i have always wondered what is "msg" in chineese food?

Answer 1

Monosodium glutamate. It is a food additive, and many people are allergic to it.

Answer 2

Improving Taste Means Improving Nutrition

MSG is a flavor enhancer which has been used effectively for nearly a century to bring out the best flavor of foods. Its principal component is an amino acid called glutamic acid or glutamate.

What most people don't realize is that the importance of taste doesn't stop at simply enjoying the flavor of the foods we eat. Although treating yourself to a meal at a superb restaurant or enjoying a scrumptious dinner at home seems reward enough, taste is actually an integral and important part of nutrition.

To a large degree, it is our taste buds that actually trigger important digestive and metabolic functions allowing us to better use the essential nutrients we get from our diet. When food passes over our taste buds, those wonderful tastes not only trigger pleasure and satisfaction, they also send an important message to our body... nutrition is on its way. Those tiny taste buds are, in essence, telling our bodies to get to work, and metabolize the foods we are eating.

Not only does MSG make good food taste better for consumers, new studies show that MSG may play a role in the overall health and nutrition of people who need it most. Aging, as well as a number of diseases and illnesses, decrease our ability to taste and smell. This decrease in our senses is a major contributor to poor nutritional status in populations like the elderly, making it increasingly difficult for doctors and nutritionists to ensure that their patients get much-needed nutrients. Studies have found that adding MSG to certain foods, such as soup and mashed potatoes, has been successful in increasing the food intake in institutionalized elderly populations.

Answer 3

Monosodium glutamate, otherwise known as seasoning salt. The Chinese call it ve tsin. It isn't unhealthy in moderation, but in large amounts it can cause nervous symptoms called Chinese restaurant syndrome, and of course it contains sodium which should only be eaten in moderation. It's used widely in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cuisine as a flavour enhancer for savoury dishes, and mushrooms contain it. Western textbooks tell you that there are four distinct tastes; sweet, sour, salt and bitter. The Japanese have maintained all along that there's a fifth flavour which they call umami, meaning something like charming. Sure enough, umami receptors on the tongue have recently been identified. MSG is useful in vegetarian cooking. It gives food a rich meaty flavour.

Answer 4

Mono-sodium-glutamate. It's not just found in chinese food, however it is mostly found added to chinese food in particular. It is to bump up the flavor, like salt but to the extreme. Many people react very badly to this additive, it is not good for you and can kill people if they have an allergy to it, and many people do including myself. I won't die, I just get mygrains from it, and half my body puffs up like a ballon, very unfortunate! Check out MSG in yahoo search to learn more!

Answer 5

Msg is monosodiumglutamate. It enhances the flavour of the food and is harmless. You don't have to worry about it being an aritificial additive, because it is not.

Answer 6

MSG is mono sodium glutamate,a food additive mainly in Chinese cuisine,with unfavorable reports of it's health effects,it is being frowned upon & is used less,it is usual to state you would not like it added to your food order when at a chinese resturant.

Answer 7

Monosodium glutamate. It was once widely used in processed food. I don't know if it is still available but it used to be sold in supermarkets under the brand name Accent. Their slogan was "Accent wakes up the flavor nature puts in food." I can remember my mother sprinkling it on eggs.

Answer 8

Monosodium glutemate. An additive to enhance flavor. Very unhealthy.

Answer 9

It is modeled on an ancient flavoring, the use of kelp or kombu in Japanese cooking. It is the white coating on kelp that you would normally wipe off because it is so strong tasting - synthesized in a laboratory artificially. It is very salty-tasting. It is to make dashi etc... Japanese soup stock. It is a flavor-enhancer.

Answer 10

Monosodium glutamate. It acts as a preservative in food although mostly chinese food. It also will hopefully kill the bacteria of spoiled meats.