Miso

Miso is a thick paste of fermented soybeans, salt and koji, a mould culture, used as a seasoning in Japan. It is the base of miso soup, one of the most everyday dishes of Japanese cooking.

History

The origin of miso in Japan is not entirely clear. Records suggest that fermented fish and grain pastes were already made in the Neolithic Jōmon period, related to the fermented sauces found across East Asia.

Specialists place the arrival of a miso predecessor from China around the third century BC, and it is thought that fermented soy foods came to Japan together with Buddhism in the sixth century AD. The word miso seems to derive from older forms used during the Nara period (710-794), and in the Middle Ages the term for homemade miso appears.

In the Muromachi period, Buddhist monks found that soybeans could be ground into a paste, which opened new ways of using miso as a seasoning. During the Edo period, as production spread, regional varieties adapted to local climate and tastes. Today it is made industrially in large quantities, while homemade miso has become rare.

Culture

In Japan, miso is part of everyday eating, especially in the soup served with rice. Colour, flavour and texture change from region to region: white miso, mild and quickly fermented, is the most widespread; red miso, saltier and aged longer, is common in other areas, and barley and pure soybean versions have their own local traditions.

The usual classification sorts miso by grain, colour and taste. Blended versions combine varieties to soften the character of each one. Some traditional preparations, such as winter sushi, are seasoned with miso to give a warm note to a dish that is usually fresh.

Today miso is used in both traditional and modern Japanese cooking, and it has gained a place abroad, where it appears in sauces, marinades and dressings.

Trivia