The discovery of umami as a taste came in 1907 by Japanese chemical professor, Kikunae Ikeda. It’s a fascinating piece of the gastronomic evolution puzzle, making sense of why we love the food we love. If it’s been some time since you sat in science class, here’s a quick refresher: looking at your tongue, you’ll see the surface is covered with several hundred rough-looking bumps. These bumps are called papillae
