Natto - Traditional Foods in Japan | Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Fermented foods

IbarakiNatto

Classification (Large)

Agricultural products

Classification (Small)

Processed bean products

Main ingredients used

soybeans

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Region of inheritance

Central region (Mito City)

Product overview (special characteristics and types)

It goes without saying that natto is a famous specialty of Mito. In the past, the Mito clan had encouraged farming of early-maturing soybeans to harvest before typhoons to prepare for flooding of the Naka River. However, these early-matured soybeans were too small to be used for soy sauce or miso, so focus was put on natto as a delicious, processed food using the smaller soybeans. Even to this day, a feature of natto from Mito is the small soybeans. In the Edo period (1603-1867), natto became a common household food, served in soups or eaten with soy sauce.
Even now, natto is easy to find in shops such as supermarkets, or made at home. It is also produced and sold at famous natto stores in Mito. There are many types of natto available as well, such as the natto sold in packs, kyogi natto (which uses thin sheets of pine wood as its container), warazuto natto which uses traditional straw wrappings, soboro (shoboro) natto, which is pickled with dried strips of daikon radish, and dried hoshi natto. These diverse types are also popular as gifts for tourists.
Natto features the rich nutritional value of soybeans that is boosted by fermentation. It is full of nutrients necessary for maintaining good health, such as Bacillus subtilis var. natto, which corrects the intestinal environment, nattokinase, which thins the blood, soy isoflavone, which works similar to female hormones, and polyamine, which is an anti-aging ingredient.

History and culture

There is a legend stating that Minamoto no Yoshiie, a military commander during the Heian period (794-1185), triggered natto’s introduction in Mito. On his way to Oshu, Minamoto no Yoshiie found that simmered beans wrapped in straw to feed the warhorses had taken on a stringy consistency. His servants tried it and found it extremely tasty, and offered it to Yoshiie, who was overjoyed. After that, as soybeans and straw were ingredients that even commoners could easily acquire, the food spread amongst farmers in the vicinity.
The natto in Mito was a regional dish for many years, but as it started to be sold on train platforms with the opening of the Mito Railway (the current JR Mito Line) in 1889, Mito became famous for its natto production. Small-bean natto is easy to mix with rice, and became known for its small and tasty beans, going on to become famous throughout Japan as a souvenir.

Production method

Bacillus subtilis var natto is sprayed onto soybeans and packed into containers. The beans are slowly fermented in rooms under temperature and humidity control, after which the natto is cooled and matured to complete the product. This is a simple manufacturing process, and it is said that the temperature and humidity control from fermentation to maturation is the key creating a delicious taste.

Conservation and succession efforts

Warazuto natto is a type manufactured through traditional methods of stuffing simmered beans by hand into bundles of rice straw for fermentation. Nowadays it is sold as a souvenir or gift.
However, in recent years, the shrinking pool of farmers who produce rice straw and labor for processing straw wrappers has led to a shortage of straw wrappers. For this reason, Mito farmers have started to produce and dry rice straw using new methods, and through careful processing at welfare facilities, they are making efforts to supply high-quality straw wrappers.
With the cooperation of the Mito City and other entities, the Mito Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been conducting contests on how to eat natto. They are striving to promote natto consumption by calling out for natto recipes from all over Japan, publishing information online about dishes that even children who dislike natto can eat and creative winning entries.

Main consumption method

The central region of the prefecture, where natto is a household staple, is home to various traditional dishes using natto. One of these is shoboro (soboro) natto, in which strips of dried daikon radish are chopped and mixed with natto. Daikon radish is also a major crop in this prefecture, and households made dried daikon radish strips as preserved food. When people used soybeans from the autumn harvest for natto and distributed it to neighbors and temples, dried daikon radish strips were mixed as well and pickled in salt with added soy sauce and mirin to create a preserved food so that leftover natto could be enjoyed for long periods of time. This dish was left to sit for approximately a month to allow the flavors to thoroughly soak in before eating. As it is a fairly salty food, it is often eaten with rice or as topping for ochazuke or an appetizer when drinking alcohol. The contrast between the soft texture of natto and crispy texture of the dried daikon radish strips is wonderful, and the ease of preparing it makes this type of natto a popular one made at home.
Hoshi natto, which is dried natto, has a concentrated umami and nutrient content due to being dried, and offers another way to enjoy natto. It has a crunchy texture and is often eaten as a snack with tea or as an appetizer when drinking alcohol.

At-home recipes：Natto and okra in dressing

Ingredients

Natto

1 pack

Okra

6 pcs.

Salt

Small amount

Soy sauce

Small amount

Dried bonito flakes

Small amount

How to make

Rub okra with salt to remove the fuzz, cook it in salted water, and cut into small pieces.

Put natto and the okra from 1 above in a bowl, mix them well, and season with soy sauce.

Put them in a dish and sprinkle dried bonito flakes on it.