system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: What is umami?
gpt
Umami is another one of the "basic tastes", along with salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. It's also sometimes called "savory"--think of the flavor of meat, cheese, broth, or mushrooms (that isn't salty or bitter). 

Chemically, it's sensed by your taste buds with the presence of glutamate, which is one of the basic amino acids that makes up proteins. This is why MSG (monosodium **glutamate**) is used to flavor foods--it gives a lovely umami taste to things.

Also, MSG has not actually been shown to be harmful or cause bad reactions in people.