Caviar, fish sauce, aged cheese and tomatoes: this is how umami conquers the world of desserts
Umami was identified by Japanese chemist Ikeda Kikunae in 1908, when he discovered a taste in dashi soup made from kombu algae that didn't fit into what he had previously thought of as the basic tastes.
Chefs are also increasingly consciously incorporating it into their desserts: in the form of aged cheese, fish sauce, caviar, miso, or even tomatoes. The seven dishes below prove exactly this – umami is there alongside the sweet, and in most cases sour or salty ingredients also appear in one of the ingredients, and this is what makes them truly exciting plates.
101 BISTRO – Budapest
The Asian cuisine of 101 Bistro in Budapest, with its Taiwanese roots, is no stranger to those who like a dish that goes beyond the usual flavor combinations. Among the desserts, the Amazake ice cream is a perfect example of how sweet and umami can come together: the natural, enzymatic sweetness of amazake, made from fermented rice, is transformed into a creamy ice cream, and the wild mushroom powder sprinkled on top introduces an earthy, distinctly umami character into the glass. The combination of the two makes the dish feel both light sweetness and deep, mushroom umami bomb.
CODA – Berlin
The specialty of CODA in Berlin is that it specializes exclusively in desserts, yet it regularly blurs the lines between the basic flavors – and no refined sugar is used at all. René Frank’s BBQ Apple is one of the boldest examples of this principle: the tart sweetness of grilled, caramelized apples is combined with crispy chicken skin, whose umami and saltiness from the Maillard reaction elevate the dessert to a main course, while fried shallots add a spicy-sour layer. The smell of smoke in the room almost becomes part of the food, making it hard to believe that you are in a dessert restaurant.
Esme – Chicago
At Chicago's Esme, dinner is more than just a meal, it's a performance: Chef Jenner Tomaska serves each course on a plate created by a local artist. The Mother of Pearl dessert is perhaps the most complete four-flavor composition on our list: sweet potato ice cream and white chocolate provide the sweet layer, celery hot sauce represents the sour-spicy side, and peanut miso and osetra caviar bring salt and a double dose of umami to the plate. The four flavors literally come together in one spoon, and that's what makes the dish unforgettable.
The Ancient Evenings – Lesina, Puglia
Overlooking the lagoon of the Gargano coast, Le Antiche Sere is primarily known for its local fish dishes, but the Rigatoni al pomodoro on the dessert menu has a little surprise for every guest. At first glance, it looks like a classic pasta with tomato sauce, but in fact almost all of its ingredients are deceiving: the rigatoni is cooked in sugar water before being baked, the "tomato sauce" is tomato jam, and the "grated cheese" sprinkled on the pasta is white chocolate, imitating the traditional, hard cacioricotta. The only real element is the basil sprinkled on top, but it is fried until crispy, so that it acts more as a decoration than as a herb. Tomatoes are one of the best-known natural sources of umami in cuisine, so the sweet-and-sour character of the jam is offset by a distinctive, deep umami undertone, which is counterbalanced by the creamy sweetness of the white chocolate.
Restaurant Lucie – Toronto
Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, Restaurant Lucie offers a contemporary take on classic French cuisine, and that’s reflected in its dessert offerings. The dish, called La Banane, starts with green bananas, paired with Valrhona Opalys white chocolate and vanilla—the definitive sweet layer of the dish. The twist is the Baeri caviar that comes on top, its salty, sea-flavored umami so unexpected against the sweetness of the banana and white chocolate that you have to taste it again and again to make sure you like what you’re tasting.
