Is MSG an evil condiment in our modern kitchen?

Before you shout out “yes yes yes yes!” I’d like to provide you some prospective.

This thought first came to me as MSG is commonly used in household throughout Southeast Asia, including Cambodia. In recent years, MSG has been gaining popularity in the Middle East and Africa as well.  Despite the many criticisms and controversy surrounding MSG what makes this condiment so popular worldwide, especially among Developing countries? 

To see the other side of MSG, I think we need to go back a bit in history.  MSG, or commonly known in Southeast Asia as Ajinomoto (it’s the name of the company, same as how tissues are referred to as Kleenex)  was first created in the early Twentieth Century and was intended to recreate the traditional Japanese taste of umami. Umami literally means savory flavor and it could refer to a number of different tastes (and also where the chain Umami Burger gets its name). Essentially, it's that faint good aftertaste that remains after the food has dissolved in your mouth. Think of it like the "secret ingredient" grandma put into the spaghetti sauce that makes a world of a difference. So in short, it's makes food much more rich and complex.

The condiment revolutionized Japanese kitchens postwar. Food was scarce back in the day and the little amount of food that sold was poor in taste. Hence MSG instantly added flavor to bland tasting food. It especially revolutionized miso soup. In post war, miso and dried fish broth, both main ingredients in making soup were very scarce and expensive. By adding small amounts of MSG, it boosted the flavor and also gave it that faint smell of grilled fish which gave the aroma equivalent of the fish broth. Hence MSG was an inexpensive condiment that helped enhanced the taste in many foods. 

MSG is used to the same effect in Developing countries today: as taste boosters. Take Cambodia for example. Although Cambodia has an abundance of food, and a rich cuisine culture, the quality of food is still primitive. I especially noticed that the quality of meat in Cambodia is of very low standards. Many of the animals are very lean so the meat is very bony. The meat is flavorless and the texture is coarse. Hence MSG is used as an aroma and taste booster.

What will mango be without MSG chili salt??

Trust me, this stuff is delicious

MSG also helps family save on food money. I read an article about the spread of MSG in Egypt. One of the families interviewed said that they were grateful of MSG because it is a cheap alternative to buying expensive meat to use as broth. Instead they can allocate that money to buy more nutritious vegetables and make more portions of food for their large families. I think this was the key point of MSG in developing countries.

Critics argue that utilizing MSG will be a health hazard in the long run. But is it really? Sure, consuming them in copious amount is certainly not good but that goes the same for all foods such as salt, sugar, and oil. My grandmothers must’ve eaten MSG every day for half a century and they both died at age 91. Both were very healthy with minor health problems until the day they died. In fact, many seniors in Japan continue to use MSG in their foods yet they are still the longest living people on Earth. So I just can’t buy into the rhetoric/propaganda that MSG causes serious harm to the human body.

On another note, what I hate about Western critics is that they argue how MSG in Chinese food is unhealthy yet ironically Western food is a proponent culprit of obesity causing foods including  burgers, pizza, and fried chicken. I think their views are conciliatory and ironic. Honestly, I’d prefer to eat a good vegetable dumpling soup with a little bit of MSG rather than a serving of fried chicken that was fried in natural oil.

With that said, I'm no endorser of MSG. I personally don't like the tingling aftertaste so I choose not to use it when I cook. And to critics, I say that they should not use it in their food as well if they have such an aversion towards it. After all, we who live in developed countries have the luxury to use other condiments and food sources to recreate the umami taste without having to have to use MSG. Take the miso soup for example. In modern Japan today, miso paste is sold everywhere and fish broth is in abundance in fine quality so there is no need to use MSG. However, in developing nations, they do not have this option. Food resource is limited and expensive. Moreover the quality and the taste is mediocre. So why not use MSG? I can't see the downside of it. Rather, it makes food taste better in an inexpensive and easy manner.

Do you think I’m overpraising MSG too much? Maybe so. But in the end, I neither criticize or endorse this unique condiment. I just want critics to see the other side of things and how much of an impact it has brought in terms of global food culture.  After all, what do you think the key ingredient is in our beloved instant noodles? ;) And seriously, who can hate a hot serving of instant noodles when it's snowing outside and you don't want to go outside to grab groceries?