Natto has a strong odor, smells a bit foul, tastes sweet and salty, and has a smell like fermentation, which is rather peculiar.

Possibly because natto is a fermented protein food that has been made for a long time, the smell can be mistaken for expired food.

Natto is a soybean product made from soybeans that are inoculated with natto bacteria and then fermented at high temperatures and other processes. Natto originated in China and was named Natto after it was introduced to Japan, and then gradually became the imperial nutrition of the Japanese royal family. Natto is so popular in Japan that it is a national treasure and is celebrated on July 10th every year as Natto Day in Japan.

How to eat

Traditionally, natto is mixed with soy sauce or wasabi (the boxed natto sold in department stores uses light soy sauce and yellow wasabi) until a silky texture appears, and then eaten on top of white rice, which is called natto rice. Some people also mix natto with a variety of ingredients such as raw eggs, green onions, minestrone, daikon radish, and shibori.

In Hokkaido and Tohoku, natto is sometimes mixed with sugar. There is also a creative way to add mayonnaise. If you add the sauce without mixing it, it becomes too watery and less sticky, while green onions and wasabi suppress the pungent odor of natto ammonia. Those who are not used to eating natto think it is rotten boiled soybeans.