【Reading】かんみ

【English Name】Sweetness

Amami (sweetness) is one of the five basic tastes and an indispensable element in discussing the flavor of sushi. Sugar and the sugars of fruit are representative, but in sushi toppings, the natural sweetness from amino acids and polysaccharides plays an important role.

For example, the sweetness of amaebi (northern shrimp) is said to be mainly due to glycine, a kind of amino acid. Similarly, glycine-derived sweetness has been confirmed in the scarlet gamba prawn (namikudahige-ebi) and the spoon worm (yumushi). On the other hand, the adductor muscle of the scallop derives its sweetness from glycogen, a polysaccharide.

It is also interesting that the perception of sweetness is influenced by temperature. Fructose is said to be the sweetest among natural sugars, with a sweetness about 1.73 times that of sucrose, but above 40°C its sweetness drops to about 60% that of sucrose. In other words, sushi toppings and fruit served cold tend to taste sweeter than warm dishes.

In the world of sushi, in addition to the inherent sweetness of the toppings themselves, the sweetness from the sugar in the vinegared rice (shari) also forms the backbone of the flavor. Sweetness, by harmonizing with sourness and saltiness, gives rise to the balanced flavor characteristic of sushi.