Miso is the seasoning for food.

Miso (みそ), also known as soybean paste, is made from soybeans, fermented with salt and different kinds of koji. In Japan, miso is the most popular seasoning. It can be made into soups, cooked with meat, and used as the soup base for hot pot. Since miso is rich in protein, amino acids and dietary fiber, regular consumption is good for health. Drinking miso soup when the weather gets cooler can also warm the body and wake up the stomach.

Miso is popular in Japan for its rich nutrition and unique taste. Miso is similar to Tohoku miso, bean paste, soybean paste, and tempeh, which are produced by multiplying beans through fungi.

Extended information:

No matter which nation you are, food culture is inherent. There are five elements that make up the taste of food: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy. However, each ethnic group extracts these flavors from different ingredients and uses them as seasonings to create their own taste. Moreover, the combination of seasonings that determines the taste has been selected over a long history.

For the Japanese, the basic seasonings that determine the taste of things are miso and soy sauce. Of course, various condiments other than salt and vinegar are used, but miso and soy sauce are the key to the unique taste of Japanese food.

It is said that today’s miso and soy sauce were formed during the Azuchi Momoyama period. That era can be regarded as a transitional period for Japanese food culture. Rice was the staple food, along with miso soup and fish and shellfish dishes. Our current eating patterns were also established from that era.

But before that, there were things like miso and soy sauce. Miso (ひしお) has been available in Japan since the Jomon period. As the ancestor of miso and soy sauce, it has formed the Japanese taste for a long time.

The sauce is made by fermenting the ingredients after being pickled. The ingredients used as raw materials include fish, meat, vegetables, shellfish, etc., which are called fish sauce, vegetable sauce, seafood sauce, etc. Use these sauces for seasoning.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Miso