旨味文化研究所成立於 2024 年，為一個立足香港、以飲食文化為核心的跨領域藝術空間及策展平台，由跨界別策展人何梓埼與電影導演黃瑋納共同創立。
二人分別為酸種麵包師及日本酒國際酒匠 ，由自身經驗為靈感，致力透過展覽、工作坊、選物與公共活動，探索食物作為感知、記憶與文化媒介的可能性。
我們以發酵、麵包、清酒、風土、手作與日常美學為切入點，連結當代藝術、飲食研究與生活實踐，並透過跨界合作，建立一個讓創作者、公眾與地方經驗相遇的文化場域。

What if food could be a lens for understanding culture, memory, and the world around us? Founded in 2024 by sourdough baker and interdisciplinary curator Kiki Ho and film director and International Sake Master Sommelier Nap Wong, Umami Culture Lab is a Hong Kong-based art space where food culture meets contemporary practice. Through exhibitions, workshops, and curated experiences, the Lab uses fermentation, bread, sake, terroir, and everyday craft as a starting point for deeper conversations — connecting creators, communities, and the places they call home.

什麼是旨味？ What is Umami?

Umami 的鮮味微妙而難以辦識 ，但品嘗後卻回味留香，留下獨特的飲食印記。科學家研究發現母乳含有大量谷氨酸，若果人類出生吃的第一口是母乳，那 Umami 便可能是人類在世初嘗的滋味，那創作的 Umami 又會是怎樣的味道?

在飲食裡找尋。

Umami (うま味) — the fifth taste, discovered by Japanese professor Kikunae Ikeda in the early twentieth century — sits quietly alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. Composed of naturally occurring compounds such as glutamate, inosinate, and guanylate, it is found in seafood, meat, mushrooms, tomatoes, and in long-fermented foods like aged cheese, miso, and sake.

Umami is subtle and hard to name. But once tasted, it stays — a lingering savouriness that defines a meal without announcing itself.

Research shows that breast milk is rich in glutamate. If Umami is what we taste first in life, it may be the most primal flavour of all — the original sensory memory. At Umami Culture Lab, we ask: what does creative practice taste like?

We look for it in food.