Japanese tomato variety hits UK shelves
A new tomato that’s pink (ish) rather than red and tastes both sweet and sour is going on sale in Br…A new tomato that’s pink (ish) rather than red and tastes both sweet and sour is going on sale in British supermarkets. The Kent Pink Umami is medium-sized, has a distinctive pink tinge, and a rather different flavour to the tomatoes we are used to, thanks to its oriental seed heritage.
Originally from Japan, it has been grown in Birchington, Kent, by a farmer who will supply it to Marks & Spencer — the first time the cocktail tomato has been available in this country.
Several growers ran trials last summer before M&S picked the farmer in Birchington, on the coast near Margate, to be the supplier for its stores.
Adam Whitehead, M&S tomato buyer, says: ‘This unique tomato gives customers a unique sour and savoury taste experience — it is both more savoury and more sour than a normal tomato.
Umami is one of the five basic tastes — along with sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It takes its name from the Japanese, in which it means ‘pleasant savoury taste’.
The umami taste, which comes from a type of amino acid found naturally in many foods, including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products, is so subtle people often don’t recognise it — they just think the food tastes good.
