Natto
What's the "Natto"?
There are some views about when Japanese people first started making natto. Some say from the Muromachi oeriod and others say from the Heian era.Any way,natto has a long history and it countinues to be one of two great fermented foods,as well as miso,for a long time.
Now about 70thousand tons are produced per year ,and has become indispensable to the Japanese diet.
Soy beans are turned into natto by a becteria which are called bacillus natto. Becillus natto is the type of Bacillus subtilis, but unlike normal Bacillus subtilis,Bacillus natto can not grow without the cocenzyme vitamin needed to produce a fatty acid called biotin.
How to make "Natto"?
Steamed soybeans are wrapped in a bundled straw called a "Straw Wrapper" and keep warm about 40℃ for about a day. Then, the bacteria would die at such high temperatures.However, because spores of Bacillus natto have heat resistance, the fungus will survive and increase. In this way, fermentation proceeds by growing only Bacillus natto so soybeans turn into natto.
In addition, Bacillus natto secrete a variety of enzymes.
For example, flavored with natto by protease, and make it thready by nattokinase.
Why are there difference that feel "Natto" smells bad or not?
I suppose there are many people who read this think "I don't like natto because of smells!"However, there are far more foreigners hated natto than Japanese do.
In addition, occasionally doing street interviews in news, "Which kind of Japanese food do you hate?" asked foreigners and most of them replied "Natto!" Why is this?
Human taste will be decided about 12-year-old and to feel good about what to eat by this time and without eating may feel weird.
That is why many foreigners say "I don't like natto because of its smell ." Because they never eat natto by 12 years old.
Is this true that "Natto" become good with mixing well?
Sticky natto is made from ingredients called glutamate and fructan.Glutamate is one of the components in the taste.
More and more you stir natto, it increases the taste ingredient and come to good taste.