Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <substitutions><flavor><vegetarian>
Title: What is a good vegetarian source of umami flavour?
Question: I'm looking for a source of the umami flavour to add to various dishes. However, since I became vegetarian I can't think of a good source for the flavour.  I used to use Worcestershire sauce, or Nam Pla (fish sauce). I can't think of a vegetarian source of the flavour in the same vein though.   I've tried soy sauce, and it does work, but it imparts too much saltiness to the dish.

Answers:
sents: text: The Umami information Center has a list of Umami-rich foods along with natural concentrations of glutamate.
text: I've copied some of their list below (included some meats for comparison)
text: in case the link disappears (concentration number is mg glutamate/100g food).
text: There's also some information at the above link about how to prepare the foods to maximize the umami taste.
text: Food/Concentration: Beef/107
text: Tuna/188 Nori/1378 (not a typo) Tomatoes/246
text: (the riper the better) Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms/71 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms/150 Enoki Mushrooms/22 Soy
text: Beans/66 Potatoes/102 Sweet Potatoes/60
text: Chinese
text: Cabbage/100
text: Carrots/33
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4414/timmyp
score: 18
sents: text: You don't specify that you're looking for a natural source, so consider that Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is basically nothing but a concentrated dose of umami (which is defined by a relatively high level of L-Glutamates).
text: It's not too difficult to find, especially if there's a bulk food store near you.
text: You can also find it marketed as Accent seasoning
text: (MSG is the predominant ingredient).
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/41/Aaronut
score: 15
sents: text: The suggestions to use MSG, Marmite (any strong yeast extract) and Parmesan are all very good.
text: I tend to add MSG if food is just for me, as many people complain about it as an additive despite it's ubiquitousness in nature.
text: In certain dishes, just adding a small chunk of parmesan to the mixture works very well.
text: I sometimes use "Mushroom Ketchup" for this purpose, as that is quite a powerful savoury enhancer.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/3432/Orbling
score: 13
sents: text: I use dried shitake mushrooms to make a dashi and it works really well, miso also will help impart those flavors.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1675/Manako
score: 6
sents: text: parmesan cheese is, i believe, the highest concentration of umami in the food world.
text: marmite may be the second highest.
text: using Glutamate powder (MSG) seems easy, too.
text: not sure how high they rate, but liquid aminos have naturally-occurring glutamates, too, and you can generally find a bottle of that in any health food store or health food section with supplements.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/1415/franko
score: 4
sents: text: I often use dried forrest mushrooms for this purpose.
text: I soak them and then use both the mushrooms and the soaking liquid.
text: Other good vegan umami sources are nutritional yeast flakes and tomato paste.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/8091/Olga
score: 3
sents: text: Nutritional yeast is a family favorite.
text: Also, porcini/shiitake mushrooms are excellent.
text: Use the one most appropriate to the dish.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/8339/Matthew
score: 1
sents: text: I've made a great savory salad dressing with tahini, tamari or soy sauce, and some olive oil.
text: Mix ratios to your optimal consistency.
text: The addition of tahini and olive oil helps cut down on the raw saltiness of the tamari/soy.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/22979/tM --
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
The Umami information Center  has a list of Umami-rich foods along with natural concentrations of glutamate. MSG, Marmite, parmesan, nutritional yeast andmushrooms in different forms are good choices.
You can use mushrooms, MSG, parmesan or marmite.