Natto

Despite the fact that Japanese cuisine for many is invariably rice and sushi, it has just a huge amount of a wide variety of food and dishes. Take, for example, natto or traditional Japanese food, which is a fermented soybeans. Basically, it is customary to eat natto for breakfast, often combined with rice, daikon, soy sauce, and even sugar sand.

The word "natto" itself translates to "stored beans. " It is not known exactly when natto appeared, but some compare its occurrence with the beginning of rice cultivation and the use of rice straw, with which the preparation of this product took place. By the way, in literary sources one of the very first references to this type of food dates back to 106

8.

An important change in the manufacture of natto took place between the 19th and 20th centuries, when scientists discovered a hay stick, through which the process of fermenting beans without using rice straw became possible. This fact led to a significant simplification of the production process. Currently, natto has gained great popularity among the inhabitants of Japan, or rather its eastern part. True, not too much is known about this product outside the country.

As is known, to obtain natto, boiled soybeans, which were previously wrapped in rice straws, were fermented for a day, after which the fermented product moved to a cooler place. There, natto was stored until soybeans acquired a characteristic gravitas - this could take up to a week.

Today, natto is divided into 2 types: salted or as it is called in Japan - siokara natto, as well as viscous - itohiki natto. By the way, at present, when natto is mentioned, they imply precisely the sticky and viscous itochiki of natto, which is fermented by a hay stick. It is worth noting that this is a rather specific product with a rather strong, ammonia smell. Often it resembles the characteristic smell of certain varieties of cheese. Natto has a sticky consistency and a brackish taste.

By the way, according to many guests of the country, natto can hardly be called delicious food, but at the same time, some people call it a delicatessen dish. Opinions about natto are so different that they can be compared to people's attitude towards blue French cheese with mold.

In general, natto is eaten with rice, often mixed with mustard, soy sauce, grated daikon or green feather onions. It is also added to dishes such as salads and spaghetti. Natto can be fried or dried, and when dried, natto is used as an appetizer - it does not smell so much and is less viscous.