In a separate review, Kumiko Ninomiya of the Umami Information Center, Japan,
discusses umami's discovery and the hundred-year delay in its global recognition as a
basic taste. Exploring the differences in culinary culture between Europe and Japan,
Ninomiya highlights recent collaborative studies with chefs and researchers on the
different taste profiles for Japanese and Western soup stocks, and explains why
umami has been more easily accepted by the Japanese. But she says a recent
exchange on cooking methods and diverse types of umami-rich foods in different
countries has facilitated a new approach to culinary science and could bring healthier
and tastier solutions.