History of Natto and Its Relatives (1405-2012 - SoyInfo Center

231. Haskin, Frederic J. 1935. Questions of readers
answered. Hartford Courant (Connecticut). Nov. 4. p. 6.
• Summary: “Q. What is natto? G.B.R.
“A. Natto, commonly called cheese, is a Japanese
fermented food product prepared from soy beans. Although
its manufacture varies, probably with the locality, it is a
common practice to boil the soy beans until tender and then
leave them in a warm place for 24 hours until they have
fermented.”
232. Ide, M. 1935. [Culture media from natto and polytamin
as substitute of peptone]. Saikin (Bacteria) 470:298-. [Jap]*
233. Nomura, H. 1935. [Studies on natto. 2. 3. Change of
protein during the manufacturing process]. Kanagawa Ko-
Shi 5:8-. [Jap]*
234. Crespí, Luis. 1935. La soja y su cultivo [The soybean
and its cultivation]. Spain. 32 p. Series: Catechisms for
Farmers and Cattlemen/Stock-Farmers (Catechismos del
Agricultor y del Ganadero). 17 cm. [Spa]
• Summary: Contents: I: Cultivation of the soybean (la
soja; p. 3-18): 1. Description of the plant. 2. Origin of the
soybean. 3. Varieties of soybeans (Variedades de sojas):
Early maturing, semi-late, late. 4. Needs of the soybean: In
water, in soil, in fertilizer. Fixation of nitrogen from the air
in soybeans. 6. Place in the rotation. 7. Preparatory work.
8. Planting: Carrying out the sowing, the necessary seeds,
depth of planting. 9. The seeds sprout. 10. Cultural care. 11.
Maturity. 12. Diseases (enfermedades). 13. Harvest: As a
forage plant, as a producer of seeds. 14. Yield.
II: Applications of the soybean (p. 19-28). 1.
Composition of the plant: Composition of soybean forage,
composition of the seeds, composition of the straw (la paja).
2. The soybean in the feeding of animals: As a forage plant,
as a plant that produces seeds, soybean cakes (tortas de
soja), soybean straw. 3. The soybean as a human food. 4.
Industrial products from the soybean (from the oil: paints
and varnishes, soap). 5. The soybean as a fertilizer.
III: Geographic distribution: 1. Worldwide cultivation of
the soybean. 2. The soybean in Spain.
The soybean as a human food (p. 27): The seed is rich
in protein. Whole soybeans (Semillas de soja) can be used
like French beans and peas, mature and dry, and toasted
like peanuts. The fi rst two leaves of very small soybean
plants (Plantitas de soja) can be used in salads or cooked.
Soy fl our can be used in bread, pastries, biscuits, or diabetic
diets. Condiments, widely used in China and Japan, include
natto, miso, tou-chiang, and shoyu. One can make soymilk
(leche de soya), and use it to make soy cheeses (quesos de
soja). The seeds of certain varieties can be roasted to make
substitutes for cocoa or coffee.
Soybean cultivation worldwide (p. 29-30): In France,
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 124
starting in 1880, the house of Vilmorin, started selling the
variety Etampes. Also in 1880, the soybean was cultivated in
Portugal in the Botanical Garden at Coimbra (in west central
Portugal).
“The soybean in Spain (p. 30): Thirty fi ve years ago
[i.e., in about 1900] my father tried cultivating soybeans
in Pontevedra. [Note: Pontevedra is a province and city in
the northeast corner of Spain, just north of Portugal, on the
coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The city is near the mouth of the
Ria de Pontevedra, at about 42.4º north latitude]. For two
consecutive years, and using seeds of the variety Etampes
from the House of Vilmorin seedsmen, he obtained identical
results: excellent vegetation, but a small yield of seeds
because the plants failed to fully mature.
“More than thirty years ago [i.e., before 1905], the count
of San Bernardo tried growing the soybean, with excellent
results, on his estate ‘El Alamillo,’ at Ecija (near Seville).
“In 1910 the soybean was cultivated by Mr. Noriega in
Jerez (near Cádiz {Cadiz}), and the results obtained seem to
indicate that the harvest was of medium size due to the poor
condition of the seeds; but the plant responded brilliantly,
showing healthy growth and resistance to the drought.
“In 1917 the ambassador of Spain stationed in Shanghai
forwarded to the Commercial Information Center of the
Spanish Secretary of State three varieties of soybean seeds:
small black, yellow, and green. These seeds were very
probably used in cultural trials, even though we do not know
the results that were obtained. In the same year Mr. Juan
Abril reported in the periodical Revista Ibérica [Iberian
Review] of his successful soybean trials conducted in Tortosa
(in Tarragona province [in northeastern Spain]).
“Finally, during the years 1914 and 1915, Mr. Santiago
F. Valderrama, the brigadier general from Artillería
[Artelleria], conducted soybean cultural trials in Montilla (in
Córdoba / Cordova province).
“To his cultivation and enthusiastic encouragement of
the cultivation of this plant in Spain, we owe the photograph
on the cover of this little instruction book. It shows the top of
a mature soybean plant grown by him in Montilla. Two more
generations of soybean plants were cultivated in the same
locality.”
Illustrations (line drawings) show: (1) Leaves of the
soybean and the common bean (judía = Phaseolus vulgaris)
(p. 4). (2) Flowers of the soybean and the common bean.
(3) A soybean stem, with 3 leaves and 2 pods; an opened
soybean pod showing 3 seeds (p. 5). (4) An uprooted
soybean plant, showing nodules on the roots, and abundant
pods (p. 12). (5) Comparison of two soybean plants, with
and without nodules. The one with nodules is larger and has
many more and larger pods (p. 13).
Note: This is the earliest document seen (Feb. 2001)
concerning soybeans in Portugal, or the cultivation of
soybeans in Portugal. This document contains the earliest
date seen for soybeans in Portugal, or the cultivation of