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

911. Parker, Joyce. 1982. Re: Soyfoods and soybeans in
Nepal. Letter to William Shurtleff at Soyfoods Center, Aug.
28. 3 p. Handwritten with signature on letterhead of the
Britain Nepal Medical Trust (Koshi Anchal).
• Summary: She is a Peace Corps volunteer living in the
eastern middle hills of Nepal, eating the local food, and
going crazy. Nepal is extremely diverse culturally, so what
is done in one part of the country may not be true of other
parts. Tofu is made in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal,
but only on a very small scale. In the eastern middle hills,
soybeans are used mostly for a snack (khaajaa) in the early
afternoon, often with tea–to sustain people until the evening
meal. “The snack I’m familiar with is called Bhatmas ani
chiuraa... and is made with soybeans and beaten rice. The
mature soybeans are roasted over an open hearth, usually in
a heavy cast iron wok–stirred with a stick continuously (the
pan is dry but well seasoned) for 5-10 minutes. Remove from
heat–put into a jato (primitive grinding stone) only to split
the soybeans in half. A small amount of mattitel (mustard
oil) is heated until the smoke rises (otherwise the taste is
foul)–pyaaj (green onion–chopped fi ne) and jursaani (chili
pepper also chopped fi ne) and fresh ginger are added, and
next the bhaatmas–stir until they are covered with the oil
mixture–salt is also added. It is then served hot or cold over
the beaten rice. Its delicious–a real favorite with me–puts a
bit of crunch into your diet.
“Soybeans are usually grown in a companion planting
system with the makai (corn) or along the borders of the rice
khets (irrigated fi elds). I have never seen the soybean grown
in a bari (dry fi eld) as a main crop. Main crops include rice,
wheat and corn. Soybeans are always an afterthought. There
is a British Aid Agricultural Farm at Pakhribas (in the Kosi
Zone of eastern Nepal, 3 hours from Dhankuta) working on
soybean trials.” They came up with 3 varieties of soybeans
which will grow in different terrains. More technical
information can be gathered from them.
The Limbu live in the high hills and are “junglely
types.” “One of my co-workers is of Limbu origin and was
the only one that knew about kinema or kenima (couldn’t
get the correct spelling but will keep trying). It seems it is a
good trekking food. They make a soup of it and pour it over
rice–keeps well–easy to cook. Lentils, a much preferred
food, take too long to make on the trail. After my trip to
Ilam–investigating the Limbu land–I’ll write more specifi c
details. From what I could gather:” Boil soybeans until they
are soft. Grind to a mush with a local mortar and pestle. Add
ashes (kharain) from the cooking stove (chulo) and mix with
the soybeans. Place in a bamboo basket (dhahi), cover, and
leave for 24 hours. Remove from basket, place on a bamboo
mat, and dry in the sun. Recipes vary. “I have never tasted
any but it sounds awful. More research is required. I’ll keep
you informed.”
Newsfl ash–the SCF clinic is looking into using soymilk
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 297
as a substitute food for babies–only when the mother is
unable to breast-feed. We have also discussed possible
weaning foods. One problem–soymilk is not high in calories;
both calories and protein are rare commodities. “The value
of the soybean’s body building protein would be lost and
just burned off as energy.” The biggest problem here is just a
lack of food, The Nepali diet is healthy but too many mouths
to feed. Address: c/o U.S. Peace Corps, P.O. Box 613,
Kathmandu, Nepal.
912. McGregor, Otis. 1982. Soybeans–The human
consumption approach. Notes on Agriculture (Guelph,
Ontario) 18(1):13-14. Aug.
• Summary: “In 1974 the Ontario Soya-bean Growers’
Marketing Board launched a program directed to the
human consumption market... In 1974 the Ontario soybean
export market represented a single shipment of white hilum
soybeans to Japan for processing into tofu, miso and natto.
Today tofu and miso are becoming popular in Ontario.
“Since 1975 the Ontario Soy-Bean Board has
experienced remarkable success in moving soybeans into the
human consumption market and the diets of Canadians. Two
cookbooks have been printed by the Board and distribution
has exceeded 70,000. Tofu shops have emerged in Ontario,
to the extent that franchising is in the offi ng. Toronto has
restaurants serving soybean meals... Today, the Ontario
Soya-Bean Growers’ Marketing Board actively promotes
whole soybeans in one pound bags in various supermarkets.”
Address: Ontario Soya-bean Growers’ Marketing Board,
Chatham, ONT, Canada.
913. Hara, Toshio; Ueda, Seinosuke. 1982. Regulation
of polyglutamate production in Bacillus subtilis (natto):
Transformation of high PGA productivity. Agricultural and
Biological Chemistry 46(9):2275-81. Sept. [30 ref. Eng]
• Summary: The viscous or “sticky” material in natto,
produced by Bacillus subtilis, consists of polysaccharide
(levan-form fructan) and polyglutamate (PA). Address: Dep.
of Food Science & Technology, Faculty of Agriculture,
Kyushu Univ., Hakozaki, Fukuoka 812, Japan.
914. Asunaro Eastern Studies Institute. 1982. Natural foods
preparation with Sensei Noboru Muramoto (Poster). P.O.
Box 2546, Escondido, CA 92025. 1 p.
• Summary: Noboru Muramoto, author of Healing
Ourselves, will be presenting a series of 2 week classes
on natural foods preparation at the Asunaro Institute in
rural southern California. Students will participate in the
preparation of miso, tamari, koji, amasake, mochi, tofu, and
tekka. Address: Escondido, California.
915. Kanasugi, Goro. 1982. Yokubatta negai [A greedy
wish]. Daizu Geppo (Soybean Monthly News). Oct. p. 8-9.
[Jap]