Kumayambiriro kwa zaka za m’ma 20, Kikunae Ikeda ankaganizira kwambiri za supu. Katswiri wina wa zamankhwala wa ku Japan anaphunzira za msuzi wa m’nyanja zamchere ndi zouma zotchedwa dashi. Dashi ali ndi kukoma kwapadera kwambiri. Ikeda anayesa kulekanitsa mamolekyu omwe anali kaamba ka kukoma kwake kosiyana. Iye ankakhulupirira kuti pali kugwirizana kwina pakati pa mmene molekyuyo imapangidwira ndi mmene imakhudzira munthu. Pambuyo pake, Ikeda anatha kupatula molekyu wofunika kwambiri wa dashi, glutamic acid. Mu 1909, Ikeda adanena kuti zokometsera zomwe zimayambitsidwa ndi glutamate ziyenera kukhala chimodzi mwazokonda zoyambirira. Anachitcha "umami", kutanthauza "chokoma" mu Japanese.
Koma kwa nthawi yayitali, zomwe adapeza sizinadziwike. Choyamba, ntchito ya Ikeda inakhalabe m’Chijapanizi mpaka pamene inamasuliridwa m’Chingelezi mu 2002. Chachiwiri, kukoma kwa umami n’kovuta kulekana ndi ena. Sizimakhala zolemera komanso zomveka pongowonjezera glutamate, monga momwe zimakhalira ndi zokometsera zokoma, komwe mungathe kuwonjezera shuga ndikulawadi kukoma kwake. “Izi ndi zokonda zosiyana kotheratu. Ngati zokometsera zimenezi zingayerekezedwe ndi mtundu, ndiye kuti umami ukanakhala wachikasu ndipo wotsekemera ukanakhala wofiira,” anatero Ikeda m’nkhani yake. Umami ali ndi kukoma kokoma pang'ono koma kosalekeza kogwirizana ndi malovu. Umami pawokha sakoma, koma umapangitsa zakudya zosiyanasiyana kukhala zosangalatsa.
Zaka zoposa zana zapita. Asayansi padziko lonse lapansi tsopano akuzindikira kuti umami ndi weniweni komanso wofunikira monga momwe ena amakondera. Anthu ena amanena kuti mwina umami ndi mtundu chabe wa mchere. Koma ngati muyang’anitsitsa minyewa imene imatumiza mauthenga kuchokera m’kamwa mwanu kupita ku ubongo wanu, mungaone kuti umami ndi zokometsera zamchere zimagwira ntchito m’njira zosiyanasiyana.
Zambiri mwa kuvomereza malingaliro a Ikeda zidabwera pafupifupi zaka 20 zapitazo. Pambuyo zolandilira enieni anapezeka kukoma masamba kuti kuyamwa amino zidulo. Magulu ambiri ofufuza anena zolandilira zomwe zimasinthidwa mwachindunji ku glutamate ndi mamolekyu ena a umami omwe amapanga mphamvu yolumikizana.
Mwanjira ina, sizodabwitsa kuti thupi lathu lasintha njira yodziwira kukhalapo kwa ma amino acid, chifukwa ndi ofunika kwambiri kuti tikhale ndi moyo. Mkaka wa munthu uli ndi milingo ya glutamate yomwe imakhala yofanana ndi msuzi wa dashi womwe Ikeda adaphunzira, kotero mwina timadziwa kukoma kwake.
Nayenso Ikeda, anapeza munthu wopanga zokometsera zakudya ndipo anayamba kupanga mtundu wake wa zokometsera za umami. Inali monosodium glutamate, yomwe imapangidwabe mpaka pano.
Kodi pali zokometsera zina?
Nkhani yokhala ndi malingaliro ingakupangitseni kudabwa ngati pali zokometsera zina zomwe sitikuzidziwa? Ofufuza ena amakhulupirira kuti tikhoza kukhala ndi kukoma kwachisanu ndi chimodzi kokhudzana ndi mafuta. Pali anthu angapo abwino omwe amalandila mafuta pa lilime, ndipo zikuwonekeratu kuti thupi limakhudzidwa kwambiri ndi kukhalapo kwa mafuta muzakudya. Komabe, pamene mafuta ali okwera kwambiri moti tikhoza kulawa, sitikonda kwenikweni kukoma kwake.
Komabe, pali wina wotsutsana ndi mutu wa kukoma kwatsopano. Asayansi aku Japan adayambitsa lingaliro la "kokumi" kudziko lapansi. "Kokumi amatanthauza kukoma komwe sikungasonyezedwe ndi zokonda zisanu zoyambirira, komanso kumaphatikizapo zokonda zakutali za zokonda zazikulu monga makulidwe, kudzaza, kupitiriza, ndi mgwirizano," webusaiti ya Umami Information Center ikutero. Chifukwa cha mitundu itatu ya ma amino acid ogwirizana, kutengeka kwa kokumi kumawonjezera chisangalalo cha mitundu ina ya zakudya, zomwe zambiri zimakhala zopanda zotsekemera.
Harold McGee, wolemba zakudya, anali ndi mwayi woyesa zina za kokomi-inducing phwetekere msuzi ndi tchizi zokometsera mbatata chips pa 2008 Umami Summit ku San Francisco. Adafotokozanso zomwe zidachitikazo: "Zokometserazi zidawoneka ngati zokwezeka komanso zowoneka bwino, ngati kuti kuwongolera ma voliyumu ndi EQ zidayamba. Iwo ankawonekanso kuti mwanjira ina akumamatira pakamwa panga - ndinamva - ndipo anakhala nthawi yaitali asanazimiririke.