Final answer:
Monosodium Glutamate is the flavor enhancer derived from seaweed that provides the umami taste in recipes. It is used to amplify the savory, meaty flavor of food, and it is recognized as a key ingredient in enhancing the flavor of protein-rich dishes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The flavor enhancer from seaweed that might be included in a recipe to provide "umami" is A. Monosodium Glutamate.
Monosodium glutamate, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid which is one of the most abundant naturally occurring non-essential amino acids. It is widely used in food processing as a flavor enhancer. This substance provides the distinct umami taste, a savory flavor that is one of the five basic tastes alongside sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.
The ability to taste umami, which is accentuated, is an evolutionary advantage because savory foods are typically high in protein. This was first identified by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908 while experimenting with kombu seaweed broth. Enhancing the umami flavor in foods is achieved through amplifying the presence of certain amino acids and nucleotides, which are essentially the building blocks of protein.