Miso

Also known asMiso Paste · Fermented Soybean Paste · 味噌

Name: Miso — a thick, salty, savoury Japanese paste made by fermenting soybeans with salt and a mould culture (koji, Aspergillus oryzae), and often rice or barley. Colours range from pale white and yellow (mild, sweet) to red and dark brown (strong, salty).

Description

Miso has been made in Japan for more than a thousand years, and developed from fermented soybean pastes from China. It is the base of miso soup, a daily dish for many Japanese, and is also used in marinades, glazes, dressings and sauces. Regional types differ widely: shiro (white) miso from Kyoto, sweet and mild; red miso, stronger and saltier; and hatcho miso from Aichi, made only of soybeans and aged for years.

The long fermentation breaks down the soybeans into amino acids, creating a deep umami flavour, and gives the paste live cultures if it is unpasteurised. Boiling miso destroys these live cultures and some of the flavour, so it is added at the end of cooking.

Main nutrition value

Miso is a source of plant protein, B vitamins, vitamin K, manganese and copper, and fermented compounds, though it is very high in salt, and used in small amounts.

How best to be consumed

Miso is used by the spoonful, and added at the end of cooking.

1. Dissolve a spoonful in hot (not boiling) dashi with tofu, seaweed and spring onion for miso soup.
2. Mix with mirin, sake and sugar into a glaze for fish, aubergine and vegetables, as in nasu dengaku and miso black cod.
3. Whisk into salad dressings, dips, marinades and sauces for depth.
4. Stir into soups and stews off the heat, to keep the live cultures.
5. Keep sealed in the fridge, where it lasts for months.

Overconsumption could cause…

Miso is a flavouring, and the main concern is salt.

1. High salt (sodium), which can raise blood pressure over time, so use these in small amounts and choose lower-sodium versions.
2. Soy allergy, which can be serious in some people, particularly children, so anyone allergic must avoid soy and check labels.
3. Gluten in some barley and wheat-containing misos, which matters for people with coeliac disease.
4. Interaction with MAO-inhibitor antidepressants, because fermented foods contain tyramine.
5. Possible effects on thyroid medicine absorption, so people taking levothyroxine should leave several hours between it and soy foods, and soy can matter for people with low iodine intake or an underactive thyroid.

GroupsFermented SeasoningsSoy FoodsLegume familyHigh proteinHigh sodiumRich in vitamin KJapaneseFermented

Made fromSoybeans

Related foodsNattoTamariSoy SauceTempehFermented TofuEdamame

Wikipedia — Miso, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso