FOOD NEWS
Why Mario Carbone Wants You To Think About Anchovies In A Different Light
By Haldan Kirsch
Although a lot of people seem to hate anchovies, those briny little fish are a pantry staple for many celebrity chefs, including Mario Carbone, who sees them as one of the most underrated ingredients to transform a dish. If you've never eaten anchovies, or had them once and never tried them again, now might be the perfect time to get on the anchovy bandwagon.
According to Mario Carbone, anchovies can tap into the magical fifth taste known as "umami," the taste buds for which were discovered in 2002. The flavor is most easily described as savory, but specifically, umami is a more poetic name for the taste of glutamate.
Carbone says anchovies contain glutamate and can easily be added to a dish to incorporate those complex notes of savory umami. Anchovies work as an umami booster in the Japanese broth known as dashi, and can easily be added to a tomato sauce or pasta recipe as well.