's one of the five generally recognised basic tastes sensed by specialized receptor cells present on the human tongue. Umami's a loanword from Japanese meaning roughly "tasty", although "brothy", "meaty", or "savory" have been proposed as alternate translations. The same taste's also known as xiānwèi (literally "Fresh Flavor") in Chinese cooking. In as much as it describes the flavor common to savory products such as meat, cheese, and mushrooms, umami's similar to Brillat-Savarin's con… (More on Umami)