Nattō

The Japanese often use nattō as a little test to find out whether foreigners are really seriously interested in their culture. As with ‘stinky’ tofu, it can be a bit difficult to get past the odor and on to the taste. Nattō is made from fermented whole soybeans. It has a truly pungent smell, almost like that of an overripe cheese, and an intense umami taste. In addition, even though the beans are sort of glued together into a stringy, viscous mass, nattō is eaten with chopsticks. In Japan nattō is often eaten for breakfast, together with a raw egg on warm, cooked white rice. It is a very protein-rich food, with an abundance of vitamin K.