Tiny things in Japan – Learning a very local life of Japanese

Japanese food is said to be generally delicious and healthy. Speaking of well-known Japanese food in overseas are Sushi (寿司), Kaiseki cuisine (懐石料理) and such as Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) or Ramen (ラーメン). Those dishes are also common cuisine that can be eaten in the restaurant in Japan. However, eating out is generally not considered to be so healthy. So what kind of food has been eating well in a Japanese home.

Traditional Japanese food “Natto”

This time I would like to introduce “Natto” that is often eaten in Japan. Natto is a fermented food that has been eaten since ancient times in Japan. Natto is nutritious, contains high-quality protein and fiber and the other nutrients necessary to the human body. In Japan, it is a typical food as health food “keeps the doctor away.”

How to eat Natto?

For those who never ate Natto yet, I’ll show you what Natto looks like. In Japanese supermarket, they are usually sold at three boxes. Its price is reasonable and is easily found in a supermarket or convenience store. Let’s open one of them.

There is a pack of sauce for Natto.

In order to get in the way when we mix Natto, the lid is able to remove.

Remove the plastic film on top.

Put the sauce on Natto. (You can use soy sauce instead)

Mix well. It’ll be stickier as long as you mix it.  Well, it really doesn’t look good though. I know what you feel now.

Mission complete. You can eat as it is if you like, or eat it with rice. I think there is no blog described how to eat the Natto so much in detail like this.

Some other way to eat Natto

So much in spite of a healthy food, it is also true that many people don’t like Natto because of its strong smell and sticky texture. So we Japanese usually eat Natto mixed with some other ingredients or  add Natto to cooking. Not only delicious to eat, the smell and texture is also reduced in this way. Mixing Natto with eggs, spring onions, pickled plum and okura. These are just a few examples.

Not every Japanese does the same, but yes, many do.  Please find the best match of the style that adding Natto to your country’s cooking.

Natto with Soba (Buckwheat).

Natto with curry.

Natto with Kimchi (Korean pickles).