Nattou Love Nattou Hate

     Nattou is one of the traditional foods in Japan. I got to hear of it from my sister when they served it to her in the hospital after giving birth to her daughter. The doctors in the hospital said it's really good for the health. And she urged me to try it.

     Well, I was game for anything, especially when it comes to food. Before I tried it though, I had to do a little research about it. 

My first encounter with nattou. I boiled
some spinach and mixed it in with the
mustard sauce. And that's it. No rice.

     There's much about the country's history that is rooted in nattou's existence but I won't bore you with the details because you can always Google it or something. However, there doesn't seem to be a unanimous liking for nattou in the whole of Japan. Some love it, some hate it. Well it must have something to do with its smell, flavor and texture. Nattou by the way is fermented soybeans. It is kind of sticky, slippery and has a little musty smell. It can be eaten with rice as it is, but usually the prepacked nattous have some kind of sauce that goes with it (usually mustard). Sometimes though they add some other boiled or fried vegetables, eggs or meat. 

     The amazing thing about it is what it can do for your body. 

     "Natto is also celebrated for its high amounts of vitamin K, which makes it an outlaw food for those taking warfarin(brand name Coumadin®). It also is high in a number of anti-oxidants, particularly selenium. Natto also contains a protein called nattokinase, which may be a natural blood thinner. Since natto allows the soybeans to ferment and grow bacteria, it is also a probiotic food." (www.wisegeek.com)

     "The key element in natto is the fermentation of the soybeans, which make them easier to digest while increasing your body’s ability to absorb nutrients." (www.bodyecology.com)

     From the testimonies of friends and acquaintances who tried to regularly eat nattou, some of them lost weight, blood sugar levels decreased, they seemed to have more energy, symptoms of heart problems have significantly lessened, etc. So I guess, there's really something in it. Wanna try some?

     *I am still on the process of knowing how many flavors/kinds of prepacked nattous are there. Here's a good site where you can read more about nattou: http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/natto3.php