Photos: By MATSUMOTO Nakako Consumer Co-operative Kobe (left), Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives, Japan (middle left/middle right/right), Morita Co. (background photo on next page: traditional miso warehouse) Miso (soybean paste) is a traditional miso soup has its problems, however. As used to propagate the mold, miso can be food indispensable in the Japanese diet. it has been said since the olden times that classified into three types: rice, barley It has its origin in China, where it was “rice is a salt-carrying vehicle,” the best and soybean. The period of maturing made centuries before Christ. The way to enjoy rice is to eat it with some- miso varies widely, ranging from 10 days progenitor of miso was brought to Japan thing salty. The traditional miso soup to three years. around the 6th century A.D. Since inevitably leads to excessive intake of salt. If we classify miso according to the then, miso has been made in numerous However, as a result of efforts to reduce type of koji used, there are only three parts of the country, using local soy- the amount of miso used, today’s miso types. However, there are numerous beans, rice or barley. As it was made to soup is only half as salty as that of some types of miso because of the working of a suit local climates and tastes, it devel- years ago as the density of salt has been great variety of microbes during the fer- oped into distinctively Japanese miso. cut by almost half. Another problem is menting process and also because of the Miso was used primarily to make miso that Japan’s self-sufficiency rate of soy- difference in the quantity of salt added soup. The combination of cooked rice beans, one of the principal ingredients of and also in the period of maturing. and miso soup for breakfast is the proto- miso, has fallen to as low as 3%-5%. As Local climates and conditions under type of a Japanese meal, which has not in the case of other foods, raising its self- which miso is made also affect the final changed over the years. For many sufficiency is an important priority. product. Many years ago, each family Japanese whose staple food is rice, eating made its own miso. It is said that even if miso, with its many amino acids, was How to Make Miso & Types of Miso one used the same ingredients as one’s nutritionally salutary as rice lacks protein. neighbor, no two families were able to Before Japan’s high economic growth in In order to make miso, first steam and make the same miso because different the 1960s, an ordinary Japanese meal pound soybeans into paste, add koji and microbes lived in different homes. As generally consisted of rice, miso soup, salt, mix them well and let them fer- miso passed down in each family was cooked vegetables and a pickled vegetable ment. Koji is made by propagating thought to nurture the lives of family or two. Today, many Japanese also eat molds that break down starch. For members, there was even a folk belief in protein dishes, including eggs and fish. making miso, a mold called Aspergillus numerous parts of the country that said A meal consisting of cooked rice and sojae is used. Depending on the material that when miso goes bad, there will be a death in the family. There still remain Photos: Miso Health Promotion Committee, Consumer Co-operative Kobe many votive shrines where people prayed so their miso would turn out well. When miso was homemade, each family must have taken pride believing “our miso tastes best.” Today, people usually buy miso at stores. Miso has different names depend- ing on the type of koji used, the amount of salt, color, the place of production, and so on. Roughly speaking, rice miso (which uses rice koji) accounts for 80% of total output and is used throughout the country. Barley miso (barley koji) is consumed primarily in Kyusyu in south- ern Japan while soybean miso is con- sumed around Nagoya, central Japan.
Miso Soup & Other Miso Dishes Miso soup Miso soup is a simple soup. First make dashi (broth) with kelp, dried bonito shavings or dried small sardines,
44 JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • November / December 2007 JAPAN’S FOOD CULTURE
put in some tofu (bean curd) , vegetables In summer, for example, a small amount Miso-ni (cooked with miso) Photo: or other ingredients cut into small pieces of salty miso is used to make a “light” Fish with a Consumer Co-operative Kobe and finally add miso to season it. The soup, while in winter a large amount of very strong Japanese have eaten miso soup every not-so-salty miso is used to make a “rich” fishy smell, morning for at least 800 years. In the soup. Miso soup offers a most effective such as mack- 16th century, when Francisco Xavier stage for food to represent the season. erel and sar- brought Christianity to Japan, a The tastiness of miso soup comes from dines, are coo- “Japanese-Portuguese dictionary” was its aroma. When one brings miso soup ked with miso. compiled for the study of the Japanese in a lacquered bowl up to his or her This removes language by missionaries. In that dictio- mouth, it gives its unique aroma, which the fishy smell nary, miso is defined as “a mixture of is very soothing to the spirit. It is and makes the dish tasty. soybeans, rice and salt, which is used to important not to boil miso soup because season soup,” suggesting that even in doing so will kill its aroma. The secret Miso-ae (dressed with miso) Photo: those days, miso was recognized as some- of making a good miso soup is to let it Use miso Consumer Co-operative Kobe thing for making miso soup. Spreading boil for only a fraction of a second after dressing like Christianity in Japan was not an easy adding miso to it. mayonnaise to task. Alessandro Valignano, a Jesuit make aemono inspector, thought that the impediment Other miso dishes (Japanese sal- to spreading Christian teaching in Japan A tablespoonful of miso contains 2 ad) of vegeta- was in the diet. So, he banned meat grams of salt. Therefore, miso can be bles, seafood, from missionaries’ diet and ordered used in place of salt. It can be added to chicken, etc. them to eat the same food as the salad dressings or mayonnaise. If used Depending on Japanese did. However, the unaccus- for sautéing fish or meat, miso can the ingredi- tomed diet of cooked rice and miso soup enhance its taste. ents, vinegar, sesame seeds or mustard is with leafy vegetables appears to have In Japanese cooking, miso is used as a added to miso. been almost painful to the missionaries. seasoning in practically every cooking The smell of miso soup, in particular, technique, including broiling. Miso-zuke (pickled in miso) appears to have been difficult for them. Sometimes miso is also used in sweets as These pickles are made by pickling Today, however, when people travel in adzuki bean paste and rice crackers. Japanese radishes, burdock and other back and forth across cultures so easily, Photo: vegetables in miso. Since miso-zuke miso is exported as a seasoning to many Dengaku Consumer Co-operative Kobe keeps well, this was a staple side dish in countries and territories, including the Dengaku is olden days. Today, miso-zuke is not United States, Singapore, Taiwan, skewered and eaten very often. Britain and Canada. broiled tofu In addition to the fact that cooking with dengaku Kashiwa-mochi (rice cake wrapped in with miso is very simple, there appear to miso, sweet an oak leaf) Photo: Kasyuan be two factors that have helped the miso paste, on Make dou- Japanese eat miso soup without ever get- top. To pre- gh with rice ting tired of it. One is that it can be pare dengaku flour, wrap enjoyed with a wide range of ingredients miso, add sug- sweet miso in it. Since the composition of miso is ar and sake to miso, and put it on slow paste with this very complex, as sugars, amino acids, heat, stirring constantly, until it dough and organic and inorganic acids and other becomes a paste. It can also be made steam. Then substances are refined during its fermen- with taro potatoes or fish. wrap it in an tation process, it has a very strong oak leaf. Sweet buffering effect. That is to say that even Miso-yaki (broiled with miso) miso paste is made by adding white miso Photo: if acid or alkaline ingredients are put in This is a Consumer Co-operative Kobe to sweet bean paste made with white miso soup, it does not change the soup’s fish dish in adzuki beans. It is a special sweet for taste. In addition, as miso contains a which fish is Children's Day (May 5). substance that removes fishy smells, fish covered with and meat having distinct smells (such as miso until it carp and pork) can be used as ingredi- absorbs miso’s Matsumoto Nakako is Professor Emeritus, ents in addition to such usual ingredi- flavor and tas- Kagawa Nutrition University, where she taught ents as tofu, vegetables, taro, seaweed or te, and then from 1966 to 2006. She specializes in food shellfish. broiled. This acceptability and her principal themes of Another factor is that it is possible to cooking technique allows fish with research have been the history of food in Japan change the degree of concentration of watery meat, which does not have much and Japanese food preferences. salt in the soup according to the season. taste, to make a savory dish.
JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • November / December 2007 45