Worlds of Flavor 2025: The Ancient Roots of Umami

Why It Matters

Reviving ancient fermentation like garum gives chefs a sustainable umami source, differentiating menus and inspiring low‑waste product development across the food industry.

Key Takeaways

• Ancient garum predates modern soy sauce, showcasing universal umami
• Chefs revive waste‑to‑wealth fish sauces through traditional fermentation
• Foraged mushrooms and spruce tips replace fish enzymes in garum
• Ancient recipes used garum like salt, enhancing flavor universally throughout
• Modern chefs blend garum with low‑sodium soy for nuanced umami profiles

Summary

The video opens the Worlds of Flavor 2025 session by introducing two chefs—Nathaniel Malone, a corporate executive chef, and Jordan, a London‑based culinary writer—who will explore the ancient origins of umami. Their focus is the Roman fish sauce garum, a fermented product that dates back to at least 500 BCE and served as a universal seasoning much like modern salt.

Malone traces garum’s evolution from Greek by‑product fermentations to massive Roman factories, noting its biochemical similarity to Asian soy sauce: enzymes in fish guts or soy break down proteins into glutamate, delivering the fifth taste. He demonstrates a 90‑day fermentation using mackerel guts, salt, lovage, and foraged mushrooms and spruce tips, creating a vegetarian‑friendly garum variant. The chef also highlights the role of low‑sodium tamari to fine‑tune salinity and funk.

A vivid moment comes when Malone gut‑cuts a fresh mackerel onstage, explaining the “waste‑to‑wealth” principle that turned off‑cuts into prized umami boosters. He cites ancient texts where garum appears in virtually every recipe, underscoring its historical ubiquity. The live cooking—grilling the marinated fish, tossing a herb salad, and finishing with ramp‑infused oil—illustrates how ancient techniques can be integrated into contemporary plating.

The demonstration signals a broader trend: chefs are reviving forgotten fermentation methods to create sustainable, flavor‑intense ingredients. By marrying historic garum with modern low‑sodium soy, culinary professionals can achieve nuanced umami while reducing waste, offering a competitive edge for restaurants and food manufacturers seeking authentic yet responsible taste innovations.

Original Description

The Culinary Institute of America’s Worlds of Flavor® International Conference and Festival is widely acknowledged as our country’s most influential professional forum on world cuisines, food cultures, and flavor trends. This video from our 27th anniversary of Worlds of Flavor—Roots of Culture, Seas of Discovery: Mediterranean Culinary Tradition, Exchange and Invention in the 21st Century.

Find more information at: https://www.worldsofflavor.com

Seminar 1: The Ancient Roots of Umami

Long before umami was named the “fifth taste,” ancient cultures across the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Asia were already exploring its savory essence through fermented condiments like Roman garum, Arab murri, and East Asian fish sauces and soy sauce. These culinary innovations, though developed independently, reveal a shared human instinct to deepen flavor and preserve food through fermentation. The demos will trace how ideas, ingredients, and techniques flow across borders, shaping the umami-rich traditions that continue to influence Mediterranean-inspired cuisine today, showcasing how tradition and innovation make their way onto today’s menus.

• Andrew Hunter ’88 (Corporate Chef, Kikkoman Sales USA; Los Angeles, CA)

• Nathaniel Malone (Corporate Executive Chef, Creative Dining Services; Indianapolis, IN)

• Jordon Ezra King (Recipe Developer and Writer; London, UK)

Sponsored by Kikkoman Sales USA

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Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees with majors in Baking and Pastry Arts, Culinary Arts, Culinary Science, Culinary Therapeutics, Food Business, Food Studies and Sustainability, Hospitality Management, and Wine and Beverage Management. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of more than 55,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.