Virgil Evetts

I was raised to shun MSG. It’s a poison after all, Hitler in powder form really. It causes headaches, flue-like symptoms, stomach cramps, rectal bleeding… Oh the things it does! Actually, says who?

MSG (or monosodium glutamate), is undoubtedly one of the great pariahs of western nutrition, ranked equal to saturated fats and the many horrors known as ‘chemicals’ (never mind that every tangible thing in the universe is made of chemicals); but it would seem that it has earned this status largely because of hysteria, misinformation, and probably a smidgeon of institutionalised racism.

MSG (of a sort)  exists naturally in foods most of us eat practically every day – tomatoes and yeast extracts for example are loaded with the stuff. Kombu kelp, a potent natural source of glutamate, has been used liberally by Chinese and Japanese cooks for over 1200 years, and the apparent modern evil of refined MSG has been a standard in the Asian pantry since  the early 1900s. A diet rich in MSG doesn’t seem to have detrimentally affected the health, prosperity or proliferation, of the peoples of China, Korea and Japan, now does it?

So what is MSG? Basically it’s a crystalline form of glutamic acid. To explain what this actually means would require a lengthy and rather dull crash course in chemistry, so for more info click here ^[1] (be warned though, its bloody boring). Not only does glutamic acid exists  in many foods (see above) , it is also naturally present in our bodies all times. In other words, it’s neither new to our diets nor foreign to our bodies.   Despite its very bad name, MSG has never been conclusively linked to any health problems by a reliable source.  Now I’m sure you have all read very compelling evidence to the contrary- so have I; but it’s important to understand the difference between an essay written by a dietician or nutritionist (a title which in publishing terms can mean anything from an MD to well-meaning hippy), and an unbiased scientific study. An unbiased study is one commissioned by a government or non-partisan research organisation – not one commissioned by a drug company or a food manufacturer. As it stands right now there is no conclusive scientific proof  to suggest that MSG is inherently bad or dangerous. By comparison, common table salt has been proven, beyond the shadow of a doubt to be damaging to human health in certain stuations.  However, it is logical to assume that excessive consumption of MSG could cause problems. For example, glutamic acid helps sharpen nerve responses in the brain. It is therefore plausible that it could indeed be associated with migraines in some people. But let me just repeat the important points here: COULD be; SOME people.

The function of MSG as a food additive is to improve or enhance  flavours, by bringing out the tangy, savoury quality known as umami. Think of the slightly meaty flavour of sun-dried tomatoes or dried yeast flakes – that’s umami. MSG, does not have a flavour of its own as such. Although many Chinese chefs are very heavy handed in their use of MSG, only a very small amount is needed to dramatically improve a dish. One of my favourite MSG laden off-the-shelf products is Japanese Kewpie brand mayonnaise. The trouble is, this  mass produced but undeniably luscious stuff is made with eggs laid by battery farmed hens. Nuff said.  But I have found that a frankly superior approximate can be produced by adding MSG powder to homemade mayo.  Use sunflower oil in place of E.V.O, rice vinegar in place of lemon juice and ¾ teaspoon of MSG per cup of mayo. Et voila! Home-made Kewpie. Shudder and recoil if you must, but take it from one who gets around a bit, this is some seriously good stuff.

Just becuase there is no hard evidence to suggest that MSG (aka flavour enhancer 621 or Seasoning Salt)  is dangerous to human health doesn’t mean that its entirely harmless; it just means that it’s not outright deadly or a common  allergen. Sure it’s possible you’re allergic to MSG, but you’re probably not. What I can tell you with some confidence is that I have ingested MSG thousands of times over the course of my life, and most of you have too. Maybe it’s building up in our livers or brains, waiting to strike in later years. But probably not.

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