@Berty McJock,
which i've just looked up to check mu spelling, and the dictionary has it wrong (the definition i mean). in the dict. i checked in it called it a savoury taste sensation produced by glutamates.
it's not actually savoury, and doesn't necessarily have to come from glutamates. it's the four taste sensations combined in equal measure: salt, sweet, sour, and bitter. umami is simply the japanese word for this. Monosodium glutamate has this property.
