Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Healthy fermented foods (1) - Trying to eat natto

The middle of March may be the worst season for those allergic to pollen. In Hamamatsu, there are many cider and Japanese cypress (hinoki) trees in the mountainous area, which were originally planted for a flood control project for Tenryu River east of the city during the Meiji period (1868-1912). Now they are used as high-quality timber, but there are also people allergic to them.

One of my cousins used to suffer from allergy in spring. Several years ago, he said his pollen allergy got better while he ate natto every day. Natto is fermented soybeans and may be considered one of the strangest foods in Japan. Since this is my cousin’s personal experience, I’m not sure if natto can help other people to improve their allergy. But at least, fermented foods are said to be good for our health. So, recently, I have been trying to eat them, especially natto, as often as possible. In Hamamatsu, we ate it neither at home nor at school when I was little. For me, it was like an exotic food that I tried to eat when I traveled to other regions in Japan and stayed at Japanese-style hotels. Even now I don’t really like it, but I have become more health conscious because of the coronavirus.

This is natto I usually buy in the basement of JR Hamamatsu Station. Natto is often sold with three packs at a reasonable price.


It is often accompanied with sauce and mustard. As with natto of other manufacturers, the sauce contains dried bonito broth. So, I use just mustard.


Natto looks like this when the wrap is removed.


Then, it is stirred with chopsticks to become stickier. I heard this stickiness is good for our body, but…


Usually, I also add soy sauce. It is bitter, and I have never thought it is delicious. But natto is highly nutritious, containing protein, vitamin B6, kalium, magnesium, iron, vitamin E, calcium, vitamin B2, and fiber. According to some websites, it can regulate the functions of the intestines and improve immune strength. It may be important to prevent diseases such as cold, influenza, and other infections.

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