Welcome to Umame Mushrooms

Umame Mushrooms is a privately owned exotic mushroom research and cultivation facility located just outside of White River in the scenic Lowveld region of Mpumalanga, South Africa.

The name Umame Mushrooms is derived from the Japanese word Umame (also referred to as Umami) for the taste sensation that can best be described as savory or meaty flavor and is generally referred to as the fifth taste.

The umame / umami factor as a separate taste sensation was first identified in the early 1900's and this often naturally occurring compound is responsible for the enhanced Umame flavors that we associate with so many of the Asian, Italian and seafood delicacies.

Thank you for visiting the Umame Mushroom web site and please be sure to let us know if there is anything that we can do to assist you.

Umame Mushroom Images

Umame Mushroom Research

The primary objective of all practical mushroom research carried out by Umame Mushrooms is to develop alternative technologies, substrates and cultivation practices that can enable gourmet mushrooms cultivators to reduce their pronounced reliance on expensive, highly specialized and often enormously energy-intensive technologies typically required to produce high quality exotic mushrooms under commercial conditions.