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It's no accident that beef is often paired with certain ingredients in both recipes and menu items. That's because, like beef, many of these popular ingredients contain umami compounds.
What is umami? Umami (oo-MOM-ee), known as the fifth taste, joins the four tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour you may have learned in school. Umami is described as meaty and savory, and comes from the Japanese word for delicious.
These meaty, savory umami flavors instantly bring to mind a great steak, but cheese, ripe vegetables and fermented foods also contain these same compounds. Tomatoes, mushrooms, red wine and aged cheese all stimulate your umami taste buds. And, when two or more umami compounds meet, there is an explosion of savory, meaty and delicious flavors. This explains the delicious pairings of mushrooms and steaks, and wine or tomato sauces with beef. When cooking beef, try pairing with these popular ingredients loaded in umami flavor:
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Tomatoes |
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Beef broth, stock and bouillon
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Wine |
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Soy sauce
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Mushrooms |
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Cheese |
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Green tea |
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Seaweed |
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Peas |
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Corn |
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Oysters |
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Chinese cabbage |
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Soybeans |
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Spinach |
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Carrots |
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Beets |
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Cream |
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