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

602. Nakao, Sasuke. 1972. Ryôri no kigen [The origin of
foods]. Tokyo: Nihon Hoso Shuppan Kyokai. 225 p. [Jap]
• Summary: The important chapter titled “The big natto
triangle and miso,” by Sasuke Nakano (p. 118-27) discusses
natto, its relatives and ancestors in East Asia, and the “natto
triangle” theory (with a map; see previous page). Nakao
hypothesized that natto (itohiki natto, made with one or
more strains of bacteria) originated in the monsoon area
of Southeast Asia, where there are East Asian evergreen
forests. He considered Yunnan province in China to be the
hypothetical center of natto’s origin.
He states: We don’t know much about natto in Japan.
Konnyaku was clearly mentioned in the literature of the
Heian period [794-1185]. But natto was fi rst mentioned later,
during the Muromachi period [1336-1573], therefore I guess
it came from Java [sic] at about that time. Many new things
from Europe (such as guns) also entered Japan during the
Muromachi period.
What I call the “Miso Group” is salted mold-fermented
soyfoods–such as miso, shoyu, tamari, and fermented black
soybeans (douchi)–that originated in northern China outside
the Big Natto Triangle, then spread to central China and to
other countries such as Japan and Korea. I have shown the
Miso Group on the map in an oval to the upper right. So the
triangle and the oval shows the locations of these two groups
of processed, fermented soyfoods.
In the Big Natto Triangle we fi nd a number of foods that
originated in northern China, including konnyaku and sushi.
Sake is also fermented with a mold–the koji mold. Bean
sprouts (a great Chinese invention, using beans that are hard
to cook) also exist in the Miso Oval, but they spread into
many areas within the Big Natto Triangle including Burma
and Java.
Nyufu [dairy cheese or yogurt; literally “decayed /
spoiled milk”] and tofu: Tofu was also a great invention of
northern China–an easy way to eat soybeans. Seen from this
point of view, European ways of cooking beans are very
primitive.
Note: European beans generally contain too little protein
and too much carbohydrates (especially starch) to enable
them to be made into tofu.
Mr. Shinoda Osamu has developed the theory that tofu
was invented in China but not in ancient times; probably in
the middle of the Tang dynasty [618-906], and it became
popular in the middle Song dynasty [960-1279], at which
time it became an alternative to nyufu made from dairy milk.
What I call nyufu here is different from funyu (fermented
tofu), which is made by fermenting tofu, appeared after the
invention of tofu, and is found today throughout East Asia. It
is diffi cult to know exactly what nyufu was; in my opinion it
was probably like dahi from India. In any case, it is certain
that there was a product in called nyufu shortly before the
Tang dynasty and during the early Tang.
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 207
During most of Chinese history, except when the
nomadic milk-consuming Mongols ruled China during the
Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), animal milks were not part of
traditional Chinese culture.
Tofu was in Japan by 1183 AD (see Diary of Hiroshige
NAKAOMI, entry for 1183). Maybe tofu was brought in by
Buddhist monks and consumed in and around Nara. By the
end of the Muromachi period [1336-1573] the center of tofu
making and use had moved to Kyoto.
Another interesting thing is that in southern China
and in Sichuan province, there is a tofu named reiki [li qi,
pronounced “lichi;” “morning prayer].” The name originally
referred to nyufu but later it came to refer to tofu. The
origin of the word reiki was considered to be Sanskrit or
some European language. It may have been connected with
nyufu and/or dahi or India. Also, if we consider reiki to be
the original name of tofu, then nyufu and tofu may have
originated in Sichuan or southern China and migrated up to
Northern China.
In summary: Nakano’s theory is based on the
observation that there are many varieties of non-salted
fermented soyfoods and soy condiments inside the “natto
triangle.” Yunnan province in southwest China, Thailand,
Myanmar (Burma), Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, and Japan all
fall within this triangle.
Note 1. This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Jan. 2012) that contains the term “natto triangle.” Yet
this term can be misleading, especially for non-Japanese.
Natto is the only non-salted fermented soyfood or soy
condiment indigenous to Japan. Natto is made by fermenting
whole, cooked soybeans with bacteria (Bacillus natto, or
Bacillus subtilis) in a warm place (ideally 104ºF or 40ºC) for
about 24 hours. According to various Japanese legends, natto
originated almost 1,000 years ago in northeast Japan when
cooked soybeans were placed in a rice-straw sack strapped
over the back of a horse. The natto bacteria are found
abundantly on rice straw, and the warmth of the horse’s
body aided the fermentation. Under these conditions, the
fermentation would take place naturally, without intentional
inoculation.
The “natto triangle” refers to the geographical area
within a large triangle in East-, South-, and Southeast Asia–
the only place in the world where non-salted fermented
soyfoods and soy condiments are indigenous. A number of
these–such as tempeh in Indonesia and unsalted fermented
black soybeans in China–are fermented primarily with molds
(e.g., Rhizopus, Aspergillus) rather than bacteria. The triangle
has its three corners in northeastern Japan (on the northeast,
for natto), northeastern India and Nepal (on the west, for
kinema), and in Java (Indonesia, on the south, for tempeh).
It is incorrect to think of tempeh as a type of natto–by any
defi nition! Applying this correction to the “natto triangle”
causes it to fall apart! Extensive research after 1972 on the
early history of tempeh and natto gave no support to the