A loanword from the Japanese (うま味), umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste". Umami, or savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as brothy or meaty.

People taste umami through taste receptors that typically respond to glutamate. Glutamate is widely present in meat broths and fermented products. Since umami has its own receptors rather than arising out of a combination of the traditionally recognized taste receptors, scientists now consider umami to be a distinct taste.