On umami in diaspora, from chicken salt to bay leaves.

Dr Johnny Drain explains how garum is the root of many of our umami based sauces. Author and cook Kate Young prepares a classic Australian English mince on toast, with essential MSG. Chef Dara Klein reflects on how she's learned to find home everywhere, via the kitchen. Noby Leong considers adaptation and evolution in his family cooking.

Plus chefs SongSoo Kim and Tim Anderson on some of the gastronomic and linguistic nuances of umami.

In To Be Delicious, Dr Anna Sulan Masing explores MSG - and more broadly umami - through the lens of East and South East Asian food heritage and diaspora food culture in the UK. From fritters to instant ramen, fermentation to takeaways, these five episodes open out the conversation around MSG and find a breadth of new ways for us to think about its usage within cooking, and its importance within cultural heritage.

Credits:

Hosted by @annasulan

Produced by @dearlovelucy & @annasulan

Original theme music by @midorijaeger

Podcast artwork by @npl_illustration

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

The series is completely editorially independent and was made possible, along with Anna's wider research, by support from the European Committee for Umami and Ajinomoto.

Anna's book, Chinese and Any Other Asian: Exploring East and South East Asian Identity in Britain is out now! Order here.