The Different Types of Miso

One of the fundamental ingredients of Japanese cooking, miso is made from cooked soy beans and often rice or wheat (depending on the region), to which a fermentation agent is added. High in vitamin B and protein, it is believed to have anti-carcinogenic properties. Used to make miso soup, an almost indispensable component of Japanese meals, it is also used as a condiment, in marinades for fish or meat, in sauces and even in desserts. Its colour varies, according to the ingredients and the degree of fermentation. Misos can be roughly classified into three colours: red miso (aka-miso), brown miso (tanshoku-miso) and white miso (shiro-miso). You can combine several different misos to obtain the flavour you want, depending on the other ingredients in your dish, but I suggest you taste each miso by itself first.