1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to you Stuff you should Know from house Stuff 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, I'm welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,439 Speaker 1: Josh Clark, Charles W Chuck Bryant and Jerry and so 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: this is stuff you should know. I tell you about 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:22,720 Speaker 1: to change the name of the show right there on 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: a whim. No, no, no, all right, that's very meaty 7 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: and savory of you. M Can you smell my juices 8 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:35,200 Speaker 1: I'm cooking in them. You smell like a fish stock. 9 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, you know I did it. Don't be 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,199 Speaker 1: dumb on ketch Up. The origin of ketch Up, the 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: good one and it actually oh you saw that? You 12 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: watched this? Of course I do. I had no idea. 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: I'm your biggest fan. You're one of the well no, 14 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: I'm one of those people. It's like this, guys so dumb, 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,279 Speaker 1: what kind of it? I don't get it. Get through 16 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: the boy? Is he acting like that? But I just 17 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: keep watching them. I can't help it. So you saw 18 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: the one about Ketchup, and you know about catchy Up, 19 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: the Vietnamese fish sauce that actually serves as the basis 20 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: for Ketchup. Yes, the American condiment which is not the 21 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: number one selling condiment. In America. No, what is it mayonnaise? Oh? Yes, 22 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: did you know that? Manaise clearly didn't. What kind dukes 23 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: is your brain? Right? Well, I'm dukes, But I'm just 24 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,919 Speaker 1: I'm gonna I find myself a defender of mayonnaise because 25 00:01:26,319 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: my whole life people have just thought it was gross. 26 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: Not everyone you would do well in like France or Belgium. Buddy, Yeah, 27 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: like on a hamburger and hot dog people like, because 28 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: I don't like ketchup and people think I'm weird. Oh no, 29 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: you need some ketchup too, Not that much. I've also 30 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 1: found recently, as a grown up adult, a real live 31 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: one that like, you can replace ketchup with tomatoes and 32 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: it tastes maybe even better, depending on the ketchup you 33 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 1: mean on a burger, Yes, instead of both, you just 34 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: mean no ketchup. Yeah, you could put in both. I'm 35 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: not I'm not opposed to it. No, it's just it 36 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: I've found and it was a big surprise to me, 37 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,600 Speaker 1: a really big surprise that if you just put tomatoes, 38 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: a good tomato on and no ketchup, you're actually creating 39 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: the taste that you're looking for with ketchup. That just 40 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,440 Speaker 1: misses it slightly because it's gotten more than tomatoes in it. Right. 41 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: It's really, again, very surprising to me, even though I realized, 42 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: of course that tomato is made from ketchup is made 43 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: from tomatoes, Like, I haven't made that connection. I just 44 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: didn't realize how good just tomatoes were on a burger 45 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,839 Speaker 1: without ketchup. I don't like raw a tomatoes either, so 46 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: I wouldn't do that. And you can't dip our French 47 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: right in a tomato. Well, no, I'm not opposed to 48 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: catch up. I'll still use ketchup not here, especially for 49 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,239 Speaker 1: dipping fries. I'm cool with that. I'm not down and 50 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: ketch up here is what I'm trying to say. I 51 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,520 Speaker 1: just think that tomatoes are great on a burger. But 52 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: I also like mayo too, I think is ultimately the 53 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: point that started me off on this. Yeah, I like 54 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: tomato sauce, like red sauce, but I don't like raw 55 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: tomatoes or just whole tomatoes. They're slimmy, and I'm not 56 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: supposed to eat them like an apple or anything. If 57 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:11,839 Speaker 1: you've been doing that, I can understand why you don't 58 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: like raw tomatoes. Some people do. Some people to slice 59 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: them in the amount plate. They're not just holding it 60 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: in your hand eating it like an asshole. Look at 61 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: a monster does that? That's what I'm saying, a monster 62 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 1: becaus are well Helm the second Yeah, he was, he 63 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: was known, all right. So all of that to say, mommy, 64 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: oh mommy, Oh mama, this one's about o mommy. The 65 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: fifth flavor, the fifth beetle, out of what they now 66 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: say is six fat fat carbon dioxide is also one too. 67 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,640 Speaker 1: We supposedly they've found receptors that are tailored specifically to 68 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: sensing carbon dioxide on the tongue, and that ultimately that 69 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 1: makes it qualify as so they're gonna be seven now, 70 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: I think way more. I don't know why science has 71 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,280 Speaker 1: been so stingy 're so reluctant to accept the idea 72 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: that we have more than four flavor receptors, or more 73 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:16,479 Speaker 1: four taste receptors. But oh mommy, was isolated in the 74 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: in the beginning of the twentieth century, and it wasn't 75 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: for almost eighty years before the West finally accepted it. Yeah. 76 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: Part of the reasons because it was the research was 77 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 1: written in Japanese. Well it's okay, that's maybe had something 78 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: to do with it uh. And part of the issue 79 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: was that um, it's you Mommy is very mild and taste, 80 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: and when you have um high concentrations of it to 81 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: increase set flavor, you've got salty and sour mixed in. 82 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: So I think it just confounded the West. They're like, 83 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: what we get sour, we get salty, we get sweet, 84 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: for sure, why we even get bitter, but we don't 85 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: get this other thing. Nope, and we're not going over five. 86 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:07,719 Speaker 1: So you better make the summi stuff good. That's what 87 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 1: the West said, dumb Western scientists and food scientists. So chuck, 88 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: I think we let the cat out of the bag 89 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: a little bit. Um. The Japanese are the ones who 90 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 1: first discovered ummi's right comes from the word um i uh, 91 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:29,159 Speaker 1: roughly translated as delicious. Uh. Chefs, if you talk to 92 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 1: a chef and mommy's a big hot thing right now, 93 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: they'll say, maybe it's like a mushroomy thing, it's like 94 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: an earthy it's it's it is very subtle. Like I said, 95 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: it's musty. Yeah, musty, which doesn't sound appealing, No, but 96 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: it also makes sweet different. That's ou Mommy's big, great quality, 97 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: And I think that's probably one of the reasons why 98 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 1: it was hard for the West to accept it is 99 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: ou Mommy's big thing is synergizing. It's a supporting cast 100 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: member almost. Yeah, it takes, Yes, it is. It's like, 101 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: um Bud Bundy not a leading guy, but you put 102 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: him in an ensemble, He's gonna bring everybody else up. 103 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: It's what he's known for. I would give a million 104 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: American dollars to be inside your brain during that five 105 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:23,320 Speaker 1: ish seconds of your spinning around searching for supporting cast 106 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 1: member and ending up at Bud Bundy. Will you come 107 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: back in twenty years and give me a million dollars 108 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: and I will let you man. That would be amazing. 109 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: So um with like salty sour, we get again, we 110 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: get those things. They stand on their own. Umami actually 111 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 1: has a very mild and not necessarily like pleasurable flavor 112 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: on its own. Yeah, you don't want something that's like, oh, 113 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: this is just umami flavored, right, but it is almost 114 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: like it's designed to interact with other flavors, especially salty 115 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: and especially sweet. Agreed, and ummmy can even interact with itself. 116 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: And all of a sudden, it takes what was just 117 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:07,280 Speaker 1: like home day and turns it into the greatest day 118 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: of your life with one bite of cham with some 119 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: hot umami on umami action. Uh. So it is nothing new, obviously, 120 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: It's not like you can just identify new taste. Um. 121 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 1: It's been around. Um. The Romans and the Greeks before 122 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: them enjoyed something called garum and that is a sauce that. Boy, 123 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: you want to talk about how you find something weird 124 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: food wise? They were gutting fish and they said, let's 125 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: take this fish cuts and blood and let's salt it 126 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: and leave it out in the sun for three months 127 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: and see what happens. See what happened, and you have 128 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 1: to eat it, eat it you uh, and someone eventually 129 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: ate it. They strained the liquid from the top of 130 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: it and they said, boy, this sauce is this is 131 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: garam sauce. This good stuff is delicious. Garam means delicious 132 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,240 Speaker 1: in ancient Romans. I think so. And it is uh 133 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: that was mommy personified um. Because how umami was discovered. Uh. 134 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: In nine seven there was a brilliant chemist name uh 135 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:16,280 Speaker 1: Kikunai Aikita sor right that a e. It's got to 136 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: make you a little pop to it got you. But yeah, 137 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: you did it, thank you. So he was a chemist, 138 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: and uh, he worked at the Imperial University. I'm sorry 139 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: he was. Yeah, he was a professor at the Imperial 140 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: University of Tokyo. And he was perplexed that he tasted 141 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 1: something one day and said, this is not any of 142 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,800 Speaker 1: those four flavors. No, no, no, I know this is different. 143 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: He was all about the dashi. And dashi is the 144 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:50,160 Speaker 1: basis of miso soups, lots of other stuff, but basically 145 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: it's a fish stock made from I think tuna flakes 146 00:08:55,000 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: and um coombu which is dried kelp yes, and the're 147 00:09:00,160 --> 00:09:03,000 Speaker 1: all kinds of recipes for a daschi base. And it's 148 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: in a lot of things from sauces and like sober 149 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: noodle sauces to like you said me, so um really 150 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: really big ingredient in Japanese cuisine, right, And this guy 151 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: was like, this little boy loves this dashi and I 152 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 1: want to know exactly what is making it so wonderful. So, 153 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 1: since he was a chemist, he took I think something 154 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: like twelve ms of dashi and boiled it down ten 155 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: of them, isolated some stuff. The first thing that came 156 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:33,840 Speaker 1: out were some obvious ones that he clearly discarded is 157 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: not responsible for your mommy, because there were salts. He's like, no, 158 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: it's not that. It's not salt. We understand salt. It's 159 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 1: not salt. I know for effact it's not salt. What 160 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: else is in here? He starts sorting through it. Right, Well, 161 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: didn't he separate the dashi into its parts and then 162 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: break those down? Yeah? Okay, I just I jumped ahead 163 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,680 Speaker 1: of step to make a terrible chemist. He's on he's 164 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: on kelp at this point, one of the ingredients. Okay. 165 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: And so with the kelp is where he found the 166 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: two salts and your right. He was like, well, I 167 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: know these flavors and they're not what I've been experiencing 168 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: on my tongue now. They're old news. So he looked 169 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: a little further and he found well, wait a minute, 170 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:16,079 Speaker 1: what is this. It's glutamic acid. And he's like, maybe, 171 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:20,560 Speaker 1: but glutamic acid has a sour taste, and that's weird, Like, 172 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:24,240 Speaker 1: it can't be glutamic acid. It doesn't quite make sense. 173 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: So he added some more stuff, came up with a 174 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: chemical reaction, and what popped out on the other end 175 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: is what you and I call monosodium glutamate m s G. 176 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: And he figured out that it's not glutamic acid. It's 177 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: not the salt, but it's actually glutamate. But then he 178 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: figured out even further, it's like glutamate that doesn't make 179 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,079 Speaker 1: any sense, like glutamate. Glutamate doesn't work. Then he realized 180 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 1: it's not the protein that's giving it the taste. It's 181 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:55,439 Speaker 1: the amino acids that actually make up proteins that give 182 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:59,080 Speaker 1: ou mommy its taste. Boom, So glutamate, I'm sorry, isn't 183 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:04,320 Speaker 1: amino acid right? Right? Right? And that's one of the 184 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:06,200 Speaker 1: things that gives you mommy's tastes. This is the first 185 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: thing that was discovered, um, to give you mommy it's taste. Yeah, 186 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 1: And that was the kelp. So you know, Dashi has 187 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: a different components. So he had a student. He said, 188 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: you know what, let me get that the dried tuna flakes. Um, yeah, 189 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: bonito delicious. There's different kinds, but bonita is definitely one 190 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 1: of them. Um. And he says, let me identify these components. 191 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: And what he found was something called uh, you want 192 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: to try that one and the sianate is that right? Yeah? 193 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,480 Speaker 1: I think that is right? Man, it's a nucleic acid. 194 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: Like you say, yes, So he's like, boom, I've got 195 00:11:42,559 --> 00:11:46,439 Speaker 1: number two. And then in nineteen sixty another scientist named 196 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 1: Akira uh Kuni Knaka. He worked for Yamasa, the famous 197 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: soy saucier And now you're just showing off. He was, 198 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:58,960 Speaker 1: um and he went on to work in pharmaceuticals. It 199 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: was interesting, oh the chemist. Yeah, but it's like you 200 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: work for soy sauce and then you go to work 201 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: for a pharmaceutical company. Right, I'm good at both things. 202 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: But you're right, it's all this chemistry. Um. So he said, 203 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 1: you know what, I can identify a third thing called guanilate. 204 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 1: It's another nucleotide in those shataki mushrooms you were talking about. Yeah, 205 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: and it's not like just bonito flakes, combo and saki 206 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,240 Speaker 1: mushrooms are the only things that produce a mommy taste. 207 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: These are just the three things that those guys went 208 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,719 Speaker 1: to town and isolated different stuff out of right. Yeah, 209 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,640 Speaker 1: I always want to see Bonita apple bum when you 210 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: say Bonita tribe called quest After all these years, they 211 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: keep making reference, they keep making appearances in episodes lately. 212 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, they have been. Huh you mentioned him in 213 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: Hula Hoops. Yeah, this one, you can't remember which one. 214 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: We talked about the scenario, what's the what's the what's 215 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: the scenario? You know what? My friend Justin whom you 216 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: also know, his mother actually left her wallet and els 217 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: a gun no way, And he even called me. He 218 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: was like, dude, guess what happened? My mother left a 219 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: wallet and elsa gundo. That's crazy. Yeah, it was pretty remarkable. 220 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:13,439 Speaker 1: We should probably take a break, Yeah, and then we'll 221 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,079 Speaker 1: talk a little bit more about the science of taste 222 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: right after this. So we have done an episode on 223 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 1: taste that was great. It was great called Taste and 224 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: How it Works from July right, highly recommended. Yeah, but 225 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: we're gonna go over a little bit more here. Well, yeah, 226 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: I think if we're gonna talk about mommy, we'd be 227 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,319 Speaker 1: big jerks if we just assumed, you know everything there 228 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: is to know about. Yeah, we got to talk about 229 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: what's called the gustatory system. Okay, So, um, when we're 230 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: talking about taste specifically, that's separate it from flavor, which 231 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: we'll get to. But taste begins on the tongue, right, 232 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 1: and on the tongue you're gonna find what we like 233 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: to call taste buds or pepilla. The pa have taste 234 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,559 Speaker 1: buds on them, right, Yes, there are three main types 235 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: of papia. You have the fun fungy form, mushroom shaped, 236 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 1: the foli eight. Those are the ridges and grooves at 237 00:14:22,800 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: the back of the tongue, and the circumvallate and those 238 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: are circular at the front front end of the tongue, right. 239 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,600 Speaker 1: And then some papi a have a couple of taste buds. 240 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 1: Some have hundreds of taste buds. And then when you 241 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: look into the taste buds themselves, um, they have receptor cells. 242 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 1: And what's interesting is when you think about a taste buds, 243 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: you'd be like, oh, well, there's a salty taste bud, 244 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: sweet taste bud, ou mommy ou mommy, sweet, sour, bitter, right, 245 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: carbon dioxide. So that's not the case. As a matter 246 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: of fact, taste bud has different recept our selves, and 247 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: these different recept our selves can be tuned to accept 248 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 1: or sense different types of taste. Wasn't it the shape 249 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: if I remember correctly that, well, that was with the smell. 250 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,760 Speaker 1: Smell and tasted closely related, and we should say that 251 00:15:13,840 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: the spoiler alert for the taste episode. We're not a 252 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: harm percent sure how we sense taste or smell um, 253 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 1: but yes, the the predominant theory is that the a 254 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: specific type of odorant or taste molecule will interact with 255 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: a specific type of receptor and when it does, the 256 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 1: chemical in that molecule, that food molecule um unlocks that 257 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: receptor and by doing that, it's translated into an electrical impulse. Boom. 258 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:48,720 Speaker 1: So you chew your food up, gets spitty and saliva covered, 259 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: and it breaks it down, cut your tongue and that's 260 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: when that transduction. Uh, those electrical impulses are sent to 261 00:15:56,960 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: the n st the solitary tract of the brain, sorry, 262 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: the nucleus of the soliditary tract of the brain. Yeah, 263 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: that's where it all happens. That's when it puts all 264 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: these different tastes together and says delicious, I like this 265 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: or more to the point, and that's probably going to 266 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: kill you, so stop eating that. And like we said, 267 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 1: taste is different than flavor. Taste is just one aspect 268 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: of flavor for a food item or really anything to 269 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: have a flavor, It includes not just the taste but 270 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: also the smell, the side of it, the temperature of it, 271 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: how it feels, the firm is it a little too gelatinous? Um. 272 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: These are all things that your brain takes into account, um, 273 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: including things like memories that you form from having it before. 274 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: Cotton candy when I was a kid gives me great memories. Yeah, 275 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,240 Speaker 1: So that plays a part in flavor exactly, like you 276 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: can like it releases some different aspect of it that 277 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: only you can experience that flavor. Yeah, Like if you 278 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,280 Speaker 1: had a cotton candy jelly bean, it would conjure up 279 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 1: that memory and that would be part of the flavor 280 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,200 Speaker 1: r experience yea, or if it's one of your past lives. 281 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,439 Speaker 1: So that's kind of the science of taste and with 282 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: your mommy specifically. Um. Again, one of the things that 283 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:15,920 Speaker 1: the West was having trouble with this accepting that ou 284 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: momi was a real thing was that there wasn't any 285 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 1: um what's called psychophysical evidence that oummi was its own taste. Right. 286 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 1: For a long time, they thought it was just a 287 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: component of salty taste because monosodium glutamate is a type 288 00:17:31,840 --> 00:17:36,160 Speaker 1: of salt, Right, It's a salt protein combination that makes 289 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: MSG and for many many years this was the only 290 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,919 Speaker 1: um this is the only source of oummy taste. But 291 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:47,880 Speaker 1: finally in the eighties, once they had the first international 292 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: symposium on New Mommy, it was a real thing. Um 293 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 1: the I'll bet it was too because it was in Hawaii, 294 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: and the Japanese and Americans love Hawaii, so I bet 295 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: everybody was partying down there. They started to do studies 296 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: in the early eighties and they found oh, actually no, 297 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: there are specific receptor cells on the human tongue. And 298 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: it turns out not just in human tongues, but mostly 299 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: human tongues that are designed or geared towards accepting we're 300 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 1: sensing umami tastes. That's right. Those are the g protein 301 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: coupled receptors g pc rs, and that is for sweet, bitter, 302 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: and umami and uh, sour and salty those a little different. 303 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: Those sort of flow through ion channels, which is way 304 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 1: over my head, to be honest. Well, it's just like 305 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 1: if a molecule is a positive charge of a negative charge. 306 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: If it's if it's a positive ion it has positive charge, 307 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: it's not gonna make it through all sorts of the channels. 308 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,359 Speaker 1: It's only gonna make it through positive channels. It's not 309 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,199 Speaker 1: it's simple, I know, but as far as relating that 310 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:51,199 Speaker 1: to a taste, it's just sort of I can think 311 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: of his manage. Well that's the whole thing. It's like 312 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: you said, it's like it's like your brain just turns advantage. 313 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: It's transduction is taking in a chemical and turning it 314 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: into an electrical charge. I just think that's endlessly fascinating. 315 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,439 Speaker 1: Oh sure, the senses and how they work, it's like 316 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: it's amazing, But not just that electricity an electric electrical generation, 317 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,239 Speaker 1: like you remember that episode Electricity maybe one of our 318 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,440 Speaker 1: best if you ask me. Agreed, alright, So what way, 319 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: what we have here are three kinds of receptor cells 320 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,160 Speaker 1: that they know are h that that respond to this 321 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: combination that makes up what MSG is. I'm sorry, what 322 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: UMMI is. It's that the gwenny late and the MSG. 323 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: And what they think is that they actually hold on 324 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,200 Speaker 1: to these these compounds hold on longer, which is why 325 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: you get these interesting combinations. When you have like, uh, 326 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: cheese with an apple or cheese on an apple pie. 327 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:54,240 Speaker 1: It takes sweet and like doesn't just make it sweeter, 328 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 1: it makes it like sweet in a different way right exactly. Um. 329 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,679 Speaker 1: And the same thing again when when you mixed together 330 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: different types of either amino acids or nucleic acids that 331 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: create a new mommy taste, they magnify this ummmy nous 332 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,919 Speaker 1: of this is meatiness of the whole thing. And um 333 00:20:12,280 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 1: also with I believe salty too, Oh mommy and salty 334 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,080 Speaker 1: mixed together. Um. The fact that it it hangs onto 335 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:24,240 Speaker 1: that that molecule longer and it just leaves that charge going. 336 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: Then that sweet can come and go, but it's it's 337 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: affected by it. Food science is so interesting, it is. 338 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:32,879 Speaker 1: And we're gonna talk a little more about food science 339 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:53,479 Speaker 1: and evolution right after this. All right, So here's one 340 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:55,919 Speaker 1: thing I didn't get, and I reread this a few times. 341 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: I get the first part of this, which is as follows, 342 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 1: is that people have long thought that tastes had a 343 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: part in evolution and that we were just wired to 344 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: know that if something sweet is probably okay to eat 345 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:12,919 Speaker 1: and that will give us nutrition, something really bitter may 346 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:15,280 Speaker 1: be dangerous to eat, that might be poisonous. And of 347 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:18,200 Speaker 1: course there's exceptions to all of this. Those are pretty 348 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: good general rules when it comes to uh evolution. Right, 349 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,680 Speaker 1: that that was the evolution explanation for the sense of taste, right, yeah, 350 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,680 Speaker 1: But what I don't get and is where in here 351 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:35,199 Speaker 1: does it explain the evolutionary uh method of umami? Like 352 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: what role it played? I got this, you're ready? Well, 353 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 1: is it this part about cooking? Yes? Oh it was 354 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: very poorly stated, it really was. But it's really interesting 355 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,919 Speaker 1: that what you realize this that so you said that 356 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 1: ou momi is is like one of the newer tastes 357 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: or something like that, it actually is. Yeah, they couldn't 358 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: figure out like what part did this have an evolution? No, 359 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,199 Speaker 1: but even before that, like if you look at it 360 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: evolutionarily speaking, it's it's actually very old. Supposedly the receptors 361 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,560 Speaker 1: are very old, like four million years old or something 362 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: like that. But the idea that we can taste you mommy, 363 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: or us tasting you mommy is very actually fairly recent, 364 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:18,880 Speaker 1: because ou mommy is released by cooking food. Like if 365 00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:22,199 Speaker 1: you eat a bunch of raw hamburger, that's that's not 366 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 1: gonna be umami tasting. It's not gonna taste very good. 367 00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: But you cook that hamburger and you have molecularly changed 368 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: its composition. You've unlocked some of the proteins into its 369 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: constituent amino acids, and all of a sudden, you've got 370 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 1: umami taste. It's like a caramelizing an onion is completely 371 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: different than the taste of a raw onion or even 372 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,159 Speaker 1: a just regular grilled onion. Yeah, and the big mystery 373 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,440 Speaker 1: of all this, evolutionarily speaking, is that what you're gaining 374 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: or one of the biggest sources of umami taste is glutamate. 375 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: Well that's great, but the human body produces tons of glutamate, 376 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:00,879 Speaker 1: so it wouldn't make sense that we would have a 377 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: taste receptor to find it in nature because we got 378 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 1: enough in our body. Well, you need other essential amino acids. 379 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: And if it figures that the best way to get 380 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: amino acids is to cook or ferment food, you want, 381 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: you need you need fire because amino acids can be 382 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: bound to proteins and we don't absorb them as well, 383 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,480 Speaker 1: or our body spends a lot more energy of breaking 384 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: them down and digesting them than if we cook them 385 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,640 Speaker 1: or if we ferment them. So man invent fire, man 386 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:35,720 Speaker 1: starts to cook food, man advances more rapidly. Yes, that's 387 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 1: one of the ideas that um why our brain developed 388 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:41,719 Speaker 1: as well as it did, or we'd be came as 389 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 1: intelligent as we did was from cooking food. So we 390 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 1: were able to um break down our food a lot 391 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 1: more easily and gain from it, absorb it, and um 392 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:55,640 Speaker 1: basically grow huge brains that it came from cooking. And 393 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: where where do we get O mommy taste from cooked 394 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:02,120 Speaker 1: or fermented food where these proteins have been broken down 395 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,959 Speaker 1: into much more easily absorbed amino acid constituents. Man, I 396 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,640 Speaker 1: like that. I agree. I feel like I just made 397 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: it confusing, though, did it come across No, it's it's 398 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,159 Speaker 1: totally makes sense. We learned how to cook food and 399 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 1: that put us at the head of the evolutionary ladder. 400 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: Right and OUMMI tastes comes from cooked or for many food? Yeah, 401 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,800 Speaker 1: very clear? Uh? What is not clear or maybe it 402 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,240 Speaker 1: is clear? Is MSG bad for you? A lot of 403 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:32,359 Speaker 1: people say it makes me dizzy, or it makes my 404 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: heart flutter or or you know the MSG crash after 405 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: you go the Chinese food buffet. Well, there's actually something 406 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: called Chinese food syndrome. Not not true. Apparently it's a myth, 407 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:50,199 Speaker 1: supposedly culturally bound syndrome where like very few other cultures 408 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: outside of the United States or the West even think 409 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 1: of the idea that MSG can make you sick, and 410 00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:00,640 Speaker 1: that it's apparently a psycho somatic reaction where you expect 411 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: MSG is going to make you sick, so you get sick. Yep, 412 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: that's one explanation. Maybe your body or our bodies are 413 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 1: just different in how we process and metabolize MSG, or 414 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:16,159 Speaker 1: maybe you have oded a little bit too much of 415 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: anything could be a bad thing, right, Uh, it could 416 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,919 Speaker 1: be all these things. But what science is saying is 417 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: there's no evidence that MSG is bad for you quote 418 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:30,639 Speaker 1: unquote right, And apparently study after study found that people 419 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 1: that that MSG doesn't cause these things. Yeah, it's it's weird, 420 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 1: So get off the couch, lazy, you're just looking for 421 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 1: excuse to not cut the grass. And so MSG again, 422 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,560 Speaker 1: it has kind of a bad has kind of a 423 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:48,199 Speaker 1: bad rap here in the US, but it's everywhere. And 424 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: it was actually one of the first things that Um, yeah, 425 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:57,040 Speaker 1: professor Akita Um did was he figured out a way 426 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: to patent extra thing monosoda imglutamate from wheat, which is 427 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:05,440 Speaker 1: where it sound much more abundantly than in like kelp, 428 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 1: and package it into a seasoning, and he he had 429 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 1: no ill will. He's like, this is great. This can 430 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: make that boring dish like taste better that healthy boring 431 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,879 Speaker 1: dish tastes better. So it's not it's ironic then that 432 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:22,239 Speaker 1: people think it's bad for you, when in fact, when 433 00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:23,879 Speaker 1: he packaged it, he was like, this is gonna be 434 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,680 Speaker 1: good for you. It's gonna make this thing that's good 435 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: for you taste even better and our country is going 436 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: to be very healthy. Right. Yeah, but it's hard to find, 437 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 1: he said. It wasn't everything, but it's disguised and ingredients. Yeah, 438 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,919 Speaker 1: against stealthily because MSG has a bad rap here in 439 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:41,199 Speaker 1: the West. Yeah, they should just put MSG right. They do. 440 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: Sometimes for the most part, though, they will call it 441 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: something like hydrolyzed wheat protein because remember it can be 442 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:53,160 Speaker 1: extracted from wheat um. Sometimes they'll call it just natural flavors, yeah, 443 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: because all these things are natural. What else texturized vegetable protein, 444 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: autolized yeast extract right, uh yeah, or just natural flavors. 445 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,600 Speaker 1: So if you see that, that can be a lot 446 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:10,119 Speaker 1: of things though, but just natural flavors, you don't know 447 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:14,720 Speaker 1: what you're eating. But there are some upsides to using 448 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:17,600 Speaker 1: this MSG. It's actually it actually can be used in 449 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: the way that Professor A. Keda envisioned it, which is 450 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: taking stuff and making it slightly healthier. Actually, when you 451 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: have UM, when you use certain like a potassium chloride 452 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:32,280 Speaker 1: rather than sodium chloride to make MSG, you can actually 453 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: replace the sodium in UM a dish. So if you 454 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 1: have a sodium problem, you can use some of this stuff. Hey, 455 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 1: how about that, Uh, low fat food that didn't taste 456 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: so good? A little MSG it tastes better, right, Although 457 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 1: recent medical research suggests that you should be not eating 458 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: low fat food, that regular fat food is not bad 459 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: for you. Or hey, old person, you don't taste so 460 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 1: good anymore and need medication that even dampens that. Right, 461 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:05,720 Speaker 1: Why don't you throw some MSG on there? Why why 462 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:12,120 Speaker 1: don't you back to life? You know? Yes, so chuck um. 463 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: Whether MSG is a bad rap or not, it's definitely 464 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 1: all over the place. Uh, and it is making things 465 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,760 Speaker 1: taste good in my opinion, Moms here to stay it is. 466 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 1: But there's other ways to to get an umami flavor 467 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: out of food. And this this article actually has some 468 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,360 Speaker 1: helpful tips for your cooking. If you want to go 469 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:35,479 Speaker 1: and cook and get a umami taste. Have you ever 470 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: been to umami Burger? No? I haven't. It sounds awesome, 471 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 1: it's good. I like it. It sounds like you can 472 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,400 Speaker 1: make one at home with some mushrooms. Yeah. Umami Burger 473 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: is a chain. Uh. I don't know where they have them, 474 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 1: but I had in Los Angeles and they add a 475 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: powdered mushroom and seaweed to the beef with little soy sauce. 476 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: You don't even know what you're eating except that it 477 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: tastes good. You know, you're like, hmm, detect the mushroom 478 00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 1: and seaweed in this burger, all right, it's just umami 479 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: flavored um And you know it's interesting. There's this uh 480 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: I think it's called like Umami Information dot Com or 481 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: something like that, really interesting site. But they point out 482 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:22,040 Speaker 1: that um while you associate umami with Asian cooking, it's 483 00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: actually found all over the world, like in Italy with 484 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:29,160 Speaker 1: tomato sauces and catch up in the United States. Uh, 485 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: in cheeses in Europe. Um. In West Africa they have 486 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: something called um oh what is it called sambara. I 487 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,920 Speaker 1: think it's kind of like a miso in West Africa 488 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:47,160 Speaker 1: that sounds kind of delicious. Sombala that sounds good, just 489 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,200 Speaker 1: like the sounds of it exactly. So it's it's interesting 490 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 1: that like people have been cooking with ou mommy stuff 491 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 1: long before we ever knew the word U mommy um. 492 00:29:56,320 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: And it's been around the world too. Uh, carmelzing onions 493 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 1: we mentioned in like butter nothing better? Um what else? Um? 494 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 1: You can put parmesan cheese rinds into a super stew 495 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 1: and it'll o mommy. That thing up. That's a good one. 496 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: If you're making a stock, use bones of an animal 497 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 1: and suppose against that kind of thing. The guy who 498 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:24,120 Speaker 1: invented veal stock is reputed to have believed that there 499 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 1: was a fifth taste that had yet been unidentified back 500 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: in the nineteenth century. He's like, I just boiled this calf. 501 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 1: He's like that there's something going on here besides the 502 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:40,240 Speaker 1: Big four. Wow, nobody believed. Uh. If you're cooking with mushrooms, 503 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: and I recommend this with all vegetables, roast those things 504 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: a little bit first. It brings out all kinds of 505 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: flavors and it makes your brain bigger. Like if you 506 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 1: if you got to make an omelet, don't just throw 507 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: raw peppers and stuff in there, cook that stuff up 508 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: a little bit on the side, then add that to 509 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: the egg mixture. It makes the world of difference. You know, 510 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: everybody should watch Internet Roundup just just to get an 511 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: idea of what like our little gesticulations are. Like when 512 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: you're talking about like cooking peppers on the side and 513 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: throw them in there, like just the you're making very 514 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: cute little hand gestures over there. We'll always joke with 515 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 1: Emily that I'm gonna open an omelet stand on the 516 00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:22,440 Speaker 1: beach one day. It's my retirement job. She's like, why 517 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: an omelets stand on the beach. I was like, because 518 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: no one's ever done it. No, they really haven't you 519 00:31:26,560 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 1: ever go to the beach. You're laying there in the 520 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 1: hot sun. Like I could use an omelet every time. 521 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: I think. I just want my retirement job to be 522 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:38,040 Speaker 1: very slow paced and not busy, and you'll get to 523 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:43,440 Speaker 1: eat omelets. You got anything else? Um, cooking with wine 524 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 1: is a good one too, Yeah, that's o Momi City. 525 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 1: Um No, just go forth and try O mommy ng 526 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: up your dishes and you will be happy. You will 527 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: be happy. It's it'll be an indefinable quality, but you'll 528 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 1: know it's you, mommy. Yes, should be something about it. 529 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:05,920 Speaker 1: I can't put my finger on it. You'll say this 530 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: stuff is ouh my, which again means delicious roughly in Japanese. 531 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: If you want to know more about ouh mommy, you 532 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:16,120 Speaker 1: can type that word in the search bart how stuff 533 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 1: works dot com. Uh. And since I said, oh mommy, 534 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: it's time again for a listener mail, I'm just gonna 535 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: call this a nice, simple thank you from a listener. 536 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: Those are nice. Uh, sometimes it is nice. You know. 537 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,240 Speaker 1: It's for Meredith from Granite Falls, Minnesota, and she's just 538 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: thanking us because she has a boring summer job. She said, 539 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 1: I work at a hospital and I scan a bunch 540 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,200 Speaker 1: of old files into an external hard drive. That's what 541 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: I do is I remove a lot of staples, stare 542 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: at the scanner, and a wait works to be done. 543 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:52,280 Speaker 1: I'll or and over. Yeah. Can you imagine there? It's like, oh, 544 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: we need to ditchitize all these records. Let's hire someone 545 00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 1: to do that. Yeah. So God bless you Meredith for 546 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,000 Speaker 1: doing that. I found listening to eight hours of music 547 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:05,280 Speaker 1: just wasn't doing the trick anymore. Then I discovered the 548 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: wonderful world of podcasts, and you guys are my all 549 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,400 Speaker 1: time Thames. You guys are so funny and I love 550 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,200 Speaker 1: all the dumb jokes you make. I don't know if 551 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:17,600 Speaker 1: they're dumb. I think like groundbreaking is a dog way. Yeah. Uh. 552 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 1: They really make my day, guys. And even if I 553 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:21,920 Speaker 1: don't understand all the tangents you go off on because 554 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:24,520 Speaker 1: I'm only twenty one and don't understand most of these 555 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,160 Speaker 1: references you make the movies or pop culture things from 556 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:30,400 Speaker 1: decades gone by, I still enjoyed that the podcast is 557 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: more of a conversation between you guys than just strictly 558 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:35,360 Speaker 1: reading from a script. Oh yeah, we don't even have 559 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 1: a script. Clearly, that would be the worst script ever. 560 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:42,200 Speaker 1: M One of these days I'll have a real story 561 00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: to share directly related to a recent show. But for now, 562 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: I just want to say thank you so much and 563 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,560 Speaker 1: keep up the amazing work that is best wishes from Meredith. Meredith, 564 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: thank you. And she's a PostScript that says, I absolutely 565 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 1: love it when Josh Josh calls Chuckers. Don't even know why. 566 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: I just mad, some smile, we nice and it just 567 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:04,160 Speaker 1: has a ring. Suckers it's a fun word. It is. 568 00:34:04,560 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 1: It's like ou mommy said, mommy a watch. I wonder 569 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:09,960 Speaker 1: how many times I don't know if we should have 570 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:16,040 Speaker 1: an umami counter on the website. You know, yeah, it 571 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,600 Speaker 1: would be cool. I don't know if we are familiar 572 00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:21,120 Speaker 1: with the technology that could do that, though, And at 573 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 1: the end it just turns into a big pile of 574 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: salty dried fish cuts. I seriously am making some top 575 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 1: notch me so soup. I've been inspired too. You've gotten 576 00:34:32,200 --> 00:34:35,239 Speaker 1: pretty good everything. Yeah, yeah, I've gotten pretty good at 577 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,520 Speaker 1: um hot and sour soup. But I make it from 578 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 1: a mix and just add some stuff to it. This 579 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:45,839 Speaker 1: I'm going to make from like dashi and miso from scratch. Well, 580 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna like ferment the soybeans or anything like that. 581 00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,719 Speaker 1: But you're gonna make your own dashi. No, I'm gonna 582 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:52,759 Speaker 1: buy dashi. You should make your own dashi. I'm not 583 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 1: gonna make my own doshi. You know how bad my 584 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,320 Speaker 1: apartment would smell if I like fermented and then boiled 585 00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: down fish just to make the stock. Need it crazy? 586 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: You need a spice kitchen. I do need a spice kitchen, 587 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 1: now that you mentioned it, um No, but I will 588 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:09,120 Speaker 1: let you know how the miso soup turns out. Okay. 589 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:12,279 Speaker 1: If you want to get in touch with us, you 590 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:14,880 Speaker 1: can tweet to us at s Y s K podcast. 591 00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook, dot com, slash stuff 592 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,440 Speaker 1: you Should Know. You can send us an email, the 593 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: Stuff Podcast, the house, Stuff Works dot com, and as always, 594 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:24,640 Speaker 1: join us at our home on the web, Stuff you 595 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 1: Should Know dot com For more on this and thousands 596 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:41,720 Speaker 1: of other topics because it how stuff Works. Dot com