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

manufacturing yields, digestibility, utilization of bean curd
and manufactured products, bean curd brains or tofu nao, dry
bean curd or tofu khan, thousand folds {chien chang tofu},
fried bean curd {tza tofu}, Fragrant dry bean curd {hsiang
khan}, frozen tofu {kori tofu}, Chinese preparation, various
dishes), natto, hamananatto [hamanatto], yuba, miso, shoyu
[soy sauce], confections. 14. Table dishes of soybeans and
soybean products: mature or dry beans, fl our, tofu, sprouts
(86 recipes). 15. Enemies of the soybean: bacterial, mosaic,
fungous [fungus], and nematode diseases, insects, rodents.
This last chapter is a comprehensive review of the literature
on soybean diseases and insects published before 1922.
The Preface begins: “The soybean, also known as soya
or soja bean, has assumed great importance in recent years
and offers far-reaching possibilities of the future, particularly
in the United States. It is, therefore, desirable to bring
together in a single volume the accumulated information
concerning this crop...
“The aim has been to present the information so as
to make it useful from both agricultural and commercial
standpoints, not omitting, however, much that is mainly of
historical or botanical interest...”
The introduction begins: “There is a wide and growing
belief that the soybean is destined to become one of the
leading farm crops in the United States.”
Note 1. C.V. Piper lived 1867-1926. Note 2. This is the
earliest English-language document seen (July 2003) that
uses the term “soybean bran” to refer to soy bran.
Note 3. This is the earliest document seen (July 2003)
in which Piper or Morse describe natto, Hamananatto
[Hamanatto], yuba, or miso.
Note 4. This book was published by March 1923
(See Ohio Farmer, 10 March 1923, p. 313). Address: 1.
Agrostologist; 2. Agronomist. Both: United States Dep. of
Agriculture, Washington, DC.
153. Piper, Charles V.; Morse, William J. 1923. Natto
(Document part). In: Piper and Morse. 1923. The Soybean.
New York: McGraw-Hill. xv + 329 p. See p. 244-45. [1 ref]
• Summary: “Natto, a sort of vegetable cheese prepared
from soybeans, has long been used by the Buddhists and
is now used extensively by the Japanese. Although it is
made throughout Japan, the method of manufacture varies
somewhat with the locality, the different kinds being
associated with the place of manufacture such as Tokyo
natto, Kyoto natto, etc.
“In preparing natto, the soybeans are boiled in water
for about fi ve hours to render them exceedingly soft. The
material while still hot, is wrapped in small portions (about
a handful) in rice straw and the bundles tied at both ends
(Fig. 70) are placed in a cellar or room (Fig. 71) heated by
hot water or charcoal. The room is then closed for about
24 hours, the temperature ranging from 35 to 40ºC., this
allowing the cooked beans to ferment in the warm, moist
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HISTORY OF NATTO AND ITS RELATIVES 93
atmosphere.
“Another method is to put the cooked beans in a box
with cut straw placed over and closed with a lid. The box
is then placed in a stove for 24 hours at a temperature of
35 to 40ºC. The fermented product is a thick viscid mass
having a peculiar but not offensive odor. The amount of natto
produced is about double the quantity of beans used.
“Although the moderate heat of the cellar or rooms acts
for only 24 hours, there is evidently a considerable bacterial
fermentation. Yabe (1897) [sic, 1894 or 1895] made a
rather extensive study of the microorganisms and chemical
composition of natto. This investigator found one species of
bacillus and three of micrococcus present...
“In addition to being a highly nutritious food, it is quite
probable that Natto is more easily digested than the soybean,
as it is very soft and contains more peptone. The average
composition of natto is as follows: Water, 61.84%; albumen,
19.26; fat, 8.17; carbohydrates, 6.09; cellulose, 2.80; ash,
1.84.
“Natto is used commonly as a side dish and also as a
material for confections. It is usually eaten with drops of soy
sauce.
A table (p. 245, based on Yabe 1894) compares
the nitrogenous substances in soybeans and natto made
from those same soybeans. Unfortunately the table was
reproduced incorrectly so that most of the values are wrong.
For the correct values see Yabe 1894, “On the vegetable
cheese, natto.”
Photos show (p. 243): (1) About ten Japanese women
and men sitting on bundles of straw in a room, “packing a
handful of boiled soybeans into fresh rice straw wrappers
in preparation of natto.” (2) Two Japanese men in a brickwalled
natto fermenting room. One is looking in through the
small, low entrance door. Each holds a bundle of the straw
wrappers.
Note: This is the earliest document seen in which Piper
or Morse describe natto.
154. Piper, Charles V.; Morse, William J. 1923. Tables
(Document part). In: Piper and Morse. 1923. The Soybean.
New York: McGraw-Hill. xv + 329 p.
• Summary: Tables: (1) Acreage, production and yield of
soybean seeds in the United States. Gives statistics for each
for 1918, 1919, and 1920 for 14 states, other, and total. The
states are listed in descending order of soybean acreage in
1921, as follows: North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Illinois,
Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Indiana,
Georgia, Pennsylvania, S. Carolina, Mississippi.
(2) Estimates of soybean production of Manchuria for
various years (in million tons): 1906 = 0.6. 1907 = 0.6 to 0.9.
1908 = 1.150. 1909 = 1.150. 1910 = 1.4. 1913 = 1.2 1921 =
4.52.
(3) Cost of production of soybeans per acre in
Manchuria, 1910. (4) Monthly capacity of steam oil mills at