Japan has a profound fermentation culture.
Japan's high level of humidity has made it easy for fermenting microorganisms to thrive. In addition, in the heavy snowfall areas that cover half of Japan, people had to focus on how to preserve food in order to survive the long, harsh winters.
These environmental factors led to the refinement of Japan's fermentation culture. Fermented foods such as soy sauce and miso, which have been used for centuries, are now the cornerstones of Japanese cuisine.
Here are some of the most famous Japanese fermented foods.
- Soy Sauce (醤油 - Shoyu)
- Miso (味噌)
- Natto (納豆)
- Sake (酒)
- Japanese pickles (漬物 - Tsukemono)
- Salted fish (塩辛 - Shiokara)
- Bonito Flakes (鰹節 - Katsuobushi)
Foods made from fermented grains and beans
The following foods and drinks are examples made by fermenting grains and beans.
Soy Sauce (醤油 - Shoyu)
Soy sauce is a typical Japanese fermented seasoning that is indispensable to Japanese cuisine.
It is used everywhere as a seasoning, not only directly used as dipping sauce for Sushi, Gyoza,Tofu, etc., but also in teriyaki sauce and soy sauce ramen soup.
Soy sauce is made from soybeans, wheat, and salt, which are fermented by adding mold.
Miso (味噌)
Miso is another one of Japan's most popular fermented seasonings. Typical dishes using miso include miso soup, miso ramen, simmered mackerel with miso, and many other dishes.
There are many different types of miso, each with a different type of koji fungi to be added. For example, "rice miso" is made from rice with rice koji, soybeans and salt.
Natto (納豆)
Natto is a traditional Japanese food, characterized by its sticky texture and smell.
Natto is made by adding natto bacillus to soybeans and fermenting them.
Fermented soybeans similar to natto are also eaten in other countries.
Indonesia has "tempeh", Nepal and Bhutan have "kinema," , and India has a food called "bahlu".
Sake (酒)
Wine and beer are fermented alcoholic beverages, and sake is made by fermentation as well.
Sake is made from rice, rice malt, and water, and is then "alcohol-fermented".
Food made from fermented vegetables
The following food is made by fermenting vegetables.
Japanese pickles (漬物 - Tsukemono)
Pickles are foods made by pickling various ingredients with salt, vinegar, or sake lees (the leftover bits from the sake making process) and letting them mature.
Pickling also helps to preserve the food. Since ancient times, people have harvested vegetables and other food stuffs in the spring and summer. but it was necessary to preserve the vegetables harvested in the spring and summer since vegetables could not be harvested in the winter.
Since there were no refrigerators in ancient times, pickles were invented as a way to preserve them.
One of the advantages of pickling is that it increases the umami.
Kimchi in Korea and pickles in Europe are famous for the way vegetables are fermented and eaten.
Food made from fermented fish
The following foods are made by fermenting fish.
- Salted fish (塩辛 - Shiokara)
- Bonito Flakes (鰹節 - Katsuobushi)
Salted fish (塩辛 - Shiokara)
Shiokara is a fermented food made by salting and fermenting the meat and organs of fish and shellfish without heating.
Similar to pickles, salted fish and shellfish are preserved and valued as a preserved food. In Korea, there is a food similar to Shiokara called Jeotgal.
Bonito Flakes (鰹節 - Katsuobushi)
Dried bonito flakes are used as a topping for Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki, or as a broth for soups.
Karebushi(枯節), a type of dried bonito flakes, is made by fermentation, where the bonito is boiled down, smoked, and then fermented with katsuobushi bacteria.
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