Miso (みそ or 味噌) is a traditional Japanese seasoning. It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and kōji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae), and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads; pickling vegetables, fish, or meats; and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup, a Japanese culinary staple food. Miso is high in protein and rich in minerals, and it played an important nutritional role in feudal Japan. Miso is widely used in both traditional and modern cooking in Japan, and as of 2018 had been gaining worldwide interest. Typically, miso is salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been variously described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, or savory.
History
The origin of miso in Japan is not completely clear.
Grain and fish misos had been manufactured in Japan since the Neolithic era (Jōmon period, 14,000–300 BC). These are called jōmon miso and are similar to the early fish- and soy-based sauces produced throughout East Asia. This miso predecessor originated in China during the third century BC. Hishio (醤) and other fermented soy-based foods likely were introduced to Japan at the same time as Buddhism in the sixth century AD. This fermented food was called shi (Chinese: 豉; pinyin: Shì). The beginning of the current origin of miso is mishō or mishou (未醤) in the Nara period (710–794); with hishio still meaning beans. It is believed that the word changed to Misho and then Miso. In the Kamakura period (1185–1333), a common meal was made up of a bowl of rice, some dried fish, a serving of miso, and a fresh vegetable. Until the Muromachi period (1337 to 1573), miso was made without grinding the soybeans, somewhat like nattō. In the Muromachi era, Buddhist monks discovered that soybeans could be ground into a paste, spawning new methods using miso to flavor other foods. In medieval times, the word temaemiso, meaning homemade miso, appeared. Miso production is relatively simple, so homemade versions spread throughout Japan. Miso was used as military provisions during the Sengoku period, and making miso was an important economic activity for daimyōs of that era. During the Edo period (1603–1868), miso was also called hishio (醤) and kuki (豆支) and various types of miso that fit with each local climate and culture emerged throughout Japan. Today, miso is produced industrially in large quantities, and traditional homemade miso has become a rarity. In recent years, many new types of miso have appeared, including ones with added soup stocks or calcium, made with beans other than soy, or having reduced salt for health, among other varieties available.
Ingredients
The ingredients used to produce miso may include any mix of soybeans, barley, rice, buckwheat, millet, rye, wheat, hemp seed, and cycad, among others. Lately, producers in other countries have also begun selling miso made from chickpeas, corn, azuki beans, amaranth, and quinoa. Fermentation time ranges from as little as five days to several years. The variety of Japanese miso is difficult to classify but is commonly done by grain type, color, taste, and background.
mugi (麦): barley tsubu (粒): whole wheat/barley genmai (玄米): brown rice moromi (醪): chunky, healthy (kōji is unblended) nanban (南蛮): mixed with hot chili pepper for dipping sauce taima (大麻): hemp seed sobamugi (蕎麦): buckwheat hadakamugi (裸麦): Highland barley nari (蘇鉄): made from cycad pulp, Buddhist temple diet gokoku (五穀): "five-grain": soy, wheat, barley, proso millet, and foxtail millet Many regions have their own specific variation on the miso standard. For example, the soybeans used in Sendai miso are much more coarsely mashed than in normal soy miso. Miso made with rice such as shinshu miso (信州味噌) and shiro miso (白味噌) is called kome miso (米味噌).
Types and flavor
Miso's taste, aroma, texture, and appearance vary by region and season. Other important variables that contribute to a particular miso's flavor include temperature, fermentation duration, salt content, variety of kōji, and fermenting vessel. The most common flavor categories of miso are:
Shiromiso (白味噌), "white miso" Akamiso (赤味噌), "red miso" Awasemiso (合わせ味噌), "mixed miso" Although white and red (shiromiso and akamiso) are the most common misos available, different varieties may be preferred in particular regions of Japan. In the eastern Kantō region that includes Tokyo, the darker brownish akamiso is popular while in the western Kansai region encompassing Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe, the lighter shiromiso is preferred.
A more nuanced breakdown of the flavors is as follows:
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