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

Seitan recipes include: Seitan stew. Seitan fried rice. Stuffed
mushrooms (with sauce). Stuffed squash or Hokkaido
pumpkin. Address: Boston, Massachusetts.
831. Somporn, Wannee. 1980. Review of solid substrate
fermented products in Thailand. In: ASEAN Sub-Committee
on Protein, ed. 1980. Report on the Second ASEAN
Workshop on Solid Substrate Fermentation. Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. 415 p. See p. 235-49. [3 ref]
• Summary: Table 3 shows fermented foods prepared in
Thailand from legumes and cereals. Fermented foods having
soybeans are the main substrate are: See iew (a condiment,
made in central and south Thailand using bacteria, molds,
and yeasts). Thua nao (main dish, made in north Thailand
using bacteria). Tao hoo (tofu, main dish, made in central and
south Thailand using bacteria, molds, and yeasts). Tao jiao
(fl avoring, made in central and south Thailand using bacteria,
molds, and yeasts). Tao si ([fermented black soybeans],
fl avoring agent, made in south Thailand, using molds).
A survey of all soy sauce factories in Thailand was
conducted in 1975. Representative samples were analyzed
for both pathogenic organisms and afl atoxin, but neither was
found (Biological Science Division, 1975-1976).
Note 1. This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Feb. 2004) that uses the word “Tao hoo” (or “Taohoo”)
to refer to tofu.
Note 2. This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Jan. 2012) that uses the term “Thua nao” (with no
hyphen) to refer to Thua-nao. Address: Biological Science
Div., Dep. of Science Service, Ministry of Science,
Technology and Energy, Thailand.
832. Sheraton, Mimi. 1980. Restaurants: Sushi and East Side
Italian. New York Times. Dec. 26. p. C26.
• Summary: This is a review of Takezushi, a Japanese
sushi restaurant with two branches in New York City: 11
East 48th St. and 101 West 45th St, at the Avenue of the
Americas. Three basic types of sushi are offered: nigiri sushi,
nori sushi, and chirashi sushi. Takezushi offers an earthy
miso soup. “The 45th Street branch offers a few additional
specialties that must be requested–natto, a mix of fermented
soy beans, egg yolk and scallions;...”
833. Bau, H.M.; Debry, G. 1980. L’art de l’utilisation du
soja: Habitudes et traditions [The art of soya utilization:
Customs and traditions]. Cahiers de Nutrition et de
Dietetique 15(4):277-84. Oct/Dec. [40 ref. Fre; eng]
• Summary: “For many centuries, soybeans have meant
meat, milk, cheese, bread, and oil to the people of Asia.
Because of their great food value, they not only have long
had a defi nite place in the oriental diet but now belong in
the diet of America and of the entire world. In Europe, the
use of soybean products in the quotidian diet is still limited,
however it is sure that they will be an important factor in the
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 270
balanced diet of the future.”
Note 1. Soyfoods Center has a 16-page Englishlanguage
translation of this article.
Note 2. Webster’s Dictionary defi nes quotidian
(derived from the French quot = as many as + dies = day)
as “occurring every day.” Address: University of Nancy,
France.
834. Campbell-Platt, Geoffrey. 1980. African locust bean
(Parkia species) and its West African fermented food product
dawadawa. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 9:123-32. *
835. Fukakura, Noriko; Asano, M.; Murata, K. 1980. Daizu
hakkô shokuhin no shikô-sei ni kansuru kenkyû [Survey on
the acceptability of tempeh]. Bulletin of Teikoku Gakuen No.
6. p. 33-39. [8 ref. Jap; eng]
• Summary: A survey on the acceptability of tempeh was
carried out by 50 members of a taste panel at the authors’
school in Osaka, Japan. “The results of the survey indicated
that the appearance of tempeh was lower than that for
fl avor, taste, stickiness, and texture. More than 76% of the
panel members favored tempeh over natto (the result may
be different if a survey is carried in Kanto district). Among
methods of cooking tempeh, deep fat frying was most
favored. Salt was evaluated as the best seasoning for tempeh
rather than coriander or curry. The panel also compared the
meat burger, the meat with soyprotein burger, and the tempeh
burger. The meat only was given the highest rating, the
meat with soybean protein second, the tempeh burger was
the lowest. However, it was found that the tempeh burger
could be acceptable.” Address: Teikoku Women’s Univ., 173,
6-chome, Todacho, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka, Japan.
836. Product Name: [Morning Star {Venus} Natto].
Foreign Name: Myôjô Nattô.
Manufacturer’s Name: Kabushikigaisha Myôjô
Shokumotsu Kenkyûsho (Marketer-Distributor). Made by
Kabushikigaisha Teito Shokuhin.
Manufacturer’s Address: 5-7-22 Kugayama, Suginamiku,
Tokyo-to, Japan. Marketer address: 4-14-26 Musatsu?,
Mitaka-shi, Tokyo-to, Japan. Phone: 0422-49-3151
(Marketer)..
Date of Introduction: 1980.
Ingredients: [Not listed].
Wt/Vol., Packaging, Price: 85 gm. Retails for ¥40 in
Tokyo.
How Stored: Refrigerated.
New Product–Documentation: Product with Label
purchased in about 1980 in Kichijoji, Tokyo. White on red,
and red on white. Surprisingly no ingredients are listed,
but the ingredients are probably water, soybeans, and natto
culture (Bacillus subtilis). The front panel reads: Across the
top, 6 medium-size white characters: Living natural food
(Ikita shizen shokuhin). In lower right, many small white