Sunday 26 October 2008

This is ...what I'm surprised I like

Nattō is a traditional Japanese food of fermented soy beans, often eaten with rice for breakfast. I was first told about by Kat who likened it to "snot", and then I was offered some by my friend Erika, who lives in Nagano, who absolutely can't get enough of the stuff. It's quite pungent like blue cheese and very sticky, as you can see from the picture. To be honest, I was a little bit nervous when I tried it because food just shouldn't be sticky like that. The more you stir it, the stickier it gets. It kind of creeped me out, but I was very surprised indeed to find that it tastes delicious. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it here in Australia yet, although I'm sure it's around.

4 comments:

Liesl said...

Its looks like sticky baked beans. It sounds intriguing!

Anonymous said...

oh, I can see why u were surprised u liked it.....looks very gooey

スーザン・テイラー said...

I absolutely love natto. The onomatopoeia in Japanese for that kind of stickiness is "neba neba." When my host mother prepared some for me at my insistence, she explained that she didn't like it. When she said, "I don't like 'neba neba' foods," I thought she was Japanese-ifying "never never," so there was some confusion.

Natto is really great in omelets, believe it or not, and it goes perfectly with soba. Also, if you have it with Tororo, which is grated "nagaimo," or long potato, it's sublime.

I guess you could really say that I have a love affair with natto! :)

Unknown said...

I've eaten all sorts of things - from chocolate grasshoppers to grilled eel guts. And the only thing I just couldn't stomach, is natto.

Kudos to you if you can - and I can attest to the fact it is available in Australia. Try your local Chinese grocer, in the freezer section.