Difference of Food Taste among Korean and Japanese people

To know the difference of palate between Korean and Japanese people, we analyzed taste components in various foods produced in Japan and Korea, and compared their content and composition. Further, we performed a taste test among Japanese and Korean people. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. On the difference of palate between Korean and Japanese people based on the difference of taste components in salted preserves Total content of free amino acids in salted preserves that is eaten generally in both countries was 1.5% in Japanese products and 3.1% in Korean products. The ratio of glutamic acid against total amino acids was nearly 50% in Japanese products and about 29% in korean products. The amounts of oligopeptides were nearly 0.2% in Japanese products and about 1% in Korean products. Major amino acid compositions of oligopeptides were almost the same, and glutamic acid was a main constituent of both. As a result, it was presumed that Japanese people particularly prefered the UMAMI taste of glutamic acid, whereas Korean people prefered the taste of oligopeptides as well as the taste of glutamic acid. 2. On the difference of palate between Korean and Japanese people based on the difference of taste components in soy sauce and soy paste The taste components in soy sauce and soy paste in Japan and Korea gad almost the same difference as those in salted preserves. Therefore, the estimation on the deference of the palate between Japanese and Korean people described in the 1 above was also presumed with this experiment. 3. Comparison of palate between Japanese and Korean people with a taste test A taste test was carried out with the ranking method among Japanese and Korean people. Japanese people greatly prefered the taste of Katsuo-bushi(dried strip of skipjack) extracts and glutamic acid Whereas, Korean people prefered the taste of salted preserve extracts and glutamic acid. The salted preserves used in this experiment contained larger amounts of oligopeptides than the Katsuo-bushi extracts. In this experiment, we obtained almost the same estimation as those in the 1 and 2 above. 4. Comparison of style of rice cake produced in Japan and Korea We supposed that the traditional Korean style of serving and eating rice cake changed to better suit that of the Japanese taste after introduction of the rice cake into Japan from Korea.