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

with chopsticks. Pour over hot rice and eat. OK to mix with
the rice. It was served that way all over Japan and in Los
Angeles.
Akiko Aoyagi Shurtleff, who was born and raised in
Tokyo, never ate natto this way. She added to the natto:
katsuobushi (shaved, dried, fermented and smoked skipjack
tuna {Katsuwonus pelamis, sometimes referred to as bonito},
minced green onion, shoyu and Japanese-style mustard
{karashi}).
In the Japan’s northeast prefectures (Tôhoku Chihô)
Akiko has heard that some people use sugar instead of soy
sauce.
953. Sheraton, Mimi. 1983. Restaurants: Sushi and sashimi,
the best in the city. New York Times. April 15. p. C1-2.
• Summary: This is a review of Hatsuhana, a Japanese
restaurant at 17 East 48th St., between Fifth and Madison
Ave. in New York City. “Natto, a combination of raw
fi sh with an earthy cheeselike paste of aged soy beans, is
wonderful whether you have it with a white-fl esh fi sh, tuna,
clams, squid or the most subtly fl avored toro–fatty tuna. A
sunny yellow vinegar sauce made of lemon juice, bean paste
[miso] and sake is the basis of nuta, a salad made with plain
or fatty tuna, white fi sh, clams or squid.”
“The eye-opening wasabi horseradish should be mixed
into soy sauce before sushi and sashimi are dipped in, and
lacy slivers of radish [daikon] add a nice contrast.”
954. Yomiuri Shinbun (Yomiuri Daily News, Tokyo).1983.
Niowanai nattô [Natto that doesn’t smell: Tempeh]. May 20.
Evening ed. p. 14. [Jap]
• Summary: Tempeh is very different from natto: it is
fermented with a mold, whereas natto is fermented with a
bacterium. Natto is indigenous to Japan, whereas tempeh is
indigenous to Java, and neither is widely consumed in the
country of the other. Yet both are fermented soyfoods.
Natto is growing more popular as a breakfast food
in Japan–related to the growing interest in natural foods,
vegetable protein, and riding the same wave of popularity
as soymilk. Young people are eating less rice. In 1982 each
family in Japan spent ¥1,531 on natto, up 12% from the
previous year. Dr. Teruo Ohta says one reason Japanese
have the greatest longevity is because they eat a lot of plant
protein instead of animal protein. Representative of these
plant protein foods are soyfoods. But miso and shoyu contain
salt, and tofu and soymilk contain no dietary fi ber. Natto
(like tempeh) is doubly good in that it contains fi ber but no
salt.
But the rice Japanese usually eat with natto is steadily
decreasing; will this eventually cause a decrease in natto
consumption as well? Maybe only those older than middle
age are the main natto consumers.
This article uses the term “tempeh natto” three times.
Note: We think this is unfortunate and confusing. Last year
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 308
Dr. Ohta visited natto plants in Indonesia. Medical research
shows natto is good for health.
Did natto originate in China? Was that Chinese natto
salted or not? Was it disseminated by Buddhist monks to
Japan and Southeast Asia?
Next month the Japanese National Natto Association
will send a delegation to Java (Indonesia) to study tempeh.
955. Zenkoku Shokuhin Shinbun (National Food News).1983.
Nattô Kenkyû-kai no kappatsu na katsudô (nattô-kin
tenpe) o Zennôren tsûjô sôkai [The Natto Study Group’s
vigorous activity (with “tempeh natto”) at the Japan Natto
Association’s general meeting]. No. 452. May 21. [Jap]
Address: Japan.
956. Ikawa, Kazuhisa. 1983. Higashi Ajia fukugo bunkaken.
Tôfu bunka to nattô no toraianguru [East Asia’s culture
complex. Tofu culture and the natto triangle]. Asahi Shinbun
(Asahi Daily News, Tokyo). May 28. p. 11. [Jap]
957. Ikawa, Kazuhisa. 1983. Ajia fukugô nattô-ken: Tôfu
bunka to Nattô toraianguru [Asia’s multi-combined natto
zone: Tofu culture and the natto triangle]. Mainichi Shinbun
(Mainichi Daily News, Tokyo). May 28. p. 11. [Jap]
• Summary: Contains three maps showing the “natto
triangle.” The three points on the triangle lie at Japan (natto),
Java (tempeh), and Bhutan + eastern Nepal (kinema).
Note: All these foods are un-salted, however tempeh is
fermented with a mold whereas natto and kinema are both
fermented with bacteria. Therefore, Java should not be part
of the “natto triangle.”
958. Hara, Toshio; Ueda, S.; Sakaki, Y. 1983. Restriction
endonuclease mapping of pUH1 in Bacillus subtilis (natto):
Note. Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 47(5):1143-44.
May. [14 ref]
• Summary: Figures show: (1) “Agarose gel electrophoresis
of fragments of pUH1 digested with two restriction
endonucleases.”
(2) A “restriction endonuclease cleavage map” of the
circular plasmid pUH1. There are ten cleavage points.
Note: This is the earliest document seen (Jan. 2012)
that shows this remarkable circular illustration of a plasmid,
a type of DNA which is separate from the chromosomal
DNA and which is capable of replicating independently of
the chromosomal DNA. Address: 1-2. Dep. of Food Science
& Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu Univ.,
Hakozaki, Fukuoka 812, Japan; 3. Research Lab. for Genetic
Information, Kyushu Univ. School of Medicine, Maedashi,
Fukuoka 812, Japan.
959. Hesseltine, C.W. 1983. Food fermentation research
and development. In: K.T. Achaya, ed. 1983. Proceedings
of AHARA 82, First AFST (I) International Conference on