In the last couple of weeks at Vegan Bits, Lane started a discussion about natto. Having multi-generational familiarity with natto, I thought I’d share some additional information to help uninitiated westeners navigate this unusual food.

Like so many other great foods out there, natto was invented quite by accident according to Hiroko Shimbo, in “The Japanese Kitchen”. This accidental invention involved a bacteria residing in rice straw. Before natto was packaged in styrofoam or plastic containers it was once sold in wrappers of rice straw. Shimbo also explains that until not that long ago there were some places in Japan where natto was not a popular food item!

Natto is made by inoculating cooked soybeans with the natto bacteria and allowing them to ferment. Fresh natto is best eaten within the first few days, but freezes very well. I buy my natto from the freezer section of the Japanese market. It usually comes packaged in sets of 3 small foam or plastic containers weighing about 1.75 oz. each.

Natto is a good source of calcium, iron and magnesium. It is a very easily digestible protein and the fermentation gives the added bonus of supplying vitamin B12 - an important nutrient for those adhering to a vegan diet.

Shimbo recommends trying natto with miso soup. I second that recommendation as it makes the acquired taste of natto completely disappear.

For using in miso soup, remove natto from one 1.75 oz. package and rinse in a colander. Roughly chop, add to the soup water and cook for a couple of minutes before continuing with the recipe. If desired you can use a bit of the mustard sauce included with the natto as a garnish for the soup.

One last note for vegans and vegetarians: When shopping for natto, you may notice on some packages the addition of bonito flakes or extract. Typically this is part of the soy sauce mixture contained in a tiny sealed plastic packet with the natto. If you have no qualms about buying this and simply throwing it away, it will make your search for a dietarily acceptable natto much easier.

Those of you looking to try new healthful foods or in search of a way to enjoy natto, I hope you try it in the soup. Let me know how it goes.

What’s in it for you?

Who can resist those small purple-blue fruits of the heath family? I can’t say I’ve ever met a soul who could not find at least some bit of attraction to these little gems.

Blueberries are a versatile fruit packed with health benefits ranging from cancer fighting properties to improvement of night vision. To get the greatest health benefit from blueberries, they are best eaten fresh or frozen. Little processing is preferred.

Blueberries, in season from May through October, are native to North America. Wild blueberries are smaller and more tangy than their cultivated counterparts. If you can get your hands on some, do try them. They will forever change your perception of blueberries.

When shopping for (or possibly picking your own) blueberries look for firm uniformly colored fruit with a white bloom. This white bloom is a protective coating that helps deter spoilage. To avoid removing this bloom prematurely, wash berries just before  you plan to use them. Fresh, unwashed berries should keep in the refrigerator approximately one week.

To find fresh local blueberries available for purchase or picking check www.pickyourown.org.

Blueberries are great eaten as is, stirred in yogurt or tossed on hot oatmeal. For a couple of more decadent ways to use blueberries check the recipes archive or click the links for blueberry pie and blueberry ice cream recipes.

where to find them and how to use them

Herbs and spices indicative of the Latin American kitchen such as cilantro, cumin, coriander and a variety of ground chiles are plentiful and easy to find in just about any market. A few others that will really give your Latin American cooking some complexity are epazote, achiote and Mexican oregano.

Finding and using ingredients that are less familiar only require a little sense of adventure and some willingness to explore. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there is a Latin American or Mexican grocery nearby, you will find a wonderful array of spices used in Latin American cooking. If you are unable to find an ethnic grocer, Old Florida Spice Traders and Penzey’s Spices are wonderful resources for dried and ground herbs and spices.

If you have a few good basic recipes that just need more pizzazz, I suggest you start with what’s familiar and add some new flavors using the suggestions to follow. Most of the recipes you already have probably incorporate the more well known and easy to find cumin and a few varieties of chiles. For this article, I’d like to concentrate on introducing you to the less familiar epazote, achiote and Mexican oregano.

Epazote is an herb that is so abundant in its native southern Mexico that it grows wild, much like a weed. It’s flavor can seem pungently bitter at first, but when cooked with long-simmered dishes like beans, the flavor mellows and lends a mildly sweet flavor to the finished dish.Epazote does have a strong flavor, so I recommend using it sparingly as you first become acquainted with it.

Mexican oregano is one of my favorite herbs to use as it gives some of the characteristic brightness of many Latin American foods.  It is not related to European oregano and therefore shares no similarity in flavor. If a recipe calls for Mexican oregano and you do not have any on hand, it is better to leave it out or substitute with cilantro. Mexican oregano has a lime like flavor and heightens the overall flavor of the dishes in which it is used. It is a great complement to epazote and cumin.

Achiote or annatto has a pungently earthy flavor and has been used since the days of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. The deep red seeds are often used to impart flavor and color to oil which is then used for food preparation. Alternatively it can be finely ground and used as an ingredient just as other dried, ground spices would be used. It works very well with acidic foods such as meat stews with tomatoes, but can also lend vibrant color and flavor to seafood dishes.

and easy ways to add it to your diet

You’ve heard quite a bit in recent years concerning the health benefits of soy. Of particular interest are the isoflavones in soy anticarcinogens which are similar in structure to estrogen. These isoflavones have made the consumption of soy foods a popular way to help fight disease. Soy remains to be the only significant dietary source of these amazing isoflavones in addition to being a complete source of protein high in fiber and low in cholesterol.

A few of the health benefits of soy include:  lowering LDL cholesterol, regulating glucose levels, retaining and absorbing calcium while slowing bone loss and inhibiting bone breakdown and providing antioxidants that can improve blood pressure and reduce plaque.

I grew up eating soy on a regular basis and have been impressed with the effort made by many to learn to like soy and find ways to incorporate it into their western diets. While I have heard success stories of those who have found a way to enjoy soy, I have heard many more comments from individuals who say they know they should be eating more, but they just haven’t learned to like it. I believe one of the secrets of enjoying the soy in your diet is to use it in traditional preparations.

One simple way to do this that takes no cooking skill whatsoever is to make yourself a bowl of miso* soup. If you can boil water and stir, you can make miso soup! Another wonderful and easy way to incorporate soy is to use miso as a flavoring in dressings and marinades or to use cubed firm tofu as an addition to your stir fry.

I grew up eating miso soup for breakfast on a regular basis. Maybe having soup for breakfast doesn’t appeal to you, but it can be easily enjoyed as a healthful lunch or a light dinner with some broiled fish and steamed vegetables. If you like to try new foods and are looking for a flavorful way to experience food that is good for your health try my recipe for Miso & Ginger Red Snapper.

*Miso is a paste made of fermented soy beans. It can be found at Japanese/Asian markets and natural food stores. It is also becoming more widely available at larger chain grocery stores.