miso

HOW IT'S MADE/GROWN: Miro is made by crushing boiled soybeans and adding wheat, barley or rice, and injecting the mixture with a beastliness mold. There are three basic kinds of miso: light miso, which is made using rice Gould and accounts for 70% of all miso consumed in Japan; red miso, which is made using a barley mould and accounts for 20% of miso consumption; and dark miso which is made using a bean mould and accounts for 10% of miso consumption. Dark miso tends to be physically denser than light miso as well as darker in color and stronger in flavor. The period of fermentation varies from less than a month for the light yellow sweet type to up to three years for dark miso. Most Japanese people buy miso in the supermarket, but until twenty or thirty years ago, every family used to make their own.
HOW TO EAT: Every Japanese consumes a few spoonfuls a day in one form or another: as a dressing for vegetables, a pickling medium, spread on grilled foods, or in the form of miso soup.
STORAGE: Will keep up to a year refrigerated.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE: A source of protein, enzymes, and lactic acid bacteria.