I think spirulina is umami too, it tastes yeasty and savory like nooch ....and I think it's harvested from algae/sea vegetables from Japan...interesting ...

When I was in culinary school, they described "Umami" as a "mouth sensation" vs a specific flavor....also, there are only 4 MAIN tastes commonly recognized: Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Sour.... Only recently has Umami been accepted into the Western world. And even more recently (not nearly as accepted/recognized....yet(?)) has "Fattiness" been dubbed the "Sixth" taste.

Here's some basic info I dug up...

from wikipedia:

"For a long period, it has been commonly accepted that there are a finite number of "basic tastes" by which all foods and tastes can be grouped. Just like with primary colors, these "basic tastes" only apply to the human perception, ie. the different sorts of tastes our tongue can identify. Up until the 2000s, this was considered to be a group of four basic tastes. More recently, a fifth taste, Umami, has been proposed by a large number of authorities associated with this field."

"Umami
Main article: Umami

Umami (旨味, うまみ) is the name for the taste sensation produced by compounds such as glutamate, and are commonly found in fermented and aged foods. In English, it is also described as "meatiness", "relish", or "savoriness". The Japanese word comes from umai (旨い ?) for yummy, keen, or nice. Umami is now the commonly used term by taste scientists. The same taste is referred to as xiānwèi (鮮味 or 鲜味) in Chinese cooking. Umami is considered a fundamental taste in Chinese and Japanese cooking, but is not discussed as much in Western cuisine. ..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste

"The umami taste is due to the detection of the carboxylate anion of glutamic acid, a naturally occurring amino acid common in meats, cheese, broth, stock, and other protein-heavy foods. Salts of the glutamic acid, known as glutamates, easily hydrolyze and give the same taste. For this reason they are used as flavor enhancers. The most commonly used of these is monosodium glutamate (MSG). While the umami taste is due to glutamates, 5'-ribonucleotides such as guanosine monophosphate (GMP) and inosine monophosphate (IMP) greatly enhance its perceived intensity. Since these ribonucleotides are also acids, their salts are sometimes added together with glutamates to obtain a synergisitic flavor enhancement effect."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami

"Since the early 1980’s, Western cuisine has used bouillon to add savory, meat-like flavors. Bouillon is similar to dashi broth because of glutamate. Other foods that naturally contain glutamate include dried mushrooms, aged cheese, cured ham, sun-dried tomatoes, peas, sardines, and anchovies. Tomatoes and aged cheeses tend to provide a rounder, fuller flavor when combined with other foods."
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http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:W8A3MjVBNwQJ:www.rrc.ksu.edu/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx%3FDocumentID%3D2253+japanese+flavor+principles+umami&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Thanks hanashi!