked away to create the perfect umami dish.

My interest immediately piqued, I began madly searching the Internet to discover this.

Wow, where have I been? There are whole Web sites dedicated to umami, which was discovered (or at least named) in 1908 by Kikunai Ikeda of Japan. There are scientific tests devoted to whether caviar or ikura (two types of fish eggs) is higher in umami. I wouldn't want to be a spoiler, so I won't reveal the answer.

Umami is more than just a regular taste, stimulating taste buds. It's a pleasant, savory taste that brings to mind meat, mushrooms, broth. It, in fact, senses the aminio acid glutamate and other factors that click in our minds to alert us that we have sated our hunger. It tells us when to stop eating and that we are satisfied by what and how much we've eaten. Although the Eastern world has long known about umami, we of the West are just beginning to explore. Umami, more than any other taste sensation, leads us to believe a food tastes delicious.

You're bound to be seeing lots more umami-related articles. Soy sauce has a lot of umami value and don't think that's wasted on soy sauce makers. Ms. Speights, we're going to need a new tongue chart.

Happy birthday Tuesday to Tricia Grigg, Rosalyn Parish, Orville Wayne Smith, Jeff Allen, Clifford Leon Wilson II and Stacee Holloway, all of Sherman; Larry Duffie and Don Weaver, both of Denison; Beverly Davis of Whitewright; Charles Ray Barnes of Itasca, Texas; Martha Clark of Westminster; Howard Keen of Telephone; DeWayne Stone of Wylie; Isaac Bush of Pottsboro.

Happy anniversary Tuesday to Delbert and Mina Hensley of Bells, 58 years.