In Defense of MSG 味精论

Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, gets a bad rap. Most people who haven't lived in Asia don't realize how wonderfully useful this food additive is, or how ubiquitous it is, even in the US.

So what is MSG? Without getting scientific, it's a white crystal flavor enhancer that looks a lot like big grains of salt. I understand it's made from fermenting beets or cane sugar molasses. You ordinarily won't see it in your food, except in some cases where the cook sprinkles a lot on at the very end of preparation, in which case you'll see a little layer of it on the top of your dish. This is something I've only see happen in China, never in Chinese restaurants at home.

In Chinese, the word for MSG is 味精 wei4jing1, or "essence of flavor." As far as I know, MSG does not have a flavor of its own; rather, it does amazing things for the existing flavors in a dish - makes them "jump out and dance on your tongue," as one friend put it. Apparently the particular combination of chemicals in MSG excites our taste receptors, making the flavors in our mouth come alive.

MSG and gluatamates are responsible for our enjoyment of savoriness, or umami. It makes me feel old to say a new taste has been invented since I was in school, but it's true. In biology class, I learned there are four tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. But at some point we in the West became aware of the flavor that Japanese call "umami," which is the savory and "full" mouth sensation associated with things like ripe tomatoes and veal with onions.

When you make a dish without MSG or another form of "free glutamates", it's pretty hard to replicate umami. What's the difference between dull, limp spinach sauteed in a oil and garlic at home and delicious but simple greens served at a Chinese restaurant? MSG. If the Chinese food you're eating in the States tastes bland, check the menu. I bet it proudly states "No MSG!"

But what about the evils of MSG, from numbing on the back of the neck, to excessive blood pressure, to migraines? There are certainly some people with sensitivity to MSG, although the International Food Information Council has made clear that there is no such thing as a true MSG allergy. The thing is, the small number of people who are sensitive to MSG are sensitive to a lot more than Chinese food. Naturally-occurring or additive MSG and glutamates are found in almost all American fast food, flavored potato chips and other "junk food" type chips, canned soups & soup mixes, Parmesean cheese, cold-cuts, mushrooms, some veggie burgers, salad dressings, seaweed, fish extract, fresh tomatoes & tomato juice, some seasoned flours, sausage, etc... So the next time some health nut refuses to eat Chinese food because of the MSG but dashes off for a veggie burger and a protein shake with a seaweed booster, feel free to raise an eyebrow. Finally, glutamates are abundant in human breast milk, another thing that makes me doubt they are as dangerous to humans as many people say.