Miso
20889
223531832
2008-07-04T14:02:10Z
Yumegusa
5509188
/* External links */ removing commercial link with no miso information
[[Image:Barley Miso.JPG|right|thumb|200px|A pot of commercial barley miso]]
[[Image:Miso sold in Tokyo foodhall.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Miso for sale in a Tokyo food hall.]]
{{nihongo|'''Miso'''|[[:ja:味噌|味噌]]}} is a traditional [[Japanese cuisine|Japanese food]] produced by [[fermentation (food)|fermenting]] [[rice]], [[barley]] and/or [[soybeans]], with salt and the fungus {{nihongo|[[Aspergillus oryzae|''kōjikin'']]|[[:ja:麹菌|麹菌]]}} (the most typical miso is made with [[soy]]). The typical result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with [[dashi]] soup stock to serve as [[miso soup]] called {{nihongo|''Misoshiru''|[[:ja:味噌汁|味噌汁]]}}, a Japanese culinary staple. High in [[protein]] and rich in [[vitamin]]s and [[Dietary mineral|minerals]], miso played an important [[nutrition]]al role in [[History of Japan#Feudal Japan|feudal Japan]]. Miso is still very widely used in Japan, both in traditional and modern cooking, and has been gaining world-wide interest. Miso is typically salty, but its flavor and aroma depend on various factors in the ingredients and fermentation process. Different varieties of miso have been described as salty, sweet, earthy, fruity, and savoury, and there is an extremely wide variety of miso available.
==History==
During the [[Edo period]] miso was also called ''hishio'' and ''kuki''. <!-- I don't know the veracity of the following statement (see talk page): The written [[Grapheme|character]] for ''hishio'' in some Chinese dialects is the same as that for ''horse''. ~~~~ //-->
Until the [[Muromachi era]], miso was made without grinding the soybeans, somewhat like [[natto]]. In the [[Kamakura shogunate|Kamakura era]], a common meal was made up of a bowl of rice, some dried fish, a serving of miso, and a fresh [[vegetable]]. In the Muromachi era, [[Bhikkhu|Buddhist monks]] discovered that soybeans could be ground into a paste, spawning new cooking methods where miso was used to flavor other foods.
==Variety==
===By flavor===
The taste, aroma, texture, and appearance of any specific miso vary by miso type as well as the region and season for which the miso was made. The ingredients used, temperature and duration of fermentation, salt content, variety of kōji, and fermenting vessel all contribute. The most common flavor categories of soy miso are:
*Shiromiso, "white miso"
*Akamiso, "red miso"
*Kuromiso, "black miso"
*Hatchomiso<ref>[http://www.yamasa.org/japan/english/destinations/aichi/hatcho_miso.html Hatcho Miso - Traditional Miso manufacture in Okazaki<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
White and red (shiromiso and akamiso) are the basic types of miso available in all of Japan as well as overseas. Different varieties are preferred in particular regions. For example, in the eastern [[Kantō region]] that includes [[Tokyo]], the lighter [[shiromiso]] is popular, while in the western [[Kansai]] region encompassing [[Osaka]], [[Kyoto]], and [[Kobe]], darker brownish [[hatchomiso]] is preferred, and [[akamiso]] is favoured in the [[Tohoku]] area.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
===By ingredient===
The raw materials used to produce miso may include any mix of [[soybean]]s, [[barley]], [[rice]], [[buckwheat]], [[millet]], [[rye]], [[wheat]], [[hemp]] seed, and [[cycad]], among others. Lately, producers in other countries have also begun selling miso made from [[chickpea|chick peas]], [[Maize|corn]], [[Azuki bean|adzuki beans]], [[amaranth]], and [[quinoa]]. Fermentation time ranges from as little as five days to several years. The wide variety of [[Japan]]ese miso is difficult to classify, but is commonly done by grain type, color, taste, and background.
*''mugi'' (麦): barley
*''tsubu'' (粒): whole wheat/barley
*''aka'' (赤): red, medium flavor, most commonly used
*''hatchō'' (八丁): aged (or smoked), strongest flavor
*''shiro'' (白): rice, sweet white, fresh
*''shinshu'': rice, brown color
*''genmai'' (玄米): [[brown rice]]
*''awase'' (合わせ): layered, typically in supermarket
*''moromi'' (醪): chunky, healthy (kōji is unblended)
*''nanban'' (南蛮): chunky, sweet, for dipping sauce
*''inaka'' (田舎): farmstyle
*''taima'' (大麻): hemp seed
*''sobamugi'' (蕎麦): [[buckwheat]]
*''hadakamugi'' (裸麦): rye
*''meri'' (蘇鉄): made from [[cycad]] pulp, [[Buddhist]] temple diet
*''gokoku'' (五穀): "5 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 (including ''shinshu'' and ''shiro'' miso) is called ''kome'' miso.
==Using miso==
===Storage and preparation===
Miso typically comes as a paste in a sealed container, and should be refrigerated after opening. It can be eaten raw, and cooking changes its flavor and nutritional value; when used in [[miso soup]], most cooks do not allow the miso to come to a full boil. Some people, especially those outside of Japan, go so far as to only add miso to preparations ''after'' they have cooled, to preserve the biological activity of the ''[[Aspergillus oryzae|kōjikin]]''. Since miso and soy foods play a large role in the Japanese diet, there are a variety of cooked miso dishes as well.
===In food===
{{main|Miso soup}}
Miso is a part of many Japanese-style meals. It most commonly appears as the main ingredient of [[miso soup]], which is eaten daily by much of the Japanese population. The pairing of plain [[rice]] and miso soup is considered a fundamental unit of [[Japanese cuisine]]. This pairing is the basis of a traditional Japanese breakfast.
Miso is used in many other types of soup and souplike dishes, including some kinds of [[ramen]], [[udon]], [[nabe]], and [[imoni]]. Generally, such dishes have the title ''miso'' prepended to their name (for example, ''miso-udon''), and have a heavier, earthier flavor and aroma compared to other Japanese soups that are not miso-based.
Many traditional confections use a sweet, thick miso glaze, such as [[mochidango]]. Miso glazed treats are strongly associated with [[Japanese festivals]], although they are available year-round at supermarkets. The consistency of miso glaze ranges from thick and [[Taffy (candy)|taffy]]-like to thin and drippy.
Soya miso is used to make a type of [[Pickling|pickle]] called "misozuke".<ref>[http://www.whats4eats.com/recipes/r_pi_misozuke.html W4E: Misozuke Recipe (Japanese miso pickle) | Japan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> These pickles are typically made from [[cucumber]], [[daikon]], [[chinese cabbage|hakusai]], or [[eggplant]], and are sweeter and less salty than the standard [[tsukemono|Japanese salt pickle]]. Barley miso, or {{nihongo|nukamiso|[[:ja:糠味噌|糠味噌]]}}, is used to make another type of pickle.<ref>[http://joi.ito.com/archives/1999/04/04/nukamiso_guide_version_14.html Joi Ito's Web: Nukamiso Guide Version 1.4<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Nukamiso is a fermented product, and considered a type of miso in Japanese culture and linguistics, but does not contain soya, and so is functionally quite different. Like soya miso, nukamiso is fermented using ''kōji'' mold.
Other foods with miso as an ingredient include:
* [[dengaku]] (charcoal-grilled miso covered tofu)
* [[yakimochi]] (charcoal-grilled miso covered [[Mochi (food)|mochi]])
* miso braised [[vegetables]] or [[mushrooms]]
* marinades: fish or chicken can be marinated in miso and [[sake]] overnight to be grilled.
* [[corn on the cob]] in Japan is usually coated with ''shiro miso'', wrapped in foil and grilled.
* sauces: sauces like misoyaki (a variant on teriyaki) are common.
== Nutrition and health==
The nutritional benefits of miso have been widely touted by commercial enterprises and home cooks alike. However, claims that miso is high in [[cobalamin|vitamin B<sub>12</sub>]] have been contradicted in some studies [http://www.vegsoc.org/info/b12.html]. Part of the confusion may stem from the fact that some soy products are high in B vitamins (though not necessarily B<sub>12</sub>), and some, such as [[soy milk]], may be [[Nutritional supplement|fortified]] with vitamin B<sub>12</sub>. Some, especially proponents of [[healthy eating]], suggest that miso can help treat [[radiation sickness]], citing cases in [[Japan]] and [[Russia]] where people have been fed miso after the [[Chernobyl accident|Chernobyl nuclear disaster]] and the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]. Notably, Japanese doctor [[Shinichiro Akizuki]], director of Saint Francis Hospital in Nagasaki during the [[World War II]], theorized that miso helps protect against radiation sickness [http://www.clearspring.co.uk/pages/site/products/miso/info3.htm]. Also some experts suggest that miso is a source of [[Lactobacillus acidophilus]] [http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/Lactobacillusacidophiluscs.html].
==See also==
{{Commonscat|Miso}}
*[[Doenjang]] (Korean condiment)
*[[Dajiang (food)|Dajiang]]
* [[Fermented bean paste]]
*[[Yellow soybean paste]]
*[[Marukome]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book
| title = Handbook of Fermented Functional Foods
| last = Farnworth
| first = Edward R.
| publisher = CRC
| year = 2003
| id = ISBN 0-8493-1372-4
}}
*{{cite book
| title = Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods
| last = Katz
| first = Sandor Ellix
| publisher = Chelsea Green Publishing Company
| year = 2003
| id = ISBN 1-931498-23-7
| url = http://www.wildfermentation.com/
| accessdate = 2006-04-23
}}
==External links==
* [http://www.miso.or.jp/miso-e/ Miso Online] from the Miso Health Promotion Committee
* [http://www.southrivermiso.com/ South River Miso Company] Small U.S. company
{{Soy}}
[[Category:Fermented foods]]
[[Category:Japanese ingredients]]
[[Category:Soy products]]
[[Category:Umami enhancers]]
[[Category:Japanese cuisine terms]]
[[de:Miso]]
[[es:Miso]]
[[eo:Miso]]
[[fr:Miso]]
[[gd:Miso]]
[[gl:Miso]]
[[ko:미소 (음식)]]
[[id:Miso]]
[[it:Miso]]
[[lt:Sojų pasta]]
[[ja:味噌]]
[[pl:Miso]]
[[pt:Miso]]
[[ru:Мисо]]
[[simple:Miso]]
[[fi:Miso]]
[[sv:Miso]]
[[tl:Miso]]
[[tr:Miso]]
[[zh:味噌]]