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

Joan from Ener-G foods in Seattle], p. 334; “Kagetsu is a
beautiful restaurant in Seattle”). Yellow pompidou (with soya
bean powder, p. 336).
The Foreword states (p. 1-2): “Ten years ago I was a
sick man, struggling to stay alive and to fi nish a novel. I
suspected I might fail in both matters and the doctors of Paris
agreed. They abandoned me as a hopeless case. It was then
that I discovered a way of life called Macrobiotics. After a
year of eating grains and vegetables, my health restored, I
ventured to New York to discover America and fi nish my
novel.”
Note 3. Webster’s Dictionary (1985) defi nes feta, a word
fi rst used in English in 1940, as “a white semisoft Greek
cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk and cured in brine.”
Fax from Jimmy Silver. 1991. Dec. 17. This was the fi rst
best-selling macro / natural food cookbook. Michel is head
of a (the?) Jewish community in Montreal, Canada. He has
7-9 brothers and 1 sister. “His brother, George, founded the
Nature de France clay based body care company–originally
called Cattier but changed after they were sued by Cartier.
I thought they would have prevailed in the suit but George
didn’t want to spend $500,000 to fi ght it even if he won.”
Address: New York.
562. Binding, George Joseph. 1970. About soya beans:
Wonder source of protein and energy. London: Thorsons
Publishers Ltd. 64 p. No index. 18 cm. About series, no. 35.
• Summary: Contents: 1. Beans in general. 2. History of the
soya bean. 3. Content of soya beans. 4. About lecithin–vital
for retaining youth. 5. The soya bean in the Far East: La
Choy Products, cooking in China, soya sauce, bean curd
or tufu [sic, tofu], bean sprouts, soya bean milk, candied
beans, Japan, natto, miso, Japanese soya sauce. 6. American
infl uence on the soya bean. 7. Industrial uses in America.
8. The soya bean and world food shortage. 9. Soya bean
recipes.
On page 10 we read: “For over 5,000 years this tiny seed
has been the staple food of certain parts of the East, including
North China, Japan, Korea, and some areas of India. The
ancient Yogis, who were among the world’s fi rst vegetarians,
placed great faith in the soya bean as a supplement to their
meatless diet.” Note: Soyfoods Center has been unable (Aug.
2004) to fi nd any documentation for the statement that the
ancient yogis consumed soya beans. The earliest date we
have seen (Aug. 2004) for the soybean growing in India is
1798 (Roxburgh 1832). The earliest document we have seen
concerning the soybean in India is by Beckmann (1798). The
earliest document seen (Aug. 2004) for soy products in India
(soy sauce) is by Locke (1679). Address: England.
563. Shokuhin daijiten [Great Japanese encyclopedia of
foods]. 1970. Tokyo. [Jap]
• Summary: Contains entries for amazake, miso, natto,
shoyu, and tofu.
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 191
564. Sundhagul, Malee; Smanmathurapoj, Puangpen;
Bhodhacharoen, Wanchern. 1970. Thua-nao: A fermented
soybean food of northern Thailand. I. Traditional processing
method. Bangkok: Applied Scientifi c Research Corp. of
Thailand (ASRCT). 14 leaves. Traditional Processing
Method, Research Project No. 38/3. 30 cm. [8 ref]
• Summary: Contents: Summary. Introduction. Materials and
methods: Microbiological methods. Results and discussions.
Microbiology of natural fermentation. Keeping quality
of thua-nao. Chemical composition and nutritional value.
Conclusions.
This study is part of the Research Project No. 38/3
(Soybean protein preparations), which aims at developing
processes for making soybean, which is a high-protein
source, more readily available in a stable and acceptable
form in order to provide suitable material for protein food
formulation.
Summary: The fermentation was found to be caused by
Gram-positive spore-forming bacilli, Bacillus subtilis. Two
strains were isolated. The product was prepared as dried
chips to extend the shelf life.
During a study on the distribution and consumption
of fermented fi sh in Thailand, it was learned that several
villages in Northern Thailand, where fi sh is scarce, make a
fermented soybean product called thua-nao, which is used
like fermented fi sh. It adds fl avor to vegetable soups and
hot [spicy] dishes. In some areas the product had become an
article of diet in its own right, not merely a fl avoring agent.
Thua-nao was prepared by researchers as follows: Cook
whole dry soybeans in boiling water for 3 hours, then drain.
Weigh 40 gm into various petri dishes and autoclave for 40
minutes. Cool to room temperature, then inoculate with a
pure culture of the bacteria. Incubate at 35ºC for 48 hours.
In Thailand, thua-nao is prepared and consumed
mostly in Lampang and Lamphun, two northern provinces.
The following method is used. Wash 1-2 kg of whole dry
soybeans in clean water. Place in a large cooking pot with
excess water and boil until thoroughly cooked–typically
3-4 hours. Add water during cooking if necessary to keep
the water level well above that of the beans. The beans are
considered cooked when they can be easily crushed between
the fi ngers. Drain and transfer to a bamboo basket lined
with banana leaves. Cover with additional banana leaves to
prevent loss of moisture or mold contamination. Allow the
beans to undergo natural fermentation at room temperature
for 3-4 days until they are thoroughly soft in texture, and turn
into a thick paste when lightly crushed between the fi ngers.
They should be covered with a sticky, viscous, colorless
material and accompanied by a pungent odor of ammonia.
Fermented beans are considered spoiled if they are heavily
contaminated with mold or if they give off a sour, rancid, or
putrid smell, sometimes accompanied by a yellowish slimy
material. Fermentation could be shortened to about 2 days