Okay, the following food subject will either elicit disgust
(probably the majority of readers) or set off that Pavlovian response (probably
the minority of readers) since I’m sure everyone knows what natto is. Yes, those beans with the
pungent odor and slimy texture that leave “threads” from your mouth to the
plate. That’s if you can even get yourself to put it in your mouth. I know,
that was my first reaction too. Who would eat something that reeked of toe-jam
with the consistency of hana-buttah (snot). I mean, I don’t think the human
organism is pre hardwired to desire smelly foods with questionable textures so
I’ll bet everyone – including those who now crave natto – had that same initial reaction. Eat what? Try what?
I used to feel that way – “not getting me to put that in
my mouth” – but I’m a convert now. Well, maybe semi-convert. It all started
with Marukai’s ahi and natto chirashi sushi bento. Cubes of fresh local tuna mixed
with natto and sliced fukujinzuke over sushi rice. Somehow the mixture of pickles and silky fish are
perfectly complemented by the earthy natto.
Then of course there’s Gyotaku’s nattochos or Japanese inspired nachos with
wonton chips in place of tortilla chips covered with natto, spicy ahi poke,
avocado, green onions and daikon
sprouts drizzled with yamaimo (like
the natto isn’t slimy enough). I
could have this dish with a tokkuri
of sake for my whole dinner! But I do
enjoy natto with other players
involved to enhance the eating experience. It’s not that I haven’t tried natto simply placed on a bowl of hot
rice. I have but when consumed alone, natto
simply tastes like used coffee grounds. To me at least. Not really bad but not really
good.
Natto’s Origin
No one really knows the origin of natto. Some references say it was created back in the 500 to 600 AD
range. Others credit the Minamoto clan who accidentally created it after a
surprise attack. Whatever the origins, you know that the first person who
consumed it had to be hungry. Very hungry. Like starve to death or eat it
hungry. And I’m sure it was created by accident. Steamed beans wrapped in straw
that was accidentally misplaced. After several days of fermentation, voila!
“You gonna eat that”? “No, let’s get Mikey to try it”!
But its production is simple. Steamed soybeans combined
with Bacillus subtilis then fermented
for anywhere for a day (if it’s hot) to several days in colder climates and you
have young natto. Refrigerate for a
week to let those “strings” develop then enjoy. The original natto was produced in rice straw as this
straw naturally harbors the essential microorganism Bacillus subtilis. Commercial production omits the rice straw and
simply inoculates the steamed beans with B.
subtilis culture.
Natto Nutrition
Because the soybean is fermented by the bacterial
culture, it undergoes a pre-digestion of the bean proteins making the amino
acids readily available for human digestion. Therefore more of the soybean
protein is absorbed by you compared to simply consuming the plain steamed soybeans
on their own. This fermentation process also creates pyrazine which gives natto its pungent aroma. Interestingly
enough, pyrazine is also found in some of the “stinky” cheeses. Other than just
giving natto that pungent odor, it
also may help reduce blood clot formation.
Natto also
contains a serine protease type of enzyme called nattokinase (it actually is
named as such in scientific journals) which has a direct fibrinolytic activity
to help dissolve established blood clots as well as inhibit the plasma protein
PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor 1) which also helps to reduce clot
formation.
And since natto
does come from soybeans, it has all those potentially wonderful isoflavones
like daidzein and genistein that may help maintain a better cholesterol
profile, ease menopausal symptoms and potentially reduce certain cancers. And
you thought you were just eating a slimy, smelly bean.
Natto Day
I never realized that natto
had a day! But it was on July 10th last month (na represents the number seven while to represents the number 10, hence 7-10 or July 10th).
And in celebration of that day, The Pig and the Lady along with local food
writer/blogger Mari Taketa organized a pop-up dinner highlighting natto. Every dish with natto! And since I’ve always enjoyed the
dishes prepared by the Le Clan, I knew I couldn’t miss this event!
The menu looked like this:
NATTO VICHYSSOISE
wheatgrass,
sprouts
OYSTER
natto froth, green
apple, guava kombucha
BURNT SHALLOTS
tofu, black
garlic, duck fat, tarragon,
natto jus
CARAMELIZED PORK
BELLY
charred natto,
natto chicharron, banana,
lemon balm
CONFIT EGG YOLK
Gouda mousseline,
dried scallop,
smoked date,
chive,
natto and seaweed
brioche
MANGO
natto granite,
yogurt
NATTO ANDAGI
Guinness anglaise,
fig, natto brittle
The vichyssoise was a last minute substitution as the
original menu listed a panna cotta with wheat grass and sprouts – perhaps the
cream never truly set… or someone forgot to chill it long enough but it was a
nice starter with richness upfront, herbal flavor in the middle and
unmistakable natto on the back end.
The oyster appetizer tasted like your traditional oyster on the half shell as
the natto froth simply gave it a
soybean essence. But the burnt shallots! Like slightly charred baby onions with
sweet, savory and rich flavors with the earthy flavor of the natto tying everything together! The
pork belly was also wonderful but the epiphany in this dish was the natto chicharrons. Somehow Chef Le
created a savory chip from natto! Who
cares about Lay’s Cheesy Garlic Bread flavor, give me a bag of natto chicharrons! The last savory
course didn’t really highlight the flavor of natto but a runny egg yolk and cheese sauce will hook me all the
time.
The first dessert was very refreshing especially after several
earthy courses but once again Chef Le created another epiphany with his natto andagi (since it was Obon season)
with natto brittle fused with a
Guinness anglaise sauce! Stunning!
So the next time you get that natto craving, reach for more than a bowl of hot rice and pickles
to pair with those pungent beans. Get creative! Natto refried beans scooped from natto chips? Or perhaps natto
and ume jelly finger sandwiches? Or natto and braised teriyaki beef stuffed into a musubi?
Or even a natto and fresh ginger ice
cream? I’m already looking forward to next year’s Natto Day dinner… perhaps
I’ll even bring a natto dessert of my
own creation!
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