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Nattō
Natto is typically eaten on rice
Nattō is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans,
popular especially for breakfast. As a rich source of protein, nattō
and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in
feudal Japan. For some, nattō can be an acquired taste due to its
powerful smell, strong flavor, and sticky consistency. In Japan nattō
is most popular in the eastern regions, including Kantō and Tōhoku.
History
The materials and tools needed to produce nattō (soybeans and straw)
were commonly available in Japan since ancient times, so the discovery
could have happened as early as in the Jōmon period. It may also be
possible that the product was discovered independently by numerous
people at different times. The sources differ about the earliest
origin of nattō. One source puts the first use of nattō in the Jōmon
period between 10,000 and 300 BC. According to other sources the
product may also have originated in China during the Zhou Dynasty
(1134 - 246 BC). Another story is that Minamoto no Yoshiie was on a
battle campaign in northeastern Japan between 1056 and 1063 and
another campaign between 1086 and 1088 when one day in 1083 they were
attacked while boiling soybeans for their horses. They hurriedly
packed up the beans, and did not open the straw bags until a few days
later, at which time the beans had fermented. The soldiers ate it
anyway, and liked the taste, so they offered some to Yoshiie, who also
liked the taste. A third source calls the origin of nattō fairly
recent from the Edo period (1603 to 1867).
One significant change in the production of nattō happened in the
Taisho period (1912 - 1926), when researchers discovered a way to
produce a nattō starter culture containing Bacillus natto without the
need for straw. This greatly simplified the production process and
enabled more consistent results.
Appearance and consumption
The first thing noticed by the uninitiated after opening a pack of
nattō is the very strong ammoniacal smell, akin to strong cheese.
Stirring the nattō produces lots of spiderweb-like strings. The nattō
itself has a nutty, savory, somewhat salty flavor that belies its
odor.
Nattō is most commonly eaten at breakfast to accompany rice, possibly
with some other ingredients, for example soy sauce, tsuyu broth,
mustard, scallions, grated daikon, okra, or a raw quail egg. In
Hokkaidō and northern Tohoku region, some people dust nattō with
sugar. Nattō is also commonly used in other foods, such as nattō
sushi, nattō toast, in miso soup, salad, as an ingredient in
okonomiyaki, or even with spaghetti or as fried nattō. A dried form of
nattō, having little odor or sliminess, can be eaten as a nutritious
snack. There is even nattō ice cream.
Nattō is often considered an acquired taste and the perceived flavor
of nattō can differ greatly between people; some find it tastes very
strong and cheesy and may use it in small amounts to flavor rice or
noodles, while others find it tastes "bland and unremarkable",
requiring the addition of flavoring condiments such as mustard and soy
sauce. Many non-Japanese find the taste very unpleasant, while others
relish it as a delicacy. Some manufacturers produce an odorless or
low-odor nattō. The split opinion about its appearance and taste might
be compared to Vegemite in Australia and New Zealand, blue cheese in
France, lutefisk in Norway and Sweden, Mämmi in Finland and Marmite in
the UK. Even in Japan, nattō is more popular in some areas than in
others. Nattō is known to be popular in the eastern Kantō region
(Tokyo), but less popular in Kansai (Osaka, Kobe). About 236,000 tons
of nattō are consumed in Japan each year.
Production process
Soybeans in a plantationNattō is made from soybeans, typically a
special type called nattō soybeans. Smaller beans are preferred, as
the fermentation process will be able to reach the center of the bean
more easily. The beans are washed and soaked in water for 12 to 20
hours. This will increase the size of the beans. Next, the soybeans
are steamed for 6 hours, although a pressure cooker can be used to
reduce the time. The beans are mixed with the bacterium Bacillus
subtilis natto, known as nattō-kin in Japanese. From this point on,
care has to be taken to keep the ingredients away from impurities and
other bacteria. The mixture is fermented at 40°C for up to 24 hours.
Afterwards the nattō is cooled, then aged in a refrigerator for up to
one week to add stringiness. During the aging process at a temperature
of about 0°C, the Bacilli develop spores, and enzymatic peptidases
break down the soybean protein into its constituent amino acids.
Historically, nattō was made by storing the steamed soy beans in rice
straw, which naturally contains B. subtilis natto. The soy beans were
packed in straw and then left to ferment. The fermentation was done
either while the beans were buried underground underneath a fire or
stored in a warm place in the house as for example under the kotatsu.
End product
Today's nattō
Today's
mass-produced nattō is usually sold in small polystyrene containers. A
typical package contains 2 or 3 containers, occasionally 4 containers,
each of 40 to 50 g. One container typically complements a small bowl
of rice. It usually includes a small packet of tsuyu and another
packet of karashi, a type of mustard. Other flavors of sauce, such as
shiso, are available.
Mito City and Kumamoto Prefecture are famous as nattō-producing
districts.
Outside of Japan, nattō is sometimes sold frozen, and must be thawed
before consumption.
Gallery
A Nattō legend in a supermarket helps to differentiate varieties of
bean
Natto is marketed in many ways, this packet contains collagen
Japanese cuisine
Other fermented soy foods include: Soy sauce, Japanese miso, Chinese
dòuch (fermented black beans) & chòu dòufu (stinky tofu), Korean
doenjang and cheonggukjang, and Indonesian tempeh. Note that amanatto
is not nattō, but rather, beans sweetened with sugar.
References
1. Fujita M et al (December 1993). "Purification and
characterization of a strong fibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase) in the
vegetable cheese natto, a popular soybean fermented food in Japan.".
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 197 (3):
1340-1347. PMID 8280151. Retrieved on 14 July 2006.
2. Fujita M, Hong K, Ito Y, Misawa S, Takeuchi N, Kariya K,
Nishimuro S. (September 1995). "Transport of nattokinase across the
rat intestinal tract.". Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin. 18 (9):
1194 - 1196. PMID 8845803. Retrieved on 14 July 2006.
3. Hiroyuki Sumi et al (November 2000). "Determination and
Properties of the Fibrinolysis Accelerating Substance(FAS) in Japanese
Fermented Soybean "Natto".". Nippon Nogeikagaku Kaishi(Japanese). 74
(11): 1259-1264.
4. T Kumazawa, K Sato, H Seno, A Ishii, O Suzuki (April 1995).
"Levels of pyrroloquinoline quinone in various foods.". Biochem. J.
307 (Pt 2): 331-333. Retrieved on 20 October 2007.
5. Kuniyasu Soda, Yoshihiko Kano, Takeshi Nakamura, Keizo Kasono,
Masanobu Kawakami and Fumio Konishi (July 2005). "Spermine, a natural
polyamine, suppresses LFA-1 expression on human lymphocyte.". The
Journal of Immunology. 175 (1): 237-45. PMID 15972654. Retrieved on 25
February 2007.
6. National Cardiovascular Center (Suita, Osaka, Japan) HuBit
genomix, Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO: Go Ichien)
NTT DATA Corporation (Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President and CEO:
Tomokazu Hamaguchi) Municipality of Arita, Saga Prefecture, Japan
(Mayor: Masata Iwanaga) (April 2006). Examining the Effects of Natto
(fermented soybean) Consumption on Lifestyle-Related Diseases.
Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
Sourced from wikipedia.org
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