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

and value of tofu consumed per household in Japan, by
cities]. Oct. 21. p. 1-2. [Jap; eng+]
• Summary: In 1985 the average household bought 88.5
cakes of tofu costing 7,337 yen. The average price/cake
was 79.6 yen. Compared with 1970 the number of cakes
rose 0.5%, the amount spent rose 3.05-fold, and the cost of
one cake rose 2.88 fold. In 1985, of the total money spent
on soyfoods per household (13,435 yen), 58% was spent
on regular tofu, 30.2% on fried tofu (pouches and burgers),
12.3% on natto, and 2.8% on other soyfoods. Cities with
the highest consumption of tofu per household are Morioka
(122.7 cakes), Toyama (115.7), Kagoshima (105.1),
Kokushima (105.0), Tottori (102.3). Tokyo is in 29th place
with 87.5 cakes.
In 1985, foods with the fastest growing consumption
per household compared with 1970 were: coffee and cocoa
+116.6%, prepared foods +63.9%, processed meats 47.0%,
raw meats 35.4%, foods eaten away from home +34.6% and
oils/fats +34.5%. Those decreasing the most rapidly are: rice
-34.3%, processed seafoods (e.g. kamaboko) -29.0%, fresh
fi sh and shellfi sh -21.1%, eggs -13.4%, milk -10%, soyfoods
-3.7%.
1160. Toyo Shinpo (Soyfoods News).1986. Kenko imeeji-do
besuto 20. 6 i ni nattô, 11 i ni tôfu [The 20 Japanese foods
with the healthiest image. Natto is 6th and tofu is 11th]. Oct.
21. p. 1-2. [Jap; eng+]
• Summary: The healthy image ranking, based on a survey
of 1,000 households in October 1985. Conducted by
Shokuhin Sangyo Center in Tokyo (Toranomon. Tel. 03-591-
7451) and titled “Health and Food.” 1. Sardines (340 points
out of a possible 1,000), 2. Shirasu (the young of sardines,
298), 3. Process cheese (259), 4. Real fruit juice (241), 5.
Umeboshi salt plums (227), 6. Natto (227), 7. Natural cheese
(225), 8. Brown rice (218), 9. Honey (210), 10. Tofu (204),
11. Wakame (sea vegetable, 197), 12. Soymilk (196), 13.
Yogurt (193), 14. Sesame oil (181), 15. Konnyaku (180), 16.
Cow’s milk (180), etc.
1161. Burum, Linda. 1986. Breakfast in Chinatown and other
Asian spots. Los Angeles Times. Nov. 16. p. S106.
• Summary: The section titled “Japanese” begins: “Amid the
jangle of downtown traffi c, A Thousand Cranes is an oasis
of fl agging civility.” This lovely, calm restaurant, with its
own stylized Japanese garden, is in the New Otani Hotel, at
120 S. Los Angeles St., Los Angeles. Dressed in a classical
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 365
kimono, the waitress brings breakfast on a lacquered tray.
On it is a covered bowl of miso soup, plus rice and other
delicacies. “One may select from several other okazu
(the things to eat with rice) such as squares of delectably
garnished and very fresh tofu or natto, a little mound of
fl avorful fermented bean” [sic, beans].
“A jar of umeboshi, the mouth puckering tiny sour
plums known as nature’s own mouthwash, is placed on each
table; one of these cleanses the palate.”
The section titled “Chinese” begins with a visit to Yi
Mei, a very good traditional Chinese bakery in Monterey
Park (near downtown Los Angeles), known for its
“Northern-style breakfasts centering on large bowls of soy
milk that may be ordered slightly sweetened or seasoned
with a dash of sesame oil and salt. Look around and watch
everyone dipping yu t’iao, long, airy fried buns that resemble
unsweetened crullers, into their soy milk.” The crullers soak
up the soy milk, then everyone noisily (its impossible to do
this quietly) eats the crullers.
1162. Barrett, Mariclare. 1986. The cook’s glossary of
soyfoods. Vegetarian Times. Nov. p. 28-35. [10 ref]
• Summary: Gives good defi nitions, with a full-page color
illustration by Emily Soltanoff, of: Soybeans, soynuts, soy
fl our and grits, soy oil, textured vegetable protein, soymilk,
okara (“the pulp that remains after the soymilk has been
strained”), soy yogurt and soy cheese, tofu, fermented
soyfoods, tempeh, miso, natto, soy sauce.
The article begins: “For 60 seconds on a national
television commercial, a small, round soybean rolls past a
lineup of infant formula, bread, pizza, chili, salad dressing,
ice cream [Tofutti], soymilk and cubes of tofu; meanwhile
the narrator intones, ‘The newest development in nutrition
is actually one of the oldest foods known to man.’ Through
advertising, the concept of soyfoods is brought home to
millions of Americans by the soy giant, Archer-Daniels-
Midland Company.” Address: Staff.
1163. Kawabata, Makoto; Taguchi, Kuniko; Ohtsuki,
Kozo. 1986. Okara o shokuryo toshita nattô oyobi tenpe no
shokuhin kagaku [Food chemical evaluation of fermented
okara products, okara-natto and okara-tempeh]. Kyoto
Furitsu Daigaku Gakujutsu Hokoku (The Scientifi c Reports
of the Kyoto Prefectural University (Natural Science and
Living Science)) 37(Series B):9-15. Nov. (Chem. Abst.
107:38312). [13 ref. Jap; eng]
• Summary: Okara, a residue of water-extracted ground
soybeans, is produced in large amounts as a by-product
of commercial production of tofu and soymilk. Although
it contains a large amount of dietary fi ber plus 4.8% high
quality protein, it has a poor taste and rough texture, and is
relatively indigestible.
In this study, natto and tempeh were prepared from
okara by fermentation with Bacillus subtilis (natto) and