Have you ever heard of natto or maybe even eaten some natto?
This is a fermented bean dish eaten in Japan and the "A" makes the sound of "A" in father or the "O" in not. So, what is so special about natto?
The first thing you might notice with natto is that it is very sticky and the beans are covered with something like glue. Another thing you may notice is the smell. Some people think of dirty socks when they smell natto. My natto didn't smell that bad, but when I removed the plastic cover my fingers were very sticky until I could go wash them.
You may wonder why the beans are so sticky and have an unusual smell. The answer is simple. The beans are allowed to ferment the same way milk ferments to make cheese. Protein can get smelly after a few months and that is the case with nato.
Certainly something that smells and is sticky like this, must taste very good for people to buy it and eat it after it is rotten. We know that some of the most smelly cheeses also have the most flavor.
In my opinion, natto doesn't have much flavor and when you buy a carton of natto, mustard and something like soy sauce are included. I tried it plain, with the mustard, with the other sauce and with both mixed in. I thought it was better with the mustard/soy sauce mixture. It is not my favorite food but it wasn't actually bad.
The fish, the cooked greens and the cooked egg, all were better tasting than the natto. They also smelled better and didn't offend my lunch companions. I had heard about natto and I decided I should try it and make up my own mind about it.
When you visit Japan you must try some, so you can decide. We also have many other exotic things that we eat here. Some things we eat raw like horse meat and fish, while others are pickled, cooked or fermented. Food in Japan is like no other country.
Look up the words in bold if they are new to you.
:)
Comments
Well, I think swallowing a boiled grasshopper isn't a big deal when other people are eating roasted rats! :P More interestingly, they are also eaten at the time when rice is harvested. :D
I don't think I'm brave enough to try something that smells of dirty socks!
Mr. Bob,
your blog about Natto quite interesting. The way you explained how to pronounce Natto is very interesting.
The three flavors are very new to me and very eager to see it and taste it
Thank you for sharing it! Although I like knowing about other cultures, I am very timid to taste exotic dishes, especially when they are smelly and rotton.For example ,I can not even bear thinking about eating a live octopus.For me, food made by fermentation like some kinds of pickles and this Natto is_sorry to say_ disgusting.
Hmm...this looks and smells like the beans I rescued from the back of my fridge recently. I don't like smelly cheeses, so I probably would not like this dish. But it was wonderful to learn about it! Thanks for sharing! I loved this post!