Maggi is an umami-intense all-purpose seasoning, and according to Jack Carneal in his recent article in Lucky Peach, it has come to "define the taste of Malian cuisine." Maggi is used in everything from traditional tige dege na to spaghetti sauce, and at this point, Carneal says few people remember how Malian food tastes without this mass-produced seasoning. Good or bad, it sounds like Maggi is here to stay.
Carneal describes Maggi this way: "...It gives every dish the same three characteristics—a soy-sauce-like umami, explosive saltiness, and the odd sweet-savoriness of monosodium glutamate." And yet, it's clear that Carneal holds a grudging respect for the seasoning, even admitting that he misses it on the rare occasion that it's absent in a dish.
It would be easy to bemoan the loss of traditional Malian cooking for this cheap short-cut, but Carneal makes an argument in Maggi's defense. He says the seasoning isn't about faster cooking or even, necessarily, cheaper cooking; it's about function. "Fridges are rare and freezers unheard of," he points out, "There's no luxury appliance for storing savory stocks or stews." This doesn't fully explain how dishes were seasoned pre-Maggi and why this was abandoned, but presumably, Maggi cuts down the food waste from using other, more perishable seasonings and cooking methods.
But it also sounds like there's a simpler and more basic human explanation: the seasoning just tastes darn good. Like our American fast food, the more you eat it, the more addictive it becomes.
Have you ever tried Maggi? Blessing or a curse?
"Bien Manger" by Jack Carneal appeared in Issue 3 of Lucky Peach (subscription available here)
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(Image: Flickr member [puamelia] licensed under Creative Commons)
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i hadn't thought about maggi in yeeeeeeeeeears! my dad used to put it in milk and drink it. he also loved it in bloody marys (and soup i think). as i recall it came in liquid form too. now i have to buy some just for sentimental reasons.
Being German I grew up with it and use it often. I actually have an "official" Maggi cookbook. I didn't know it is widely used in Asia, always thought is was German thing. I might start using it for Asian dishes and see what happens....
I've got a BIG bottle of it, and it gets replaced regularly.
C'mon girls, haven't you heard of monosodium glutamate? http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/the-dangers-of-msg
I'm vietnamese and we used this ALL the time in cooking at home. To this day, I use it over rice, omelets, etc. Love the stuff.
This is HUGE in the Caribbean. They use it for ev.ry.thing.
@natureinsider you know you can find a study to prove just about every viewpoint/opinion on the internet, right?
Case in point, there are quite a few medical journal articles online disproving every point made on the website you linked.
I lived in Italy for a couple of years, and all I can remember about it is the commercial, in Italian. How weird is that?
A drizzle of Maggi seasoning liquid on a banh mi sandwich is fantastic.
My husband is Vietnamese and he introduced me to Maggi. Love it!
I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali and I still miss the taste of Maggi. A little powdered cube makes everything better. Yes, it did supplant datu in a lot of cooking - fermented berries which added micro nutrients, but was also really time-intensive to make - but Maggi is here to stay.
Maggi soy sauce with fried eggs and buttered toast. Simple and insanely delicious! But you have to make sure you're buying the authentic one and not a knock off (yes those exists!). Although the flavors are similar, real Maggi is so much tastier and so much more expensive too!
I like the author used the product with Japanese in the picture :) Yes, people in Japan use it too! It reminds me of my mom.
Here in Chile it's a very common ingredient, in cubes like the picture. We call it "Caldo Maggi" (Maggi stock).
There are a variety of flavors, like beef, chicken, veggies, rib, sausage, and you use it in a variety of preparations, like soups, meatballs, even rice.
I grew up with Dutch heritage and we always used the liquid form in soup to taste once it was served. I thought it was a Dutch/Indonesian thing! There's a lot of Indonesian influence in Dutch cuisine.
Living in Switzerland, the birthplace of Maggi it's hard to avoid seeing the stuff. Restaurants have their "trios" of salt, pepper and aromat or Maggi, alongside the customary toothpicks. A dash or two in some soup is about as far as I can go - the stuff is far too salty for my liking!
I'm with NatureInsider. Maggi needs to go since it is soooo bad for you.
My Dutch grandparents always had Maggi in their kitchen. In fact my mom was just reminiscing about how my grandfather would put it my grandmother's soup every night, and it would infuriate her that he felt it needed extra flavoring. Anyway, I always assumed it was a Dutch thing. Interesting to know it's not!