Flavour boost is back

TURBO-CHARGING taste is the target for feisty seasonings brand Honest Umami (HU) as it leads a new movement of rebel foodies and chefs championing maligned ingredient monosodium glutamate (MSG).

- Maisha Frost

The flavour enhancer, which fell from grace in the 1960s and remained shunned as unhealthy, is now rising up the ranks again as a kitchen cabinet must-have.

"Myths about how it’s bad for you are wrong. It’s produced from plants such as sugar beet that are fermented - a process similar to brewing beer or making yoghurt. It makes dishes taste great,” declares HU chief executive Rob Miller.

“People eat MSG every day without realising — it naturally occurs in tomatoes and Parmesan cheese for example. But now fermentation is more common and understood, MSG is making the comeback it deserves.”