Natto the nasty
Every culture has at least one food that they love, but the rest of the world just doesn’t understand. Australia has Vegemite, America has Dr Peppers, and Japan has Natto. These substances have a main stream following in their home country but the rest of the world finds them downright disgusting. There is no better example than Natto.
Natto is a fermented bean product that is eaten by the truckload all over Japan. It is primarily breakfast food, but I’m sure there are secret Natto clubs in back alleys and basements that serve it all day long. Some people eat it because it is claimed to be very healthy. Others eat it because they always have ( as did their parents and their parent’s parents). Still others eat it for the same reason that people chew tobacco - even though it tastes bad and will probably kill you - it is sort of cool.
Natto is sticky…very sticky. And smelly. It reminds me of the smell of my running shoes combined with the stickiness of half dry contact adhesive. It is made by fermenting (rotting) soy beans with water and the result is packaged in small doses with a thick black sauce or some yellow mustard.
Now I am probably culturally insensitive and I am no expert on the subject but my little experience has led me to believe that Natto is untouchable. I will try anything, and this is the third time I have tried Natto, and I still didn’t make it through the whole serving. The problem is half smell, half stickiness and half flavour (the number of halves tells you something about how little I like it). I am sure that others will love Natto if they try it, but not me. When Japanese people ask if I like Japanese food, I say “Yes, everything except Natto” and they just laugh “Of course!”
I don’t want to turn you off trying Natto, but at least now you are warned. Don’t take a trip through the desert with only Natto to keep you alive, until you’ve tried it for yourself.
P.S I am writing this with the half eaten packet on the table, and my wife just came into the room and said something like “Could you get rid of that stuff, it smells like something has died in here!” Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Tags: Breakfast, Ingredient Spotlight, JapaneseRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Breakfast, Ingredient Spotlight, Japanese
7 opinions for Natto the nasty
Chesu
Nov 10, 2007 at 6:36 am
The only advice I can offer for eating Natto is first stopping by your local hyaku-en shop and buying either nose plugs (but really, who in Japan swims often enough to warrant the sale of these?) or clothes pins.
..Okay, seriously though, if you can get over the smell (note: you can’t), Natto is actually kind of edible. I recommend eating it at room temperature on toast, with chopped chives sprinkled on top.
Tom, I have a question that you may be able to answer. When you hear yakitori, you think of skewered chicken, right? I’ve never heard the name yakitori applied to anything else… yet isn’t the name a big vague? How does something as unspecific as ‘cooked bird’ refer to something as specific as skewered chicken?
Chesu
Nov 10, 2007 at 6:50 am
Sorry, that should have been “a bit vague”.. That’s what I get for not proofreading.
Jennifer Gomez
Nov 10, 2007 at 10:48 am
I LOVE natto! and I am american.. and just tried it after reading an article. I have secret cravings for natto. But you didn’t just eat it straight, did you? I mean, even traditionally, they put it on warm rice, with a bit of scrambled egg and soy sauce, right? And, I have never even attempted to eat an entire serving in one go. I usually do about half - usually mixed with a bit of homemade kimchi.
Too bad you have all that natto and hate it so much! (also, I haven’t been brave enough to try another brand… the one I first got, I loved! so, what if that is the best one? and the others are gross???)
dimps
Nov 12, 2007 at 2:31 am
I’m from the North-East region of India and we also have our version of fermented soya beans. This is popular only amongst certain N-E states and it is called BEKANG or AKHUNI (depending on the state) or simply- stinky beans (by friends from mainland India). I looove love fermented soya beans- fresh or sun-dried. We add it in chutneys (savoury or sweet sauces which accompany the main course) or we add it in vegetable stews.
Although our version is not as sticky as natto appears to be in your picture, it probably smells similar :-)
Heres a simple way of preparing fermented beans-
Heat a table spoon of oil (sunflower/groundnut/soya)
add chopped shallots, ginger & green (fresh) chillies.
Once browned, add a chopped tomato and fry till mushy.
Add 2 tablespoons of the fermented beans and fry for additional 2-5 mins.
Salt to taste and voila! My fav BEKANG dish :-)
Chris
Nov 12, 2007 at 6:40 pm
The Chinese have their own version of stinky food…”stinky fermented tofu”. You can’t miss the store that sells it as the smell hits you 2 blocks away! It is a delicacy and craved by many!
The Malaysians(and I think Indons too) have “buah petai” which is a stinky bean. It doesn’t smell when you cook it but it does when you bite into it!! Plus, you get to smell it again after your kidneys have processed it!
Kirk
Nov 12, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Hey Tom - My Mother used to eat Natto several times a week. My Grandparents were from Fukushima, so it was comfort food in their household. I find that nowadays, natto doesn’t smell as bad….I could just be immune. But natto has nothing on Kusaya! Oh my…….
Fentry
Dec 27, 2007 at 10:00 am
My Japanese friend decided to play a trick on me when I was a kid and we went to a restaurant; the chef eventually came out to watch me eat the huge amount of Natto I was eating with gusto. I love it! And I guess I one-up Ms. Gomez (above), because I can eat several servings at once, any time of day and love it plain too. I’m never happy when I can’t find it! To each, his own, I guess–but I love the stuff!
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