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

There are presently an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 macrobiotic
people in Croatia. The major activity is in Zagreb. Croatia
has most of the money and industrial productivity in
Yugoslavia and that is a major reason that Croatians want
independence. The Serbians are a relatively poor majority.
There are two commercial and at least three home-based
soyfoods manufacturers in former Yugoslavia. The best
contact is Ivan Jugovac (about 40 years old), owner of Anyo
located at Skolska Ulica 43A, 51215 Kastav (near Rijeka),
Croatia, Yugoslavia. Ivan knows the names of the other
soyfoods companies in Yugoslavia and is part of a looselyknit
soycrafters network there. Anyo, which started about 2-3
years ago, makes 250-300 kg/week of tofu (100 kg/day in 4
or 5 batches) and 150-200 kg/week of seitan. From the tofu
they also make smoked tofu, grilled tofu, deep-fried tofu,
and tofu spread (with okara). The tofu is made in a 100-liter
steam jacketed kettle and the nigari is imported from Japan.
Their soybeans (which are not organically grown) come from
Becej (pronounced BECH-ay) in Serbia, Yugoslavia. The
business is doing well. Ivan makes natto for his personal use.
He wants to start making miso and amazake commercially,
and is looking for sources of koji and koji starter.
A second soyfoods shop in Belgrade, Serbia (name,
address, and contact person unknown) makes tofu, seitan,
and tempeh on about the same scale as Anyo. It probably
started at about the same time as Anyo. There are 1-2 small
tofu shops in Zagreb, and one in Novi Sad, Serbia; in each,
the tofu is made in a home kitchen. In Slovenia, a tofu
company that will be the largest in Yugoslavia is nearly ready
to begin operation in Slovenia, but the current civil war has
delayed their opening. They plan to make 100 kg/day of tofu.
The man who knows the most about soyfoods in
Yugoslavia is Zlatko Pejic, a peace activist who is president
of the Society for the Improvement of the Quality of Life and
head of the macrobiotic community in Zagreb. His wife is a
cooking teacher. He invited Bill to Yugoslavia, has been to
the USA, and lectures throughout Yugoslavia. He has visited
most of the soyfoods companies in Yugoslavia, has a fax, and
like Ivan speaks pretty good English.
Basically all of the interest in soyfoods in Yugoslavia
grew out of macrobiotics. Several of the people who started
companies attended the Kushi Institute in London. Two years
ago, others attended the International Macrobiotic Institute
in Kiental, Switzerland. In both places there are classes in
soyfoods production (miso, tempeh, tofu, etc.) taught by
various macrobiotic teachers such as Roberto Marrocchesi.
Most companies have some books from Soyfoods Center.
Bill is still actively affi liated with The Bridge in Connecticut
and is a teacher of macrobiotics. Address: North Road,
Bantam, Connecticut 06750. Phone: 203-567-0554.
1382. SoyaScan Notes.1991. The concepts of alkaline
(arukari-sei) and acidic (sansei) foods in Japan (Overview).
Sept. 20. Compiled by William Shurtleff of Soyfoods Center.
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 427
• Summary: It is common knowledge among most typical
Japanese that foods can generally be classifi ed along a
continuum that ranges from alkaline at one end to neutral
(chusei) in the middle, to acidic at the other end. Alkaline
foods (those with an alkaline ash) are generally considered
to promote and protect health. It is widely believed that one
should try to keep one’s blood a little on the alkaline side
of neutral. According to E.C. Grey’s The Food of Japan
(League of Nations, 1928) and Inshoku Jiten (Encyclopedia
of food and drink; Motoyama 1958; see arukari) and to
discussions with numerous Japanese, well-known alkaline
foods are as follows. Each food is followed by an “alkaline
value” in parentheses taken from Grey (1928, p. 56-111; the
“alkalinity is due to lime and magnesia”): sea vegetables
including kombu (88.9), wakame (55.8), nori (35.3); black
soybeans (40.2), yellow soybeans (38.1), soyfoods (and
Soyfoods Center) including yuba (25.6), kinako roasted soy
fl our (25.2), Hamana natto (Hamanatto 24.8), natto (19.3),
green soybeans (ao-daizu, dry; 17.8), Misozuke (vegetables
preserved in miso, 16.3), shoyu (14.3); red miso (11.5), okara
(9.0), white miso (8.1), edamamé (green vegetable soybeans,
5.8), aburage deep-fried tofu pouched (6.7), soymilk (3.8),
tofu (1.1), shiitake mushrooms (41.0), azuki beans (27.0),
umeboshi salt plums (3.1), dried fruits including dried fi g
(46.8), dried persimmon (21.3), raisins (15.3), cheese (18.0),
most fresh fruits including yuzu (citron, 11.7), buckwheat
(7.0), fi g (6.3), lemon (5.9), banana (4.6), mikan (mandarin
orange, 4.0); root vegetables including potatoes (13.9),
tororo imo (11.5), daikon radish (5.0); most green vegetables
such as komatsuna cabbage (11.3), or daikon leaves (10.9),
pickled vegetables such as takuan (14.6). Alkaline beverages
or liquids include tea, coffee, dairy milk (2.6), condensed
milk (8.0), powdered milk (26.6), grape wines, and vinegar.
Acidic foods, which the Japanese believe should be
used in moderation, include: white sugar (0), mizuame [rice
syrup] (0), chocolate (3.0) and other sweet foods, eggs (2.8),
fl esh foods including chicken (5.2), pork (5.2), beef (5.1),
fresh fi sh (avg. 5.3), alcoholic beverages including amazake
(0), beer (0), sake (0); animal fats including butter (1.6),
margarine (0.9).
Many Japanese fi nd that acidic foods, when consumed in
excess, give them acid indigestion. Neutral foods include rice
(0.5-2.9), wheat (3.5-6.6), barley (2.7-4.6), and wheat gluten
(1.0).
Note that this classifi cation system is unrelated to the
yin-yang continuum used by macrobiotics; most Japanese are
unaware of macrobiotics. The latter, for example, considers
meat to be yang (alkaline), whereas wines, fruits, and milk
are yin (acidic).
1383. Takahama, Akihiro; Kuze, Jiro; Okano, Satoko;
Akiyama, Kyoko; Nakane, Toshio; Takahashi, Hiroshi;
Kobayashi, Takeshi. 1991. [Production of lactosucrose
by Bacillus natto levansucrase and some properties of