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

The physico-chemical properties of two local varieties
were studied.
Figures show: (1) Flow chart of traditional kinema
preparation. Incubation is 18-36 hours in a warm and
open place. Kinema is an indigenous fermented soybean
food unique to Nepal, prepared mostly by the Limbu
people (Limbus) of the hilly eastern region. Kinema is
a close relative of Japanese natto. It is prepared only at
the household level, and its method of preparation differs
from home to home, depending on the locality, family
convenience, and materials available. It is prepared mostly
from raw soybeans, but roasted soybeans are sometimes used
if the kinema has to be prepared in a hurry.
(2) Flow chart for preparation of Nepalese soybean
snack food. Soybeans are cleaned, roasted, dehulled,
aspirated (to blow away the hulls), cracked, oiled with
mustard oil, mixed with spices, then packaged.
Tables: (1) Soybean production in Nepal according to
ecological region (1993/95). The fi ve columns are: Region,
area (hectares), production (metric tons), percentage of total
production, yield (kg/ha). The average yield in the three
regions is 642 kg/ha; it is highest in the mountains (680) and
lowest in the hills (636).
(2) Total production of pulses in Nepal (1992/93 and
1993/94). Production (in metric tons) in 1993/94 is as
follows: Lentil 109,530. Grass pea 19,400. Chick pea 18,000.
Pigeon pea 16,520. Soybean 13,630. So lentil production
is by far the largest and soybean is the smallest. Address:
Lecturer, Central Campus of Technology, Dharan, Nepal.
1542. Tamang, Jyoti Prakash. 1996. Fermented soybean
products in India. In: Alex Buchanan, ed. 1996. Proceedings
of the Second International Soybean Processing and
Utilization Conference: 8-13 January 1996, Bangkok,
Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand: Printed by Funny Publishing
Limited Partnership. Distributed by The Institute of Food
Research and Product Development, Kasetsart University.
xviii + 556 p. See p. 189-94. [10 ref]
• Summary: Contents: Abstract. Introduction. Indigenous
fermented soybean food: Kinema, hawaijar. Modifi ed
fermented soybean food: Soy-idli (a rice-based breakfast
food in south India), soy-dhokla (a wheat-based snack in
west India), soy rabadi (a butter milk staple of west India).
Non-fermented soybean products: Green [vegetable]
soybeans (a snack in north-eastern India), roasted soybean
[soynuts] (a snack throughout India), soybean chutney (a
condiment / pickle made from whole soybeans in northeastern
India). Commercially available soybean foods:
Soymilk, soypaneer [tofu], soysuji / soy-suji (a snack in
Central India), soy fortifi ed biscuit (using soyfl our).
Kinema and hawaijar are similar to natto of Japan and
thua-nao of Thailand; the principal microorganism in both
is Bacillus subtilis. Two strains were selected to give the
best quality kinema. The main determinants of quality are
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 479
high viscosity, long sticky strings, and solubilized protein.
The optimum fermentation is for 20 hours at 40ºC. “The
optimized process can be promoted to popularize more
consumption of fermented soybean products as a sustainable
supply of low-cost nutritious foods.”
Kinema is consumed in eastern Nepal, “in the Darjeeling
hills of West Bengal, Sikkim and north-eastern hills of India
as a meat substitute in the local diet.”
“The preparation of hawaijar is similar to kinema except
the wrapping materials used are leaves of the fi g plant (Ficus
hispida L.) and the fermentation time is prolonged for 3-4
days.
To make soybean chutney, whole dried soybeans are
soaked, deep-fried in vegetable oil, then mixed with salt and
chilies. This chutney is then consumed like a pickle with
boiled rice.
Soypaneer is a very good substitute for traditional dairy
paneer, a semi-soft mild-fl avoured fresh cheese, which
is signifi cantly more expensive than its soy counterpart.
Soypaneer is deep fried, mixed with vegetarian curry, and
sometimes used to make paneer pakoda [pakora], a local
recipe.
Note: A pakora is a fritter–any kind of food coated in
batter and deep fried.
Soysuji can be used to replace up to half of the wheat
suji in the preparation of traditional Indian recipes.
“Cereal-based Indian diets are generally defi cient in
protein and calories. The protein intake in the local diet is not
enough due to high prices of meat and dairy products as well
as religious taboos.”
Tables: (1) Soybean-based foods in India. The four
columns are: Four types of products and 12 specifi c product
names. Substrate (whole soybean, soybean-rice, etc.). Use
(breakfast, snack, etc.). Consumption area. (2) Chemical
composition of kinema (two types with very different
composition).
Fig. 1 (p. 194) is a fl ow sheet of the traditional method
of preparing kinema in a Sikkim village. After cooking and
draining, the soybeans are crushed lightly by a wooden
pestle. Firewood ash may be added. Wrap the soybeans in
fern leaves, and ferment for 1-3 days to make kinema. Fry
to make curry or soup. Address: Microbiology Lab., Dep.
of Botany, Sikkim Government College, Gangtok 737 102,
Sikkim, India.
1543. Chang, Sam Kow-Ching. 1996. Re: Research on
soybeans for making tofu. Letter to William Shurtleff at
Soyfoods Center, May 29. 1 p. Handwritten.
• Summary: During the past 4 years, Dr. Chang’s laboratory
has been very active in tofu research, particularly in
developing methodologies for evaluating which soybean
varieties are best suited for making tofu and natto. They have
compared tofu making using small (120 gm), medium (500
gm), and large (35 kg) methods. Approximately 10 scientifi c