Natto – The Japanese Soybean Superfood with an Unusual Taste

Natto – The Japanese Soybean Superfood with an Unusual Taste.

Traditional Japanese food made from soybeans. That is well known for its many health benefits. Natto has long been a staple of the Japanese diet and is often call a “superfood,” being low in calories and loaded with nutrients. Though it is much loved in Japan, natto’s bitter taste, potent smell, and gooey texture polarizes opinion. Like many foods with a distinctive character is something of an acquired taste, with people tending to either love it or hate it. But what exactly? In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about natto!

Natto is a sticky Japanese food made from ferment soybeans. To create, soybeans soake for several hours.

Before being steame. Then fermente with a type of bacteria called Bacillus subtilis. The fermentation process lasts for around 24 hours and it is this that gives natto its very distinctive taste, strong smell, and slimy, stringy texture.

Natto has a long history as part of the Japanese diet. Thought to have introduced to Japan from China around 1400 years ago, there are records of a sticky soybean snack in Japanese literature stretching as far back as the 13th century. Many Japanese people raised on natto use to the strong flavor and sticky consistency. Its overpowering aroma. Which is liken to the smell of ammonia.

What Does Natto Taste Like?

Natto has a deeply earthy taste that เล่นบาคาร่า UFABET เว็บตรง ค่าคอมสูง is hard to accurately pinpoint. Though it is often compare to the musty or bitter flavor of a strongly aged cheese. During the fermenting process takes on an incredibly pungent odor reminiscent of moldy cheese. Because of its harsh smell and stringy texture is a tough sell to those who believe the first bite is with the eye.

The flavor, scent, and texture can vary slightly depending on the type of soybean and fermentation process. There are several different types of soybean yielding a wide variety through a number of ancient regional recipes. The most common natto is the sticky, smelly, unsalte variety called “itohiki natto”. That can easily found throughout Japan. 

How Do You Eat?

Typically as part of breakfast. Can eaten on own snack and is commonly sold in small containers. As a snack is usually mix with soy sauce and a Japanese mustard call “karashi.” Mixing with soy sauce and mustard enhances the taste, bringing out a much more savory flavor called “umami” in Japanese.