A few weeks ago, a promo CD came through the CL offices from a band called The Notorious MSG. The mock hip-hoppers surely bring, as they claim in their press release, the "deep-fried fury." But their name got me wondering why real MSG has gotten such a bad rap. No other seasoning is as reviled or avoided as monosodium glutamate.
Chinese restaurants across the country post neon signs emblazoned with the three dirty letters crossed out by a slash of red so that you can make damn sure that none of it ends up in your takeout. But do you even know what MSG is? Do you know why you hate it? Or is it just culinary bigotry?
First, a little history. In 1907, Japanese researcher Kikunae Ikeda (MSG's O.G., so to speak) noticed a particular taste that did not conform to the Big Four — salt, sweet, sour and bitter. This fifth sensation was especially apparent in meats, as well as tomatoes, certain types of seaweed and some cheeses. The guy was a scientist, but he seems to have understood the imprecision of flavor perception; instead of pegging the new taste with a technical name, he called it "umami." Deliciousness.
But Ikeda approached what caused this sensation in a scientific manner, distilling white crystals from a mound of kombu seaweed typically used as a base for umami-rich Japanese dashi broth. Those crystals turned out to be glutamate (or glutamic acid), an amino acid that's a building block of proteins.
With Ikeda's patent, the Ajinomoto Corporation converted the glutamate to a sodium salt form — stable as a solid but easily dissolved in moisture — useable for seasoning food.
Like regular table salt, MSG does not have a distinct flavor; instead it enhances the intensity of flavors it's paired with, along with adding a hint of that elusive umami. Japanese and Chinese chefs jumped on the bandwagon immediately, but MSG never gained popularity in the West, except as an ingredient in processed foods.
The FDA categorizes MSG as "generally accepted as safe"— the same as such tame ingredients as salt, vinegar and sugar. So why is it so notorious?
Many people believe that MSG can cause severe allergic reactions resulting in migraine headaches, dizziness and other symptoms, which all came to be known as Chinese Restaurant Syndrome in the 1960s. A few studies backed up those claims, but were soon countered by a mess of serious clinical research that found no, or minimal, links between MSG and adverse reactions. Snap!
Some researchers have even attempted to link MSG to chronic conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and brain lesions. But most scientists agree that the chemistry of dietary glutamic acid just doesn't work that way, and research bears them out.
You can hate the playa, but even if you swear off Chinese takeout and don't shake MSG onto your potatoes, it's almost impossible to avoid the game. Glutamic acid is found in a long list of industrial additives widely used in processed foods, the most common of which is hydrolyzed protein. Next time you're in the checkout line, look at the labels on most of the bagged, frozen or canned food in your basket. Yup. Hydrolicious.
If you like your MSG straight up, you can buy Accent — 100 percent genuine monosodium glutamate — at the grocery store and sprinkle it on foods to heighten their umami-ness. Tasted raw, Accent has a vaguely salty, generically savory bullion flavor. Sprinkled on food, its effect is more felt than tasted, adding a bit of lusciousness to already savory foods. In the '80s, Accent was a popular salt substitute. Now, the specter of MSG allergies has lessened its popularity.
If you're worried about industrialized seasonings and additives (or just like to eat real food), but still want to experience a big umami bomb, skip the MSG and concentrate on natural foods rich in glutamic acid. Tomatoes, mushrooms and peas have it goin' on, along with nuts, oysters and corn. Soy sauce and fish sauce are easy ways to dose a dish with a heavy hit of umami, but one of the founding members of The Glutamate Hall of Fame is Parmigiana Reggiano, Mario Batali's "undisputed king of cheese."
You can also enhance your experience of umami in other ways. While perception of the Big Four tastes is lessened when you're stressed or anxious, umami is actually heightened, according to a recent study. That may explain why stress and processed foods are a match made in heaven. It's almost worth the near-panic attack to make potato chips and Parmigiana taste even better.
In the past few years, Western chefs have started to take more notice of umami, planning dishes or entire restaurants around maximizing that savory deliciousness. You can follow their lead at home — just combine glutamate-rich ingredients into a luscious treat. And maybe, just maybe, don't be a hata'. You might consider saying yes to MSG the next time you order takeout.