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Make Your Own Natto

Natto is a simple, basic Japanese food made from fermented soybeans . This unusual and traditional food has been known in Japan for two thousand years or more, and has been now recognized as a food beneficial to the health of the consumer. The health benefits are considered preventative, for example , to prevent intestinal diseases, obesity, osteoporosis, heart attacks, and even cancer. It is recognized that the "bacillus natto", the bacteria that causes the fermentation also creates amino acids, enzymes, and vitamins which are beneficial to human health; two compounds created in the fermentation, specifically pyrazine and nattokinase , dissolve and even prevent blood clots, which are well known to cause stroke.

Soybeans themselves, as a crop that improves soil condition by the legume nitrogen-fixing process, grow well on marginal quality lands. High in protein and oils, soybeans are a highly desirable crop.

Clearly, there are many reasons to make Natto and use it as a food source. In a hungry world, soybeans are easily produced. Vegans , healthy-food addicts and environmentally concerned people alike will appreciate the fact that Natto is a probiotic, natural food, and contains high quantities of vitamin K, and the essential vitamin B12 , a vitamin relatively absent in a meat-free diet, but very plentiful in Natto.
The "sticky threads" of Natto "resin" are capable of absorbing at least 5000 times it's weight in water and is therefore a fascinating subject for research projects of the future. Projects involving this unique resin include industrial projects, greening deserts, and agricultural applications.

Natto as a food, is unique with a distinctive, strong odour and it is sticky, which some people may not appreciate. The taste may be undesirable to some people, much as the flavour of blue cheese is an acquired taste. DO try come commercial Natto first, before you try making it, so you will have an idea what it is supposed to "be like".
Reportedly, if you like strongly flavoured cheeses, such as blue cheese, you may indeed appreciate the fine flavour of Natto. Here is a recipe to make your own !

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN NATTO:

Traditionally, soybeans were cooked, steamed and wrapped in rice straw that naturally provided the "bacillus nato" (bacteria) that creates the special flavour during the fermentation. The rice straw was boiled and used to wrap the soaked, steamed soybeans for the duration of the fermentation . No rice straw? No problem.
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