![]() The paper's abstract cites the difference in taste we've all observed "between the outer flesh and the inner pulp of tomatoes," and the fact that "the pulp, which contains the seeds, had more umami taste." Umami, discovered by Ikeda in 1909, is the fifth taste, the meaty, broth-like or savoury taste that is now accepted as an addition to the traditional sweet, bitter, salty and sour gustatory sensations. The title of Heston's paper that recently appeared in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry is Differences in Glutamic Acid and 5'- Ribonucleotide Contents between Flesh and Pulp of Tomatoes and the Relationship with Umami Taste (with co-authors Maria-Jose Oruna-Concha, Lisa Methven, Christopher Young and Donald S. This is not so important for us home cooks - we tend to leave the seeds in the final dish we are preparing but in the professional kitchen, the seeds are often discarded for the sake of appearance and presentation. ![]() It proves something many cooks already knew or suspected - that the jelly around the pips of tomatoes contains most of the tomato's flavour. The coring of tomatoes has a lot more to do with tradition than any sound foundations the seeds in tomatoes can be bitter (and of course will ruin the texture of a smooth gazpacho) but the pulp surrounding them that is also discarded is rich in umami containing compounds:
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