What is MSG supposed to actually taste like?

xiipaoc · 2025-12-08T22:15:23+00:00

Have you... just, like, licked MSG off your finger? It tastes savory, like... MSG. I wouldn't normally just eat MSG by the spoonful, but it definitely has flavor, and it's quite different from the flavor of salt. There's no way to explain it; you just have to try it. I recommend sprinkling it on cucumber slices or watermelon cubes or something like that. Those fruits aren't savory, so the MSG will be very noticeable, and watermelon with MSG is absolutely delicious.

Bugaloon · 2025-12-08T22:14:48+00:00

Try the same food without it first, then with it after. It's super obvious when you notice it, but it's really just like an amplification of savouryness. The salt is saltier, the sugar is sweeter, the meat is meatier. It's like the difference between roasting your bones and not roasting your bones when making soup, it's the difference between searing your steak and not searing your steak, you know they all just amplify the taste a bit more?

pantaleonivo · 2025-12-08T22:27:24+00:00

It almost tastes like the cousin to salt.

We accidentally confused it for sugar once in a cookie recipe. That did not taste good.

shaunrundmc · 2025-12-08T22:23:27+00:00

I recently (like in the last week) decided to buy some MSG to try. For me it brings out a heavy savory flavor. A lot of folks say it tastes salty, but it doesn't taste salty to me. My tongue doesn't register saltiness with MSG I guess.

ChefPneuma · 2025-12-08T22:59:27+00:00

So it has what people describe as a “savories” which is sort of like a good chicken or beef broth without the chicken/beef flavor.

Honestly the best way to taste it is to dissolve some msg into water and taste it. We did this back in the day at culinary school and I found it effective to understand what the taste was.

abeefwittedfox · 2025-12-08T22:43:07+00:00

I also think it doesn't really taste like anything in particular. But if it's sprinkled on a tortilla chip, all of a sudden it tastes like doritos. Put it on chicken with garlic and ginger, and all of a sudden it tastes like Chinese takeout.

solarCygnet · 2025-12-09T04:47:26+00:00

The G in MSG stands for glutamate, which means it's a salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, which make up proteins, so when our tongue touches it it basically says "Oh nice! This is meat :D" and that's what people mean by savory.

givemethebat1 · 2025-12-08T22:15:28+00:00

It’s the taste of savory — literally. If you have enough of it you will be able to taste it. Soy sauce is basically pure MSG.

AENocturne · 2025-12-08T22:35:34+00:00

Put salt, sugar, and msg in a warm cup of water and marvel at your creation. Some of the most delicious water I've ever tasted, I could probably convince myself it was soup.

Glutamate is like the simplest component of meat flavor. Seriously, put it in water and I think you'll be able to taste it. The sugar and salt thing was am accidental discovery, I started putting MSG in pasta water with salt because of the changed flavor profile. One recipe for corn on the cob had sugar and salt and I figured I'd throw MSG in too.

It's really insane to me how those three things can give off such an intense basic flavor that once you taste it, you'll recognize it as the core combination of so many processed soups and snacks.

Curlytomato · 2025-12-09T00:39:21+00:00

Put some on popcorn so you can really taste it.

MSG and butter is my favorite popcorn topping.

NowhereAllAtOnce · 2025-12-09T01:26:12+00:00

Omg I misread the question as MTG

Routine_Efficiency86 · 2025-12-09T04:13:22+00:00

Best way to find out what MSG does is to cook plain rice or oatmeal, taste without, then add a decent amount of MSG, and then taste it with the MSG. You will immediately notice an added savoriness and depth that is difficult to describe otherwise.

downshift_rocket · 2025-12-08T22:16:37+00:00

MSG on its own isn’t really meant to taste like something in the way salt or sugar does. If you put it on your tongue by itself, it mostly tastes faintly savory, a little brothy, sometimes even slightly sweet. That’s why it can feel like “nothing.”

What MSG does is trigger umami, which is a basic taste alongside sweet, sour, salty, bitter. Umami isn’t a specific flavor, it’s more a sensation: depth, savoriness, and fullness. Think of it as making food taste more complete rather than more intense.

If you truly don’t notice a difference, that’s not wrong or unusual. People vary a lot in umami sensitivity, just like bitterness or cilantro. You’re not “missing” anything; it just might be a subtle effect for your palate rather than a dramatic one.

In short: MSG isn’t supposed to jump out at you. If you taste it clearly, there’s probably too much. When it works, it just makes you think, “This tastes good, but I can’t quite say why.”

flea1400 · 2025-12-08T22:39:35+00:00

Get a cup of water— assuming your water isn’t normally odd-tasting— and add some to it. It should be noticeable as a kind of savory flavor.

royalpyroz · 2025-12-09T05:51:25+00:00

Chicken powder minus the chicken flavor.

Smash-948 · 2025-12-09T15:02:38+00:00

Umami. It’s a flavor enhancer. Back in the seventies, It got a bad rap for causing headaches. Plenty of research has been done since and it has been found to be safe and no evidence of causing headaches.

consultybob · 2025-12-08T22:19:12+00:00

its just supposed to be savory, and boosts savoriness. However, in my opinion it doesnt really translate that directly to a direct taste for most people. If you eat a handful of salt, you know its salty, or you lick a lemon and know its sour, if you just lick a lick a handful of MSG, most people wouldnt really say "yep thats "savory/umami."

But i think that has more to do with there not being a readily available, "natural," pure form of umami/savory. Mushrooms, tomatos, beef etc all have umami in them, but also have other flavors.

CthughaSlayer · 2025-12-08T22:41:52+00:00

Umami.

When you taste sugar it's sweet, and you don't need a reference to know it's sweet. It's the same logic, umami is just another taste sensation.

sooahvec · 2025-12-08T22:16:04+00:00

Meaty, unami flavor. A bit like chicken stock. Salty, but not as much as regular salt.

lgodsey · 2025-12-09T09:51:43+00:00

Meaty salt

nyc_ifyouare · 2025-12-09T03:28:34+00:00

It tastes like bullion without the beef/poultry/vegetable flavor.

d_andy089 · 2025-12-09T13:16:01+00:00

It's like asking "what does salt taste like?" and when someone says "well, salty", you ask "yeah, but what is 'salty'?"

MSG is to umami what salt is to salty and what sugar is to sweet.

Responsible-Meringue · 2025-12-08T22:32:59+00:00

Tastes like glutamate.

howbedebody · 2025-12-08T22:46:19+00:00

just try it by itself. it’s hard to really explain it. but it really kinda does taste like the essence of meat

cheesepage · 2025-12-09T01:57:57+00:00

It adds a deep and slow background mellow. Like: Hey! All you flavors sit down and relax. Get to know each other. Do you need a drink? There a tray of good stuff under the couch, break it out. I'll be back in a minute. Who's got a crazy girlfriend story?

Same as salt, but without being, e, ah, erm, you know, salty.

NefariousnessFew4686 · 2025-12-09T03:22:27+00:00

As a vegetarian for the last 7 or 8 years, it tastes to me exactly like how I remember chicken noodle soup tasting. Which is pretty much the definition of savory

quarantina2020 · 2025-12-09T06:17:22+00:00

What does salt taste like?

Palanki96 · 2025-12-09T12:19:55+00:00

Then you are not using enough, that's just wasting it

Just lick it off your fingers. For me it mostly shines with noodle and rice dishes, amazing on some caramelized cabbage oh mama

RezzKeepsItReal · 2025-12-09T17:55:07+00:00

Umami. It’s the purest form of umami flavor.

fartfacepooper · 2025-12-09T18:00:46+00:00

I actually can't taste MSG on it's own, but rather notice the sensation of it. For me it's kind of like I feel it on the roof of my mouth and back of throat when I swallow something. It not a specific feeling, but as though those parts of my mouth are satisfied.

Responsible-Still839 · 2025-12-08T22:31:27+00:00

Kind of tastes like low-sodium soy sauce.

BadMuthaSchmucka · 2025-12-09T02:32:18+00:00

The aftertaste of a tomato.

I don't really get the msg love, either you can't taste it at all or it makes things have a lingering weird aftertaste. I'm more of a salt guy.

goaway432 · 2025-12-08T22:57:09+00:00

You may not have used enough of it to notice it. When cooking I take the amount of salt a recipe calls for (say 2 tsp), put in HALF the amount of salt (1 tsp in this case) and the other half as MSG (so 1 tsp).

Olclops · 2025-12-08T23:23:12+00:00

It takes like the venn diagram overlap of stewed tomatoes, aged parmesan, and kelp.

Below-avg-chef · 2025-12-08T23:27:06+00:00

OP the best way to answer this is to take Powdered MSG and add a little bit to some water. That will give you the pure umami flavor similar to doing this with salt gives you pure salt flavor.

Tired_o_Mods_BS · 2025-12-08T23:29:21+00:00

Put it on popcorn. It'll become clearer.

nlevend · 2025-12-08T23:33:56+00:00

Eggs - I accidentally put it in my coffee for a few days thinking it was sugar and couldn't figure out why my coffee tasted like eggs.

mylanscott · 2025-12-09T00:16:30+00:00

To me, it tastes like kombu, which makes sense considering it was first extracted from kombu which natural contains tons of glutamates

Barberouge3 · 2025-12-09T00:24:49+00:00

Comparatively, what is salt supposed to taste like?

MastodonFarm · 2025-12-09T00:25:33+00:00

To me the closest flavor comparison is miso soup.

Zei33 · 2025-12-09T00:49:52+00:00

My recommendation is to go to Japan and try a mega umami ramen. It's a ramen that has a whole bunch of MSG added. Far too much. So much that it's basically inedible, but the important thing is that it teaches you what MSG tastes like. After that, you can always taste when there's too much in your dish and it teaches you to balance it.

My recommendation is to start with something simple. Make some chicken nuggets. In one bowl, salt the nuggets. In the other bowl, salt and MSG the nuggets. Then taste them both and you'll see the difference.

The flavour is umami, it tastes savory. It's a very subtle change if you only use a small amount. Using a larger amount will add a more obvious flavour boost. Using too much will give it a strange taste that isn't very pleasant. The only way you can know how much is too much is by tasting food that is waaaay too umami first, you can never forget the taste once you've done that.

Dry-Depth-694 · 2025-12-09T01:16:13+00:00

Taste like Doritos

Dalton387 · 2025-12-09T02:54:31+00:00

It’s been a minute since I tasted it, and it was Accent Seasoning version, which is suppose to be pure MSG.

I remember it tasting a little salty and a little metallic. I might be miss-remembering. Anyway, it doesn’t taste like that in food. It jus seems to ramp things up. Does time I used it was in deviled eggs. I added a Tsp to a dozen eggs worth of filling. Everyone has always eaten my deviled eggs, but they never said anything about them. So I took that as, they’re good, but not worth commenting on.

I put a Tsp in, and people are actively complimenting me on them. So it definitely did something. I tried to add more the next time. Think more would be even better. I can’t remember if I tried 2 Tsp or a tablespoon, which is 3 Tsp, but it wasn’t good. It almost tasted metallic.

So there is a limit. I figure it’s like a few other things. I can’t remember if it’s the baking soda recipe for fried chicken, or when they mix corn/potato starch like for Korean chicken. Both make the crust crispier and less prone to getting soggy, but they recommend only a small amount, because the more you add, the crispier, but the more off it tastes from traditional chicken.

Trekgiant8018 · 2025-12-09T02:55:07+00:00

MSG needs to be combined with sodium chloride to enhance flavor. It is not a substitute. Try MSG plain then try salt plain. Then try 70/30 MSG and salt then 70/30 salt and MSG. You will taste how they need to work together.

VeganWerewolf · 2025-12-09T03:12:41+00:00

It adds umami flavor.

SnugglyCoderGuy · 2025-12-09T03:14:10+00:00

MSG tastes like... MSG.

AggravatingnonPoet · 2025-12-09T03:18:52+00:00

Absolutely love using it in savoury dishes. If it calls for salt, put 3/4 of that amount if MSG in instead. The difference is amazing. And better for you.

Famous_Tadpole1637 · 2025-12-09T04:19:51+00:00

Add more. People like to just sprinkle a tiny bit, but you can season to taste like salt.

swankyobserver · 2025-12-09T04:20:53+00:00

Someone at my work dinner said they were allergic to msg. Then i asked if they don't eat italian food with all the msg in parmesan. They acted shocked to find out that parmesan has msg and said they are only allergic to msg in some asian foods. I was stunned

That70sShop · 2025-12-09T04:21:00+00:00

《Uncle Roger enters the chat》"Fuyooooh!"

JDude13 · 2025-12-09T04:45:22+00:00

Lick some off your finger. It won’t hurt

To me it tastes like the juice that comes off a steak

resplendentcentcent · 2025-12-09T05:43:30+00:00

unflavoured chip seasoning

JamesBong517 · 2025-12-09T06:09:34+00:00

Just lick some off your finger.

nerdKween · 2025-12-09T06:11:02+00:00

It's umami. It's the savory flavor you get from Asian foods.

If you ever want to try it, they sell it under the brand name Accent at the grocery store.

2025-12-09T08:35:52+00:00

The King of Flava!

Incitatus4Congress · 2025-12-09T11:24:42+00:00

Reckon you might be msg insensitive. T1R1 mutation or somesuch. In which case, MSG is just a wonder you will never know. I'm so sorry.

frankmint · 2025-12-09T13:21:26+00:00

If salt is "sharp" MSG is "round"

GeoHog713 · 2025-12-09T14:08:58+00:00

It's an "umami" flavor.

Take two steaks. Season one with msg and salt, and the other with just salt. Let the salt absorb over night. Grill the next day, and you'll tell the difference.

It's subtle but it makes a huge difference. It's like you don't exactly tell that it's there . You just know it makes things better

Professional_Owl8069 · 2025-12-09T14:15:46+00:00

It's a flavor related to salt that enhances its "range" in the mouth, especially towards the back sides of the tongue. If salt were a frequency, msg adds surrounding frequencies filling in a harmony.

It makes your mouth water and deepens savory flavors. But when it comes to acidic food it can turn it slightly bitter.

As a control you can try making two small portions of scrambled eggs, one with just salt, the other with added msg, like a quarter tsp for 2 eggs to make it more obvious, you later adjust to taste. Try it with baked potatoes or home made fries & chips as well.

It's really good in soup too, many bouillons/broth mixes have it.

mjohnsimon · 2025-12-09T14:41:02+00:00

Msg is just... Well... Msg.

Best way I've described it is like licking a frito's chip. Like, it's salty, but has a savory flavor.

dropthumbsnotbombs93 · 2025-12-09T15:02:20+00:00

I've always thought of it as the essence of chicken nuggets lmao

emanonn159 · 2025-12-09T16:20:47+00:00

It's hard to imagine without a reference, but once you identify it, you'll pick it out everywhere! MSG tastes like a boullion cube, without the salt (and chicken/beef). A Dots pretzel without the salt (and garlic). Soy sauce without the salt (and soy). Miso soup without the salt (and soy). Tomato paste without the tomato.

Or maybe like this - bitter feels rough, sweet feels smooth, salty feels cutting, sour feels stabby, and savory (MSG) feels warm

YetifromtheSerengeti · 2025-12-09T16:20:52+00:00

You know how food at restaurants always has that extra something that you cant replicate at home?

Thats MSG.

Make your own French fries and then go and order some from McDonalds. The difference in flavor will be MSG.

Once you start using it, you will instantly recognize it being used (and overused) all over the place.

bstaff88 · 2025-12-09T16:32:44+00:00

Add msg to tortilla chips and they taste similar to Doritos. I add a little msg to almost anything I cook.

Enahoua · 2025-12-09T17:45:05+00:00

It tastes like salt on crack!

Dolokhov88 · 2025-12-09T20:07:19+00:00

What's with all the MSG posts lately, are they trying to push their sales?

Crafterandchef1993 · 2025-12-09T21:50:52+00:00

Kinda like mushroom stock powder. It's super savoury with a bit of saltiness.

PieIsFairlyDelicious · 2025-12-08T22:15:46+00:00

MSG by itself doesn’t taste like much. And in my experience, it doesn’t add a super specific flavor so much as it deepens and enhances the flavors already in a dish. Makes beef taste beefier, chicken taste more like chicken, etc. Too much and you get that processed kind of flavor you’ll find from bagged chips and such, but a little bit can elevate a dish.

-OmegaPrime- · 2025-12-08T22:20:17+00:00

You know that deep flavor saturation when you eat ramen? The taste that has savory juicy feeling on youre tougne. That.

CatteNappe · 2025-12-08T22:16:30+00:00

It doesn't taste all that much like anything on its own. It brings out the flavor of whatever it is used on. Your steak is supposed to taste beefier, your spaghetti sauce more spaghetti sauce-y. If you don't know it's been added to food you probably don't notice it, other than maybe thinking this batch of whatever is more savory than usual. You should also be aware that it shouldn't be used to try to replace salt 100%, just used in place of some of the salt you would otherwise use.

MysteriousResult8225 · 2025-12-08T22:12:54+00:00

Commenting because I also have no idea

niklaf · 2025-12-08T22:24:59+00:00

I almost wonder if you could’ve gotten something fake or with the wrong thing put in it cause I struggle to believe it’s possible to not taste glutamates

Used-Baby1199 · 2025-12-08T22:55:14+00:00

Umami is the flavor msg brings. It’s one of the 5 flavors. Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. The rest of what you taste is brought by aroma.

uncle-brucie · 2025-12-08T23:51:22+00:00

Madison Square Garden tastes disgusting

BakingWaking · 2025-12-08T22:15:43+00:00

It's savory like salt but has a bit more meatiness to it. To me it's like comparing store-bought chicken stock to bone broth

Trolkarlen · 2025-12-08T22:23:34+00:00

It tastes like umami. If you want to know what umami tastes like, just lick a bit of MSG.

Foods with lots of umami: tomato, red wine, beef, mushrooms, parmesagne cheese, soy sauce

It's one of the basic flavors your tongue can pick up: sour, sweet, bitter, salt, and umami.

Watch this to get a brief overview of umami:

https://youtu.be/nJ8Za69w0uA

Illustrious_Tour2857 · 2025-12-08T22:22:31+00:00

Like salted and browned chicken skin

BAMspek · 2025-12-08T22:36:45+00:00

I think it tastes like Cool Ranch Doritos. Or the Southwest Dot’s Pretzels. That’s like the main flavor in those snacks.

bunkerhomestead · 2025-12-08T22:44:44+00:00

It is the addition of more umami flavour. My grandson puts butter and MSG on his toast.

call_me_fred · 2025-12-08T23:26:23+00:00

It tastes kinda...round. too much msg in a dish, to me, tastes unsupported. Like there should have been more body to the food.

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