Umamification across cultures: Japanese culinary science adapted in Denmark and Brazil

This paper explores the cultural transfer of ‘umamification’—the process of enhancing and adapting food practices through the strategic use of umami and flavour principles—across three distinct cultural regions: East Asia (Japan), Northern Europe (Denmark), and South America (Brazil). Rooted in Japanese culinary science and traditions, umamification involves not only the use of umami-rich seasonings and condiments but also a sensorial and cultural understanding of taste. The paper also describes ways to convey knowledge about umamification to a wide range of audiences. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with chefs and producers, as well as a consumer study, the paper examines how umamification has been interpreted, adapted, and transformed in Denmark’s New Nordic Cuisine and within the Japanese diasporic community in Brazil. While Denmark reflects a scientific and avant-garde approach to incorporating umami into regional food identity, the Japanese community in Brazil illustrates a more hybridized and affective adaptation tied to memory and community resilience. Together, they illuminate the dual capacity of umamification to shape food futures and sustain food heritage. The paper highlights how umamification travels, adapts, and takes on new meanings depending on socio-cultural and historical contexts. • The concept of umamification was studied across three different cultural regions: East Asia (Japan), Northern Europe (Denmark), and South America (Brazil). • Umami-rich seasonings and condiments enter cross-cultural flavour transfer. • Umamification was studied in culinary professional and educational settings as well public outreach environments.