Miso, also known as fermented soybean paste, is fermented from soybeans, added 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.

What is miso?

Miso is very similar to bean paste, soybean paste, tempeh, etc. which are made from beans through mold reproduction. It is said that it was introduced to Japan by the monk Jianzhen of the Tang Dynasty. There is also a theory that it spread to Japan through the Korean Peninsula.

There are many types of miso. Simply put, miso is made from soybeans as the main raw material, plus salt and different fermented koji. It can be roughly divided into "rice miso" made from rice koji. ", "Mai miso" made from wheat koji, "bean miso" made from bean koji, etc. Among them, rice miso has the largest output, accounting for 80% of the total miso output.

Today, miso is mainly divided into three categories in Japan: rice miso and wheat miso made by steaming rice and wheat, multiplying by fungi, and then mixing them with steamed soybeans and salt, and steaming them directly. Soybean miso is made by allowing fungi to grow on soybeans.