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

eans’ or ‘fermented black beans’ and as ‘dow si’ (Chinese).
China beans: See Soya / soy bean. Earth nut: See Peanut.
Edamame: Japanese cooking. “Fresh soybean in or out of the
pod.” Firm tofu. Fried tofu puffs. Ground nut: See peanut.
Hard tofu. Hydrogenated fats. See fats. Miso. Naahm yu:
Chinese term. “A cheesy-looking bright red bean curd sauce”
[Red fermented tofu]. Nam yu / Nan yu: See Bean curd
cheese, red. Shoyu: Japanese cooking. Japanese soy sauce.
Soy bean / Soya bean. Glycine soja, also known as “’China
beans,’ ‘Butter Beans’ and ‘Haricot de Java ‘ (French).” Soy
bean jam / condiment. See Main see. Silken tofu. Silken fi rm
tofu. Soya oil. Soya sauce. Soy sauce. Tamari soy sauce.
Tofu. Tofu tempeh [sic].
Not listed: Amazake. Lecithin. Daitokuji natto.
Fermented black beans. Hamanatto. Kudzu. Kuzu.
Meat alternatives. Meat substitutes. Milk alternatives or
substitutes. Milk, nondairy. Milk, soy. Natto. Seitan. Soy
milk. Soy protein concentrate. Soy protein isolate. Soy
protein, textured. Tempeh. Teriyaki sauce. Yuba.
Errors: Arame is not also known as “Hijiki.” Address:
Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
1927. Barber, Linda. 2012. Re: Work with tofu and natto in
Japan. Letter (e-mail) to William Shurtleff at Soyinfo Center,
Jan. 9. 3 p.
• Summary: Introduction: Linda Barber Pike was born and
raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated from the
University of Wisconsin-Stout with a bachelor of science
degree in Home Economics Education, specializing in urban
education (1971). After teaching for 6 years in Milwaukee,
she accepted a position at Kobe College teaching Oral
English and Home Management. It was during this time that
she became interested in Japanese cuisine and indigenous
foods, especially tofu, and natto. After returning to the
United States in 1982, Ms Pike earned a Master of Science
degree in Vocational Education from the University of
Wisconsin-stout. Her thesis, “Development, presentation,
and evaluation of an instruction package on tofu for high
school students” provided a model for introducing tofu to
teenagers in a family consumer class setting.
Linda started a family with Marvin Pike in 1985 and
moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. She returned to teaching
in 1991 as a preschool teacher where her son, Dallis, was
attending. In 1996 she accepted a position at Carmel High
School, Carmel, Indiana in the Family and Consumer
Science Department. She enjoyed teaching Foods and
Nutrition, Foreign Foods, Child Development, and directed
the on-site preschool that offered high school seniors the
opportunity to teach 3 and 4 year olds. From 2005-07,
Linda also enjoyed being an adjunct instructor for Ivy Tech
Community College, Indianapolis, teaching child care
licensure classes. Ms. Pike retired from all teaching in 2010,
except for mentoring Dallis while he is earning a PhD in
educational studies. Linda still enjoys reading books on tofu,
© Copyright Soyinfo Center 2012
HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 590
sampling soy foods at Trader Joes, and serving her friends
healthy snacks that contain tofu hidden in some form.
For most foreigners living in Japan, an English-Japanese
dictionary was the most used book and carried everywhere.
For me, it was The Book of Tofu. It wasn’t long after I arrived
in Kobe in 1977 to teach home management skills to the
young women of Kobe College, that I discovered tofu. A low
teacher’s salary, and lack of western food stuff prompted me
to shop in neighborhood markets. Tofu was always there.
And it was always cheap. But, I had no idea how to prepare
it. I needed a book in English that would help me use this
food stuff.
Lucky for me, I discovered The Book of Tofu. I was
drawn to the illustrations and recipes that used just a few
ingredients. But what really sold me was the recipe for Tofu
Ice Cream. A Wisconsin girl had to have her ice cream, but in
Japan, it was expensive and not readily available.
My Japanese students and friends were amazed when I
put tofu in a blender and added sugar and cocoa. They were
amazed when I pulled it out of the freezer and scooped it into
bowls. The were delighted with the taste. For me, it was the
beginning of a soy food journey that continues to this day.
My students and I had faculty teas with tofu cookies,
cheesecake and quiche. Soon these parties became news and
I was asked to do short cooking segments at various T.V.
networks. Making western-style recipes from a Japanese
food such as tofu or natto was considered an oddity. I
traveled all over Japan making T.V. appearances. For a tofu
and natto company I developed recipes for their products
and starred in their commercials to promote these products.
I designed food layouts and recipes for their company’s
brochure. Various printed media companies were also
expressing interest in recipes and ideas that used tofu and
natto in western ways. I began giving magazine interviews
about western ways to use Japanese soy foods. It was after
I learned how to make tofu in my kitchen, that the Kobe
YWCA asked that I teach classes to their Japanese members.
My adult Japanese students did not know how to do this,
as they purchased their tofu from supermarkets and small
markets, much like Americans would buy bread from the
grocery store and not know how to make bread from scratch.
I had fun creating western style recipes for tofu and
natto and found it easy because of my background in food
science. I simply used tofu in recipes where a protein like
eggs was included. Because natto tasted like aged Wisconsin
cheese to me, I included natto in dishes that used cheddar.
One of my last projects included co-authoring a cook book,
The Tofu Gourmet (in English), published in Japan. It is still
available all over the world.
Besides recipes, The Book of Tofu became a travel guide
for me. I wanted to visit the places, restaurants, and shops
that were highlighted in the book. Mentioning The Book of
Tofu and its author, Bill Shurtleff, I was welcomed in these
shops and allowed to photograph how the foods were made.