BBC - Travel - Japan’s unknown indigenous cuisine http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200810-japans-unknown-indigenous-cuisine
>“Without Japan’s indigenous people, you wouldn’t have that Japanese taste that’s so famous,” said Remi Ie, Director of Japan at Slow Food International. “They created and fostered the food culture of Japan.”
>She’s referring to umami, the savoury “fifth taste” that is often associated with Japanese dishes. It’s found in soy, miso and other fermented foods that give the cuisine its unique flavour. But Japan’s umami in fact has its roots in Ainu culture, in the kombu (a type of edible kelp) that grows in lush underwater forests around Hokkaido’s coastlines and has always been used in traditional Ainu cuisine.
