As More Americans Embrace Japanese Foods, Could Natto Be Next?
This spring, Mr. Minami Satoh of Japan Traditional Foods Inc. officially launched his line of organic natto, a food made from fermented soybeans, under the brand name Megumi Natto. While some Japanese don’t care for natto, a pungent, slimy, stringy food commonly used in their country’s native cuisine, Satoh hopes Americans will embrace it as they have sake, sushi, and edamame. According to a story by Yukari Iwatani Kane for the Wall Street Journal online, Mr. Satoh makes about 700 three-ounce packages of fresh natto a day in a tiny factory, which he sells for around $3 each. With its musky aroma similar to ripe cheese, natto may be a tough sell in the USA. Satoh hopes the recent popularity of Pan-Asian cuisine, along with recipes he’s developed such as tomato-natto bruschetta, will encourage Americans to give it a try. Satoh has also mixed natto with olive oil and mayonnaise and tried it on bread, bagels and tortillas, according to Kane’s article. Satoh also recommends mixing it with C
