Japanese Natto Beans

A hostel manager in Kyoto was the first one to introduce me to Natto’s texture, peculiar odor and acquired taste. He told me that in billboards across Japan he’d seen the fermented soybeans advertised with the slogan “decay” so you never forget you’re eating the taste of death. But whatever association people have with that word, they weren’t nearly as potent as described.

Yes the texture is slimy and the beans taste acidic, but they’re simply a savoury and salty bean. Soybeans are mildly bitter as you can recognize in tempeh, but when they are fermented, that bitterness is lost. And when Natto is mixed with rice, scallions, soy sauce, and Japanese-style mustard, their flavour is drawn out and thus more delicate.

Regarded mainly as a rice seasoning (never eat them without, as the taste can be powerful), it’s a common snack in Japan that goes well with sake or as a side to meat dishes. When you do buy it, make sure to mix it aggressively so the mucilaginous strands form. They are sticky like glue so use chopsticks to break them apart, and don’t eat too many of the legumes or your stomach will bloat painfully.

If you wanna live like a real local and eat cheaply: buy a pack of natto in a variety of added flavours and eat in with rice for breakfast. Surely you’ll understand the billboard marketing efforts were a wild exaggeration. It doesn’t taste rotten, it just tastes like quality food for poor travelers, and like home for the locals (who’ve been eating it since childhood). Plus a whole pack lasts through multiple sittings of rice.

Ultimately, you either love it or hate it..and that goes for Japanese people as well. So you’ll never know unless you test the funkiness out.