Much like Italian gorgonzola, German sauerkraut or Norwegian rakfisk (fermented trout), Japanese natto is one of those foods that people tend to either love or hate. This traditional Japanese food has a distinct, pronounced flavour that prompts a strong reaction one way or the other. But whether it’s to your taste or not, there’s one immutable fact: natto, which is derived from fermented soy beans, is really great for your health. In fact, the nutritionist Nisha Melvani, author of Cooking for Longevity, has gone so far as to call it “the healthiest food on the planet”.
Despite being big part of Japanese culinary tradition, natto is not especially well known in the rest of the world. But given that it’s an incredibly nutritious probiotic food, more of us should learn to appreciate it. Not only does it strengthen the gut’s bacterial flora and the immune system, but it also helps to make our bones stronger.
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What is natto
Natto is a Japanese food with a sticky, stringy texture, umami flavour, a bitter aftertaste and a pungent smell. It is usually served on a bed of rice and seasoned with soy sauce, chives, mustard and sesame oil. In Japan it is typically eaten for breakfast. Natto is an ancient food: legend has it that it was created by accident by a Samurai warrior, Minamoto no Yoshiie, who in the Heian period allowed soy beans to ferment in order to feed his horses.
Traditionally, natto was prepared by placing boiled soy beans (especially yellow ones) in a mat of rice straw, which naturally contains the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, which ferments the sugars in the beans, thus generating natto. In the early 1900s, Bacillus subtilis was isolated in the laboratory, and the preparation of this delicacy became easier and more hygienic.
To make natto today, you start by:
