JAPAN: A rich dish to keep you fit

(Feb. 6, 2010)

By Yasushi Wada / Daily Yomiuri Photographer

Miso from Tokyo

"Miso keeps the doctor away."

This proverb from the Edo period (1603-1867) indicates that people in those days believed regularly consuming miso in one way or another would keep them healthy.

Through its fermentation process, miso becomes rich in soy protein, lactic acid bacterium, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, miso really is healthy, but because of its salty content should be eaten in moderation.

Kojiya Saburoemon in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, is the only miso maker in Tokyo. The 120-year-old family concern uses traditional methods to produce about 30 tons of miso annually.

"The secret to the tastiness of our miso is that we use a lot of rice malt," explains Masahiro Tsujita, the eldest son of Kiyoshi Tsujita, the sixth-generation owner.

Major miso producers use a 1-to-0.6 ratio of soybeans to rice malt, but Kojiya settled on a 1-to-1 ratio after studying traditional miso-making methods. It also makes a miso with a higher malt ratio.

Kojiya uses steamed homegrown soybeans and rice malt, natural salt and groundwater to make its miso. The ingredients are mixed and placed in large barrels made from Akita cedar that can hold two tons of miso. The barrels are then covered and left to stand for six months to one year. The fermenting periods differ according to the variety of miso.

"We put ingredients into barrels several times a year to maintain stocks. Miso fermented at this time of year tastes best," Tsujita said. "Fermentation takes longer during the cold period from January to March, but the taste is great."

These three types of miso--left to right, pale-colored, red and sweet--are among those produced by Kojiya Saburoemon. The longer the miso ferments, the darker its color.

 Masahiro Tsujita cools steamed soybeans with help from his family.

Tsujita dumps the mixed miso ingredients into a large barrel made of Akita cedar.

Fresh miso on a cucumber is the best way to sample miso, according to Tsujita.

 

To make rice malt, the surface of the rice is covered with koji mold and left for four days.

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