The Pros and Cons of Using MSG in Your Cooking Monosodium glutamate (MSG) has long been a polarizing ingredient in cooking, eliciting strong reactions from chefs and home cooks alike.
Some hail it as a flavor enhancer, essential for unlocking the full depth of umami taste in dishes. Others revile it as a culinary abomination, responsible for everything from headaches to health problems.
Understanding Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): A Closer Look at its History and Development The story of MSG begins in 1907, when Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda isolated the glutamic acid from seaweed.