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

The text has been updated where necessary” and there are
many new entries. The front matter, which is 10 pages
longer, begins with “Alan Davidson: A tribute” (p. vii; he
died in 2003) followed by a “Preface to the Second edition”
by Tom Jaine. Entries in the 1st edition are generally on a
different page in this edition. Tofu, for example, formerly
on pages 798-99, is now on pages 801-02; however the
information is the same. The marvelous illustrations in both
editions are by the same artist. The last page of this edition
is page 907 compared with page 902 in the 1st edition.
Address: World’s End, Chelsea, London, England.
1838. Golbitz, Peter; Jordan, Joe. 2006. Soyfoods: Market
and products. In: Mian A. Riaz, ed. 2006. Soy Applications
in Food. Boca Raton, Florida, London, New York: CRC
Press (Taylor & Francis Group). [x] + 288 p. See p. 1-21.
• Summary: Contents: History of soyfoods: Growth and
development in the Western world, soybean industry
blossoms in the United States, soybeans grow around the
world. Soybean production and utilization for food: Soyfoods
in Asia, soyfoods in Europe, soyfoods in Africa, soyfoods
in the United States: Development of the U.S. soyfoods
industry, Americanization of soyfoods. Soybean nutritional
components: Soy protein, soy oil, carbohydrates and fi ber,
vitamins and minerals, isofl avones. Soyfoods and protein
ingredients: Whole dry soybeans, tofu, soymilk, tempeh,
soymilk yogurt, miso, soy sauce, okara, natto, soynuts, meat
alternatives, cheese alternatives, nondairy frozen desserts,
green vegetable soybeans (edamame), soy sprouts, full-fat
soy fl our, defatted soy fl our, textured soy fl our, soy protein
concentrate, soy protein isolate. Conclusions.
Tables: (1) World soybean production by major
producers. (2) Annual per capita consumption (2001) of
soybeans for direct food. (3) U.S. soyfoods market (1996 to
2005).
This chapter suffers from a lack of references, and
contains several basic errors concerning the early history
of the soybean. Contrary to what Mr. Golbitz says: (1) The
Chinese have not considered the soybean a basic source of
nutrition for almost 5000 years (see Hymowitz 1970, “On
the domestication of the soybean”). For “a little more than
3000 years” would be much more accurate. (2) The fi rst
reference to soybeans in Chinese literature does not date
back to 2853 B.C. (see Hymowitz 1970, and Hymowitz and
Shurtleff 2005, “Debunking soybean myths and legends in
the historical and popular literature”). It dates back to about
1100 B.C. (3) Natto was not developed at least 3000 years
ago in Japan (the earliest known document that mentions
natto dates from 1450 CE–or about 560 years ago). Address:
Soyatech, Inc., Bar Harbour, Maine.
1839. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
[MAFF], Japan. 2006. Tofu, nattô no genjô [The present
status of tofu and natto in Japan]. Tokyo: MAFF,
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 560
Government of Japan [Jap]*
• Summary: Natto: In 2004 in Japan, total production of
natto was about 250,000 metric tons (tonnes), requiring the
use of 139,000 tonnes of soybeans. The retail value of this
natto was 111.4 billion yen. Address: Japan.
1840. Murakami, Sachiko. 2006. Murakami Sachiko-ryû
nebatoru kenkô reshipi [Sachiko Murakami-style stickygooey
healthy recipes]. Tokyo: Ienohikari Kyokai. 95 p. 21
cm. [Jap]*
1841. Oishiku tabete kirei ni naru reshipi: daizu no chikara
o shinjinasai. Nattô, tenpe, chongutchan [Delicious recipes
that make you beautiful: Believe in the power of soybeans:
Natto, tempeh, Korean-style natto]. 2006. Tokyo: Gakushû
Kenkyûsha. 81 p. Illust. (Color). 26 cm. Series: Gakken
mook. [Jap]*
Address: Japan.
1842. Planck, Nina. 2006. Real food: What to eat and why.
New York and London: Bloomsbury Publishing. [viii] + 343
p. Index. 22 cm. [30+ ref]
• Summary: This book is carefully researched and very
well, thoughtfully and fairly written; the author has written
for Time magazine and comes with very good credentials
for this book. Born in 1971 in Buffalo, New York. “She was
a speechwriter to the U.S. ambassador to Britain when she
opened the fi rst farmers’ market in London on June 6, 1999.
Six months later she quit her job to open ten more markets,
write The Farmers’ Market Cookbook, and host a British
television series on local food. In 2003 Nina created the
Mount Pleasant Local Food Market in Washington, D.C. In
New York City she ran Greenmarket, the largest network of
farmers’ markets in the United States. Nina’s new company,
Real Food, runs markets for farmers and purveyors of
regional and traditional foods” (“About the author,” p. 344).
The author advocates the following: (1) Eat real,
traditional foods rather than more modern “industrial foods.”
These real foods include plenty of meat, fi sh, poultry, eggs,
and dairy products made from whole raw (unpasteurized)
milk from cows grazed outdoors on grass (rather than corn
and soybeans, which cows were not designed by eat by
nature) without synthetic hormones–plus real, organically
grown fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.
(including traditional soy foods), real salt, and dark chocolate
(2) Eat real fats–including butter, beef fat, coconut
oil, lard, and extra-virgin olive oil, including saturated fats
and cholesterol. Avoid industrial fats–such as margarine,
polyunsaturated vegetable oils (including soybean, corn, and
sunfl ower oil), and shortening. (3) Go beyond and disregard
the cholesterol myth; the evidence supporting it is weak. (4)
Stop eating a vegetarian diet, and especially a vegan diet
(which no traditional society has ever practiced).
To start with the section on soy foods: In the Chapter 8,