On MSG

First of all, Happy Labor Day weekend! I hope that you all are having a relaxing weekend. I, unfortunately, am spending this weekend at work, not at home cooking, but never fear -- the regular recipe posts will resume on Wednesday!

MSG or Monosodium Glutamate is basically a salty protein. It can be derived from seaweed, wheat, corn, and other vegetables -- it is a naturally found amino acid. MSG has a flavor that has been recognized as a fifth distinct flavor from sweet, salty, sour and bitter: "umami." "Umami" basically means "savory."

Many scientific studies have been done on MSG because it is classified in some countries as a regulated food additive. However, none of these studies have shown that MSG is bad for you. Some people claim to have a sensitivity to MSG, but in small amounts it seems to do you no harm.

So, I broke down and bought some. So many of these old recipes in the antique cookbooks call for MSG that I figured I should try it out. MSG was first isolated in Tokyo in 1908, so in the 50s it was very trendy for adding a savory undertone to foods. Nowadays, most people are familiar with MSG as an additive in Asian take-out food. And that's exactly where I was able to find MSG. There's such a stigma against this salty protein in the USA that the only place I could find it for sale was in the Asian foodmart down the street from where I live.

I tried a tiny bit solo, just as an experiment, and sure enough, I can identify the flavor as a background note in a lot of my favorite Asian foods. Most of the recipes I've seen that call for MSG in my antique cookbooks only ask for a little bit (less than a teaspoon), so I think I'll be fine. However, if you're still unsure about MSG, you will probably be safe leaving it out of any of the recipes you choose to try.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!