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

[1843-1910] demonstrated clearly and convincingly that
anthrax in cattle is due to a specifi c germ, and thus confi rmed
a fact already, indicated by the observation of others. He
isolated the anthrax bacillus in pure culture, studied it under
the microscope, and showed that he could produce anthrax in
other animals by inoculation from such cultures” (p. 8).
“In agriculture, the development of bacteriology has
given un new insight into the nature of soil fertility. We have
learned to regard the soil as a culture medium with its almost
endless number of species...” We have also “made some
progress towards successful systems of soil-inoculation.”
Chapter 47, titled “Bacteria in miscellaneous agricultural
industries,” states (p. 456-57): “The preparation of natto.–
Natto is a vegetable cheese made in Japan by fermenting
boiled soybeans. The fermenting mass is kept in a warm
place for one or two days, at the end of which time it has
become fi lled with vast numbers of bacteria. The material is
then found to contain a large proportion of a mucilaginous,
viscous substance, which is highly esteemed by the
Japanese.”
Note 2. This is the earliest English-language document
seen (Jan. 2012) that uses the word “mucilaginous” or the
word “viscous” to describe Japanese natto.
“The bacterial fl ora of natto consists at fi rst largely of
bacilli, but subsequently spherical forms become prominent.
“Two rod-shaped organisms, isolated by Sawamura,
were found to change boiled soybeans into a product similar
to natto. One of these produced the characteristics taste and
aroma, but did not develop a strong viscosity in the beans.
The other organism was found to possess a more pronounced
ability to form mucilaginous materials, but did not develop
as desirable a taste and aroma. The changes produced by
these organisms in the preparation of natto were shown to be
due to enzymes secreted by them.”
Note 3. Although the date on the title page of some
editions is 1911, the copyright page and last page of the
Preface indicate that it should be Sept. 1908.
Facing the title page (frontispiece) is a painted portrait
of Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (pronounced lay-ven-hook), a
Dutch naturalist (1632-1723), who is generally cited as the
fi rst to discover bacteria [or microorganisms]. Address: A.M.,
Ph.D., Soil Chemist and Bacteriologist, New Jersey Agric.
Exp. Station, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Assoc. Prof.
of Agriculture at Rutgers College.
79. Watt, George. 1908. Commercial products of India.
Being an abridgment of “The Dictionary of the Economic
Products of India.” London: John Murray. viii + 1189 p. See
p. 564-65. [15 soy ref]
• Summary: Since Watt’s Dictionary of the Economic
Products of India has been out of print for some time,
the Government of India asked him to write an updated
1-volume abridgement. He said that soybeans in India were
fi rst introduced from Indonesia. “The Soy Bean; in Indian
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 55
vernaculars, bhat, ram, gari-kulay, hendedisom horec, pond
disom, an-ing-kiyo, tzu-dza, bhatnas, seta, musa, khajuwa,
etc.
“A sub-erect or creeping annual native of China,
Cochin-China, Japan and Java, comparatively recently
introduced into India, though recorded as acclimatised and
even seen as an escape from cultivation. It might, in fact, be
described as extensively cultivated, though more as a garden
than a fi eld crop; is especially prevalent in Eastern Bengal,
Assam (Barpeta Sub-division), the Khasia hills, Manipur,
the Naga hills and Burma. It is not infrequent in the plains
of India proper, especially in Busti, Gorakhpur, Patna and
Purnea, etc. In Bombay and Madras, however, the Soy Bean
has apparently hardly passed the experimental stage.
“Cultivation.–Two chief varieties occur, one called
white, the other black. On the plains it is generally grown
by itself as a kharif (autumn) crop. The seeds are sown
from June to September, and harvested from November to
December... In Assam it is sown with áhu (autumn rice) in
April and May. The áhu crop is removed in July and August,
and its stubble acts as a support for the bean plants, which
are ready for harvest in December and January.”
“It is eaten in India in the localities where it is
cultivated, chiefl y in the form of dál or satú. In Japan it is
largely used as a sauce, cheese (natto) or paste, and in China
an edible oil is obtained from the seed. If cut when the pods
are fully formed it makes a most nutritious fodder, and the
seed-cake, as already stated, is an extremely rich cattle
food.”
Also discusses: Alfalfa (p. 778). Almonds (Prunus
amygdalus, p. 905). Broad bean or Windsor bean (Vicia faba,
p. 1106-07. “There are two distinct forms, the long-podded
and the broad-podded, the latter originating the name ‘Broad’
or ‘Windsor bean’”). Chufa (Cyperus esculentus, p. 465;
also called Rush-nut, earth-almond, or tiger-nut). Coffee (p.
363-68, with an excellent history). Cowpeas (p. 1107-08).
Lucerne or alfalfa (Medicago sativa, p. 778-79).
Mung bean, udid, and urud / urd (Phaseolus mungo or
P. radiatus, p. 880-82). “There has been some confusion
regarding the nomenclature of Phaseolus Mungo and the
species which follows–P. radiatus,–due chiefl y to Roxburgh
having transposed the original Linnean names. P. Mungo,
Linn., is the present plant, udid or urd; while P. radiatus,
Linn., is the plant known in the vernacular as mung. There
are two varieties of udid, one with large black seeds, the
other with smaller greenish seeds, and these correspond very
possibly with P. Mungo proper and the variety Roxburghii.
Sea-weeds (Kelp, p. 50). Address: Kew Gardens,
England; Formerly, Prof. of Botany, Calcutta Univ.,
Superintendent Indian Museum (Industrial Section) and
reporter on economic products to the Government of India.
80. Holland, Edward B. 1909. Soy beans and soy bean oil.
Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station, Annual