What do the Japanese call these?

Hi. I like to know what do the Japanese call MSG, a flavour enhancer commonly found in packaged food such as stew and curry.

And I would like to know what do the Japanese mean by the term 'nama' because i have seen thus word used in 'nama dorayaki', 'nama cheese' and 'nama cream', just to mention a few. Does 'nama' mean 'fresh' as in freshly baked or 'raw', as in raw fish in this context??? Or does it vary according to the maker???

I am very concerned because I am pregnant and there are certain food that are out of bound for me. I will appreciate it if someone can tell me how the Japanese use the word 'nama'. Thank you.

Hi. I like to know what do the Japanese call MSG, a flavour enhancer commonly found in packaged food such as stew and curry.

Its usually called Ajinomoto after the popular brand.

And I would like to know what do the Japanese mean by the term 'nama' because i have seen thus word used in 'nama dorayaki', 'nama cheese' and 'nama cream', just to mention a few. Does 'nama' mean 'fresh' as in freshly baked or 'raw', as in raw fish in this context??? Or does it vary according to the maker???

It depends on the food but it usually means fresh or raw. It can also mean uncooked or partially cooked in some circumstances but that often depends on who made/what the product is.

Btw, off the top of my head I don't recall any "nama" labeled foods that pregnant women need to be concerned about (although there may be some). Nama cream for example means fresh cream rather than raw cream which is a completely different thing. Anything in particular that you're avoiding?

I saw this 'nama dorayaki' at a Hokkaido food fair. I wanted to eat it but dare not as I was not sure of the exact meaning of 'nama' and I dare not take its English interpretation directly because Japanese use English differently in different context. So it could mean 'freshly made dorayaki' or dorayaki with unpasteurized milk or cheese/raw eggs.

Yea, those are just regular dorayaki with lighter, whipped cream based filling rather than straight anko. Nothing raw about it. Btw, I think it is extremely rare to encounter raw milk products in Japan. I'm not sure its even legal. On the other hand, you probably know that raw egg is far more common and, while probably not a danger, its pretty easy to avoid.

Interesting...
About "nama dorayaki" that I often buy at 7-11
is used fresh cream (that called "nama-cream" in Japan as yllwsmrf said) and required to keep refrigerated differently from normal "dorayaki".
In this case, also "nama" means something like "softy" or "melty", I guess...?

About MSG, though I didn't catch on to what MSG's meaning, it's Ajinomoto as yllwsmrf said.
Or Umami-seibun...?

I believe general term for MSG is "kagaku-choumiryou". (Ajimonomoto is a most popular brand name for MSG.)

nama tamago - raw egg

nama bi-ru - draft beer

nama cream - fresh cream

nama (sex) - without condome

nama ho-so- - live broadcasting, etc

ywllsmrf,

Mmmm... But Ajinomoto manuafactures other products like mayonnaise too. Isn't it a misnomer to call MSG Ajinomoto?

Anyway, I am supposed to look for the word "Ajinomoto" and not 「香料」　under 'ingredients' to check if there is MSG???

Hi magonote,

What if it is just stated "調味料”??? I feel that "調味料”is a general term & anything that adjusts the flavour of food can be called that. For example, salt, pepper, sesame oil, sugar.

judy,

Fist of all, MSG stands for ''Monosodium Glutamate''.
It is contained in natural products like konbu (kelp). What is sold as MSG today is artifically made, thus it is called 化学調味料 (kagaku-choumiryou), chemical seasoning, if literally translated. It is also called うま味調味料 (umami choumiryou).

味の素 Ajinomoto is a name of the product (MSG) and it is also a name of the company. Like people in UK call vacuum cleaners ''Hoover'' or ballpoint pen as ''Biro'', Ajinomoto stands for the product itself, though the product name comes first, in this case.

調味料 is just a general term for seasoning, such spices, sauces, salt, sugar, etc. and on its own it does NOT mean MSG.

香料 is flavour and when mentioned as one of the ingredients, it is something to give the smell (flavour) to the food, can be either natural or artificial.

Oh, and if you want to check if MSG is contained in a product or not, look up for the word グルタミン酸ナトリウム or うま味成分, that refers to MSG.