In an attempt to find out how long natto has existed in Japan, a group at Teikyo University and others conducted research on making natto using wild beans and plants that were said to have been eaten since the Jomon period, and actually tasted it on the 24th. was done.
This research is conducted by a group led by visiting professor Seiji Nakayama of the Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Teikyo University in Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture.
Earthenware from the Jomon period shows traces of the preservation of ``Tsurumame'', which is considered to be the original soybean. .
The group simmered wild soybeans collected from the surrounding area, crushed them roughly in an earthenware vessel, wrapped them in leaves of five kinds of plants such as chestnuts and horse chestnuts, let them ferment for three days, and tasted them on the 24th.
The finished "natto" of "grunge soybeans" has a unique smell like ammonia, and there is almost no stringiness. I mean, it tasted better than I expected.
In the future, the group plans to investigate in detail the genes of beans excavated from ruins of the Jomon period and the fungi remaining in earthenware.
Visiting Professor Nakayama said, "Natto is an indispensable Japanese food for Japanese people, but its origins are not well understood. Using the latest science, I would like to clarify when and where it originated." .