I've got a long-lasting problem with understanding the word "savory" and the meanings it conveys in different contexts especially when using it to describe the word "umami" meaning pleasant savory taste. For example www.healthline.com has an article "16 Healthy Foods Packed with Umami Flavor". One of the foods they list are tomatoes.
"Tomatoes are one of the best plant-based sources of umami flavor. In fact, their sweet-yet-savory flavor comes from their high glutamic acid content."
Doing my research i found 5 definitions of the word "savory" all related to flavour.
- Appetizing to the taste or smell: a savory stew.
- Piquant, pungent, or salty to the taste; not sweet.
Merriam Webster Def: : being, inducing, or marked by the rich or meaty taste sensation of umami savory flavors
So the savory can mean: 1.appetizing/tasty 2.Piquant/spicy 3.Pungent=having strong taste 4.salty 5.umami/taste of meat
So in the sentence about tomatoes from the website "sweet-yet-savory" I susspect that the word "savory" means "meaty" or "umami" is that right?
How do you guys(native speakers) distinguish between so many different meanings of that word when they all relate to the same sense(taste)?