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

Edensoy, Farm Foods, New England Soy Dairy, and Nasoya
(Leominster, Massachusetts). Legume (Gary & Chandri
Barat, New York City), Lotos / Lotus Cafe (Greg Weaver,
Rochester, New York).
NRRL (Hesseltine and Wang, Peoria, Illinois): Their
work is in mixed starter culture fermentation, vitamin B-12
work. Japanese man from Tokyo to work one year on natto
at NRRL, paid by Japanese government. B-12 can withstand
some heat during cooking and the percentage of B-12 lost
depends on the initial percentage present. Natto research:
examine all Japanese publications for review article.
Experiment using U.S. soybeans to make natto since the
Japanese buy Chinese beans for their thinner seed coat. See
what happens to the oil to protein ratio during fermentation.
Natto as such has no possibilities in the U.S. as it is a slimy
food with a rotten smell; hard to tolerate. There might be
vitamin B-12 in natto produced by Bacillus subtilis. Koreans
have done lots of B-12 research with kimchee and other
pickled vegetables. Earl Swain died this summer of a heart
attack at age 36. Natto research will help U.S. soybean
exports. USDA bureaucrats are making it diffi cult for Dr.
Hesseltine to do natto research. They have 65 objectives,
but Dr. Wang’s projects don’t fi t any of them clearly, so
they won’t mention “food” in their research outlines, just
fermentation methods. Secretary of Agriculture John Block
[served 1981-86 under President Ronald Regan] says the
U.S. needs more ag exports and more basic information
about crops uses, so he is in support of this natto research.
Out of business: Michiana Soyfoods, St. Ignatius shop,
Sunshine Soy, Heartsong, probably Joy of Soy and a Korean
shop in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Concerning soymilk: 10. In Oak Park, Illinois, a natural
foods retailer says Edensoy outsells San-J by two to one.
(Note: San-J imports “To-Neu Natural Soy Beverage” made
in Japan by Kibun). Teenagers buy the carob Edensoy along
with popcorn in the store, and use it as a soft drink. But most
retailers say the Eden package [stand-up foil retort pouch]
is a disaster; it is impossible to open without scissors, then
if you squeeze, it sometimes spills out. San-J [in a Tetra
Brik carton] is convenient but the taste is poor and the
front graphics are confusing–too many words and images.
According to Shurtleff, both are inferior products compared
to Japan’s best.
22. Concerning Edensoy at the NNFA show in Denver,
Colorado: Mike Potter says “it went over great.” He sold two
container loads right away. People liked the package and the
taste. About 4,000 people sampled it and were “generally
amazed.” The results were as good as they could want; it
generated interest and excitement. Now they are setting up
the distribution system. Address: 100 Heath Rd., Colrain,
Massachusetts 01340. Phone: 413-624-5591.
975. Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko. 1983. The book of
miso. 2nd ed. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. 278 p.
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 316
Illust. by Akiko Aoyagi Shurtleff. Index. Sept. 28 cm. [223
ref]
• Summary: Contents: What is miso? Preface to the second
edition. Preface to the fi rst edition. Acknowledgments.
Part I. Miso: Savory, High Protein Seasoning. 1. Soybeans,
protein and world hunger. 2. Miso as a food. 3. The miracle
of fermentation. 4. The varieties of miso: Regular Miso:
Rice miso (red / aka, light-yellow / shinshu, mellow red
/ amakuchi akamiso, mellow beige / amakuchi tanshoku,
mellow white / shiro koji, sweet red / edo or edo ama-miso,
sweet white / Kyoto shiro miso), barley miso (karakuchi
mugi, mellow barley / amakuchi mugi), soybean miso /
mamé miso (Hatcho miso, soybean miso / mame miso,
tamari miso). Special Miso: Finger lickin’ miso / Namemiso
(Kinzanji miso, moromi miso, hishio, namémiso, natto miso,
goto miso), sweet simmered miso / nerimiso. Modern Miso:
Akadashi miso, dehydrated or freeze-dried miso, low-salt /
high-protein miso.
Part II. Cooking with Miso (400 recipes). 5. Getting
started. 6. Recipes from East and West. Part III. The
Preparation of Miso. 7. Making miso at home and in
communities. 8. Japanese farmhouse miso. 9. The traditional
miso shop. 10. The modern miso factory. Appendixes:
A. A history of miso and soybean chiang. B. Other East
Asian misos: Chinese chiang, Korean jang and Indonesian
Taucho. C. The microbiology and biochemistry of miso
fermentation. D. Miso manufacturers in the West. E. People
and institutions connected with miso. F. Miso with seafoods,
chicken, and meat. G. Measures, weights, and equivalents.
H. So you want to study miso in Japan? I. Miso additives.
Bibliography [223 references]. Glossary. About the authors
(autobiographical). The Soyfoods Center.
In May 1993 a new printing of this book appeared,
containing many small changes made by the authors.
Address: Soyfoods Center, P.O. Box 234, Lafayette,
California 94549. Phone: 415-283-2991.
976. Shurtleff, William; Aoyagi, Akiko. 1983. Appendix A: A
history of miso and soybean chiang [jiang] (Document part).
In: William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi. 1983. The Book of
Miso. 2nd ed. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. 278 p.
See p. 214-41. Illust. by Akiko Aoyagi. [223 ref]
• Summary: Contents: Introduction: Etymology. Soybean
chiang in China: Early Chinese non-soybean chiang,
600-1899. Soybean chiang in Korea and Southeast Asia:
Dissemination of chiang from China, Korea, Indonesia,
Vietnam, other Southeast Asia.
History of miso in Japan: Introduction, early nonsoybean
hishios (before AD 700), the Nara period (AD
710-784), the Heian period (AD 794-1160), the Kamakura
period (1185-1333). The Muromachi period (1336-1568), the
Edo or Tokugawa period (1603-1867). A brief overview of
origins. the Meiji and pre-war periods (1867-1939), World
War II and the postwar period: Modern times (1940-1983).