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

the 2 million tonne mark for the fi rst time.
1966–Production of soybeans in Japan drops below
200,000 tonnes for the fi rst time. Japan now produces only
9% of the soybeans it consumes.
1966 May–Kikkoman starts selling low-salt shoyu.
1968–Meat analogs based on soy protein start to be sold to
the general public in Japan.
1968 June–Research conducted by the Mainichi Shinbun
shows that the size and price of tofu is now different in
different areas. In Tokyo it sells for 25 yen per 300 gm or
over. Cakes of tofu sold in downtown Tokyo (shitamachi)
are smaller than those sold uptown (in the hilly sections)
(yamanote). Some tofu shops that are not members of the
tofu association sell it for 15 yen per 350 gm. In Nagoya it
retails for 30 yen per 450 gm, and in Northern Kyushu 25
yen per 450 gm. Per capita consumption of tofu is 33 cakes
(cho) a year.
1969–Per capita consumption of soy oil in Japan rises
to 3.2 kg, passing the 3 kg mark for the fi rst time. In 1969 it
was 1.2 kg/person. Address: Norin Suisansho, Tokei Johobu,
Norin Tokeika Kacho Hosa.
552. Steinberg, Raphael. 1969. The cooking of Japan. New
York, NY: Time-Life Books. 208 p. Illust. General index.
Recipe index (English). Recipe index (Japanese). 28 cm.
• Summary: A superb, elegant book, that (with its spiralbound
companion volume of recipes) captures in both words
and photos (by Eliot Elisfon) the true spirit of Japanese food
and cookery. Contents: Introduction: Solving the mysteries
of Japan’s marvelous cuisine, by Faubion Bowers. 1. The
heritage of a remarkable past. 2. Foods to suit the seasons.
3. The logic of Japanese cookery. 4. The world’s greatest
seafood. 5. Simple, satisfying foods of home. 6. A ceremony
that sired a cuisine (kaiseki or tea ceremony cooking, with
roots in 13th century Zen Buddhism). 7. Eating out as a way
of life. 8. Magnifi cent meals in elegant settings.
Soy-related: The writer of the introduction snacked on
odorous, fermented soy beans (natto) at night before retiring
(p. 6). His son said to him recently, “Please, Dad. Not tofu
again!” (p. 7). Importance of the soybean (p. 16-17; China
has had a huge impact on Japanese culture. “Perhaps the
most important food innovation contributed by China was
the soybean, which is various disguises is still the foundation
stone of Japanese cooking.”). Shoyu is the Japanese word for
soy sauce (p. 26). Tofu (soybean curd), which is cooked with
other foods throughout most of the year, becomes a dish in
its own right during the summer, served on ice and fl avored
with soy sauce (as hiyayakko, p. 32). Photos of tofu, shoyu,
green soybeans [edamamé] and akadashi miso in prepared
festival dishes (p. 34-35). Matsutake mushrooms with tofu or
shoyu. “The most important lesson to be learned deals with
the ubiquitous role of the soybean. Generally considered by
Westerners to be the most humble of vegetables, the soybean
is in fact the king of the Japanese kitchen. One might almost
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 188
say that Japanese cuisine is built upon a tripod of soybean
products: miso, a fermented soybean paste; tofu, a custardlike
soybean cake; and soy sauce, used both to season foods as
they are being cooked and to make dipping mixtures that
enhance the fl avors of the foods as they are being eaten.”
Details about these three products and their uses is then given
(p. 41-42). Teriyaki or “shining broil” (p. 43). Two-page
color photo shows (p. 44-45): Azuki beans and kuromame
(black soybeans), sesame seeds, sesame oil, fu (wheat gluten
croutons), aonoriko (powdered green seaweed), Kikkoman
shoyu, aka miso, shiro miso, tofu, nori and wakame. Ponzu,
a dipping sauce which is half soy sauce and half lemon or
lime juice (p. 46). Sukiyaki (p. 46). Tempura (p. 49). Aemono
and sunomono with tofu, miso, or soy sauce (p. 48). Photo
of a tofu-slicing knife with a serrated blade (p. 50). Recipes:
Clear soup with tofu and shrimp (Sumashi wan, p. 55). Miso
soup with red and white miso (p. 56-57, 59). Miso-fl avored
pork and vegetable stew (Satsuma-jiru, p. 61). Soy and
sesame-seed dressing with string beans (Goma joyu-ae, p.
62; with “½ cup white sesame seeds, toasted and ground to
a paste”). Tofu and sesame-seed dressing with vegetables
(Shira-ae, p. 63; “Add the sesame seeds..., warm them until
lightly toasted. Grind them to a paste in a suribachi (serrated
mixing bowl) or, more easily, pulverize them at high speed in
an electric blender with 1/8 teaspoon of soy sauce. Transfer
the sesame-seed paste to a mixing bowl...”) Two color photos
show: (1) Toasted sesame seeds in a suribachi with a wooden
pestle. (2) When ground, they “quickly release their oil and
turn into a paste”). White miso dressing (Neri shiro miso,
p. 67). Photo of zensai, incl. miso-marinated asparagus, and
abalone cooked in soy sauce (p. 72). Sashimi dipped in soy
sauce (p. 81-83, 90-91).
Undersea vegetables: nori, kombu, wakame, hijiki (p.
88-89). Recipes: Sushi (p. 95-101). Tempura (p. 103). Mirin
and soy dipping sauce for tempura and noodles (Soba tsuyu,
p. 104). Deep-fried tofu in soy-seasoned sauce (Agedashi, p.
105).
Tofu is the Japanese word for soybean curd (p. 108).
Umeboshi (p. 109). Miso soup (p. 109-10). Natto and miso
(p. 115). Tofu and shoyu in yudofu (p. 116). Sekihan and
azuki (red beans, p. 120). Mame (“beans”) are served at
traditional wedding feasts; the word also means good health.
Mochi (p. 121). Recipes: Sekihan (p. 126). Fox noodles
with deep-fried tofu (Kitsune udon, p. 127). Bubbling tofu
(Yudofu, p. 132-33). Sukiyaki (p. 134, with tofu and soy
sauce). Shabu shabu (with tofu, p. 135).
Tofu and miso in kaiseki cuisine based on Zen Buddhism
and the tea ceremony (p. 146-49). Teriyaki, mirin, ponzu,
tofu (p. 152). Tofu and shoyu (p. 159). Sasanoyuki restaurant
in Tokyo (uses tofu as a main ingredient in every dish, p.
160-61). Sukiyaki, with tofu and soy sauce (photo, p. 166-
67). Broiled mackerel in miso marinade (Miso zuke, p. 169).
Dengaku tofu (p. 172-73, with color photo). Beef teriyaki
(with shoyu, p. 174-75). Yakitori (with teriyaki sauce, p.