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

seen (Jan. 2012) that contains the word “Daddawa” in
connection with soybeans, or states that soybeans are being
used to make “Daddawa” in Africa. Soybean daddawa
[dawadawa] is a close relative of natto.
Note 2. This is one of several periodicals published
by the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), a semiautonomous
institute within the Ahmadu Bello University at
Samaru, near Zaria, Nigeria. Before the establishment of the
University in October 1962, Samaru was the headquarters of
the Research and Special Services Division of the Ministry
of Agriculture, Northern Nigeria. As of 1968, IAR had
outstations at Shika, Kano, and Mokwa. Address: Abuja,
Nigeria.
457. Choe, C.E.; Lee, S.K.; et al. 1963. Vitamin B-12
contents in fermented soybeans inoculated with Bacillus
megaterum. Kisul Yon-guso Pogo, Seoul, Korea 2:22-23. *
458. Matsumoto, M.; Iwahara, S.; Abe, S. 1963. [On the
polynucleotides in the cell of natto-bacteria]. Shimane
Noka Daigaku Kenkyu Hokoku (Bulletin of the Faculty of
Agriculture, Shimane University) 11:50-53. [Jap]*
459. Chaves, Nelson. 1963. Proteínas vegetais e trópicos
[Vegetarian and tropical proteins]. Recife, Brazil: Imprensa
Universitária. 151 + 5 p. Illust. Series: Coleçao nordestina, 2.
[75+* ref. Por]
• Summary: Soyfoods and their nutritional value are
discussed on pages 65-67, incl. soymilk (leite de soja),
tempeh, miso, tofu, shoyu, and natto.
Note: This is the earliest Portuguese-language document
seen (Sept. 2011) that mentions tempeh, which it calls
“tempeh.” Address: Universidade do Recife, Instituto de
Fisiologia e Nutricao.
460. Tanaka, Heihachi; Nicholas, Betty. 1963. The pleasures
of Japanese cooking. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice
Hall, Inc. viii + 247 p. Illust. Index. 22 cm.
• Summary: Contents: Introduction. 1. A chat about Japanese
food: Seasonings and fl avorings, table settings and utensils,
kitchen utensils, etiquette, cooking and serving a Japanese
meal. 2. Appetizers. 3. Soups. 4. Broiled dishes. 5. Steamed
dishes. 6. Saucepan foods. 7. Fried foods. 8. Salads. 9.
Vegetables. 10. Rice and noodle dishes. 11. Thirst-quenchers.
12. Desserts. 13, Festival foods. Glossary [of Japanese foods
and utensils]. List of retail outlets for Japanese food products
(national chains and alphabetically by state in the USA).
The book begins (p. 1): “To many Westerners, the
cuisine of Japan consists almost entirely of sukiyaki,
tempura, rice and soy sauce. Nothing could be further from
the truth.”
Vegetables “are harvested at the height of their season,”
when tender and full of fl avor, then cooked lightly and used
(for example) “as an ingredient in misoshiru (thick soup
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 164
[miso soup]) or pickled” (p. 3).
“If one were to single out the most important vegetable
cultivated in Japan it would be the soybean. For this
legume,... is such a versatile food that it is served in some
manner at practically every Japanese meal.
“In the hilly interior of the country where fi sh is scarce,
or in the vegetarian menus of the Buddhists, soybeans are
called the ‘fi sh of the fi eld’ and relied upon as a valuable
source of protein. A favored way of preparing the green
soybean is simply to boil and hull it. Dried soybeans are
ground [sic], soaked in water, cooked and mashed, sieved
through silk, and fi nally cooked again to produce bean curd
or tofu.
“Steamed and fermented beans become natto. Miso, a
bean paste made by boiling soybeans, mashing them, adding
wheat ferment [sic] and salt and allowing this mixture to
ferment for several months, lends itself to use in countless
dishes. Moyashi, the tender young sprouts of the soybean, are
cultivated on indoor racks to conserve precious space in the
fi elds.” In a few days, a single cup of soybeans will produce
3-4 pounds of succulent sprouts (p. 3-4).
“Queen of Japanese seasonings is shoyu or soy sauce, a
dark, red-brown. thirst-provoking liquid made from wheat
or barley, soybeans, salt and water. Shoyu is loved by the
Japanese for its piquant fl avor and its use is so extensive that
almost no dish is conceivable without it.” A brief history of
shoyu and its forerunner, hishio, and the process for making
shoyu are given. Shoyu “mash is allowed to ferment and
mature naturally for a full eighteen months when it is pressed
and the sauce obtained pasteurized to become refi ned shoyu.
“Another multi-purpose seasoning and foodstuff is miso,
a paste made from fermented rice and soybeans.” Most miso
“lasts for years without spoiling or deteriorating. There are
two types of miso–red and white. Both are widely used in
Japan but western palates seem to prefer the white type.
Both are highly nutritious and are used in literally hundreds
of ways: as a seasoning, a main dish and the basis of many
hearty, potage-type soups” (p. 5-6).
“For centuries [sic] Japanese cooks have used a dashi
of aji-no-moto, a seaweed or vegetable protein derivative,
to intensify the natural fl avors of the foods they cooked.
Translated, aji-no-moto means ‘essence of taste’ (it is often
referred to as taste powder) because the minute white crystals
heighten the inherent fl avors of foods,... but lending no fl avor
of their own” (p. 6).
Yakimono are broiled foods. “Flavor broiling includes
yakitori (broiled chicken), teriyaki (fi sh marinated in a sauce
containing shoyu and then broiled),... Miso-broiling is used
for such vegetables as eggplant as well as for fi sh or meat”
(p. 13).
“Inasmuch as shoyu, or soy sauce, is such an allimportant
seasoning and is called for in almost every
Japanese recipe, it should be noted that the use of genuine
shoyu is quite essential. Most other soy sauces, while