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

(mung bean / green gram), orey (red kidney bean / rajma),
and baesrem (peas)...” in the national language (Dzongkha)
(p. 221). A table (p. 223) shows that each of the nine crops
has a different name in the country’s three other major
languages.
“The immature peas and soybean pods are boiled and
the inner part [the green beans] is eaten” (p. 229).
“The most important use of red kidney beans (orey)
and soybeans (lebe) is processing them into Lebe Yhitpa
by fermenting the half-boiled beans naturally in bamboo
containers.” The resulting fermented food “typically has a
pungent smell and can be used to prepare varieties of curry
and aezay [red chili paste, a mixture of chilli powder, cheese,
tomato, onion, and salt (p. 228)]. Lebe Yhitpa is considered
to be similar to natto of Japan and Chungkok-jang of Korea”
(p. 229-30). Address: British Open University [UK].
1883. Ryôri kenkyû-ka Hamauchi Chinami san totteoki
nattô pawaa hyaku nijippaasento katsuyo reshipi hachijûgo
[Cooking specialist Chinami Hamauchi’s specially reserved
natto power 120%: 85 practical recipes]. 2008. Tokyo:
Nikkeibipisha. 95 p. 28 cm. [Jap]*
1884. Yan, Lin; Spitznagel, Edward L. 2009. Soy
consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of a
meta-analysis. American J. of Clinical Nutrition 89(4):1155-
63. April. [53 ref]
• Summary: The researchers found a 26% reduction in risk
of prostate cancer for men with the highest soy food intake,
compared to those with the lowest soy food intake. This was
increased to a 30% reduction when the reported intake was
of non fermented soy products (e.g. tofu, soymilk). However,
fermented soy products (e.g., natto) were not associated with
reduced risk. The authors concluded that consumption of soy
foods is associated with a reduction in prostate cancer risk
in men. This protection may be associated with the type and
quantity of soy foods consumed. Address: 1. Grand Forks
Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research
Service, USDA, Grand Forks, North Dakota; 2. Department
of Mathematics, Washington Univ., St Louis, Missouri.
1885. Soyfoods Canada Newsletter.2009. Canadian
soybeans–a sustainable crop. Spring. p. 4.
• Summary: “Canada accounts for almost 2% of the world’s
soybean production. In 2007, approximately 2,700,000
tonnes [metric tons] were produced in Canada, on 2,870,657
acres (1,161,755 hectares). Soybeans are grown in three
provinces: 215,006 acres in Manitoba, 434,715 acres in
Quebec, and 2,224,936 acres in Ontario.
“Canadian soybean producers are known for innovative
and sustainable production practices... Canada’s soybean
industry is known for its superior ability to segregate and
trace soybean crops from seed through to end user, referred
to as Identity Preservation (IP).
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 574
“Over 40%, or about 1.7 million tonnes of Canadiangrown
soybeans are exported to markets such as Japan,
Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They are
used to make Asian food staples such as tofu, miso, natto,
and soymilk. Japan only produces about 12% of its own
country’s food grade soybean requirements, and their
consumers demand non-genetically modifi ed product.
Japanese buyers value Canadian soybeans because of our
industry’s IP ability.
“Growing soybeans leaves a relatively small carbon
footprint. As a legume, the soybean plant’s ability to ‘fi x’ its
own nitrogen virtually eliminates the need for petroleumbased
nitrogen fertilizer. The wide canopy of leaves formed
by soybean plants helps to minimize the need for herbicide
sprays.”
1886. Bindloss, Joseph; Elliott, Mark; Horton, Patrick;
James, Kate. 2009. Northeast India. 2nd ed. Footscray,
Victoria, Australia; Oakland, California; London: Lonely
Planet. 384 p. See p. 70-72. Illust. 20 cm.
• Summary: This is a guidebook. The section titled
“Regional cuisines” (p. 70+) notes that in Sikkim [a
state in northern India, nestled in the Himalayas], as in
“Nepal and Bhutan, Sikkimse cooks take their inspiration
from Tibet.” During “the harsh winters, Sikkimese cooks
turn to fermented ingredients such as kinema (preserved
soybeans),...”
In Meghalaya (p. 71): “Many dishes feature the pungent
fl avour of tungrymbai (fermented soybeans), similar to
Sikkimese kinema.”
In Nagaland (p. 71-72) “many dishes are fl avoured with
chilli and akhuni (fermented soybeans).”
1887. Subba, Tanka Bahadur. comp. 2009. Indian Nepalis:
issues and perspectives. New Delhi, India: Concept
Publishing Co. xvii + 398 p. See p. 305, 310. 23 cm. Papers
presented at the Conference on Identity and Nationality of
the Indian Nepalis: Issues and Perspectives, held at Gangtok
during 20-22 April 2006.
• Summary: One chapter is “Food and identity: A study of
the Nepalis of Sikkim and Darjeeling,” by J.P. Tamang. Page
305: “... in Manipur a similar product is known as hawaijar;
the Mizos call it Bekang-um...” “Traditional Asian fermented
soybean foods” are also mentioned.
1888. Tamang, Jyoti Prakash. 2009. Food and identity:
A study among the Nepalis of Sikkim and Darjeeling. In:
Tanka B. Subba, A.C. Sinha, G.S. Nepal, and D.R. Nepal,
eds. 2009. Indian Nepalis: Issues and Perspectives. New
Delhi, India: Concept Publishing. xvii + 398 p. See p. 297-
310. Papers presented at the Conference on Identity and
Nationality of the Indian Nepalis: Issues and Perspectives,
held at Gangtok, 20-22 April 2006. [Eng]
• Summary: Page 3 contains a basic description of kinema.