MOBeef Update

The Food Channel has made their annual food trend predictions for 2010. The list is based on research conducted by The Food Channel in conjunction with CultureWaves® and the International Food Futurists®. Coming in at number 8 on their list (which IS my favorite number by the way) is “I want my umami.”

So we all know what sweet, salty, sour and bitter are, but umami? Umami is known as the fifth taste, and beef’s got it. It’s subtle, but it’s what makes food enjoyable. Executive Chef Dave Zino, executive director of the checkoff-funded Beef and Veal Culinary Center in Chicago, says beef is high in umami because it has three natural sources of umami: glutamic acid (an amino acid), salts of glutamic acid (called glutamates) and nucleotides.

*For a complete explanation and history of umami, refer to “The Taste of Protein” in BEEF magazine, by Diana Barto.

And, for more great recipes to get your umami fix in 2010, visit Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.