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Did you know..."What is natto?"

Natto is a traditional Japanese food that is made by fermenting soybeans with 'natto-kin', a fermenting agent which turns soy into Natto.

The origins of Natto

The soybean was introduced into Japan from China at the end of the Jomon period. The origins of ‘natto’ date back to the Yayoi period (300 B.C. ~ 300 A.D) in Japanese history. Dwellings had fireplaces with straw covering the ground. Natto-kin exists in straw and it is speculated that this combination must have resulted in the first ‘natto’ perhaps accidentally, when some soy beans were left to ferment in the warm straw.

There is also speculation that boiled soybeans placed in sacks of rice straw became fermented by the almost 10 million natto spores that is found in a single straw of rice.

'Natto-kin' is a type of good bacteria found in hay. They exist in hay, in the soil, in rice stubbles and even in the air. Natto has been around since the Jomon period when people slept on straw mats and lived in dugouts which served as natural fermentation chambers.

' Natto-kin' have strong enzymes which can dissolve blood clots (thrombi) that cause various heart conditions (myocardial infarctions). 'Natto-kin' also helps prevent dementia and keep calcium from flowing out of bones. Eating natto also promotes blood circulation by lowering cholesterol and has the effect of preventing stiff muscles (such as cricks in the shoulder), dryness of skin and hardening of the arteries. It is also known that 'Natto-kin' work on purifying the intestines by diminishing the growth of colon bacteria.

Natto became a common ‘breakfast’ food from the Edo period onwards (1603 A.D. ~ ) Natto with rice makes a well balanced diet rich in amino-acids, vegetable protein, and carbohydrates.

Natto is naturally fermented and sticky. There is no need to wash it. The stickiness gives it the taste!　

Natto's smell

Natto has a strong smell like blue vein cheese. If smell of fresh natto is too strong for you, cooking can help reduce it's pungent order.

Just like garlic, the smell increases during cooking (with heat), but decreases afterwards, leaving just the tastiness behind. So try using natto in your cooking ! Lots of recipes in our website. Click here for recipes

Natto continues to ferment if it is kept in a warm place. This will cause the smell to get stronger. It is probably best to store natto in the refrigerator, or freeze it for longer storage.

Click to see The health benefits of ‘natto’ from NHK (Japanese public TV program)