{"id":28762,"date":"2013-01-31T10:12:11","date_gmt":"2013-01-31T14:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/?p=28762"},"modified":"2013-01-31T21:26:33","modified_gmt":"2013-02-01T01:26:33","slug":"how-miso-is-made-a-visit-to-a-local-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/2013\/01\/31\/how-miso-is-made-a-visit-to-a-local-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"How Miso is Made – A Visit to a Local Factory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted by Benjamin Martin<\/strong><\/a>, a 5th year JET on Kume Island<\/a> in Okinawa<\/a>, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and author of the YA fantasy series\u00a0<\/em>Samurai Awakening<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(Tuttle).<\/em><\/p>\n

\"MisoBeans\"<\/a> Ever wonder what miso is? \u00a0If you’ve been to Japan or eaten at a Japanese restaurant, you’ve likely had or at least seen miso. \u00a0I remember my first time having miso soup<\/a>. \u00a0I was in college trying out a little Japanese restaurant that had popped up just outside the UofA. \u00a0I was pretty green as far as Japanese food went so I ordered teriyaki chicken (I’m sure the chef was thinking all kinds of bad things about me). \u00a0Before the meal, a bowl of soup appeared. \u00a0It was a clear broth with some kind of brown particles floating in it. \u00a0I tried the soup, but the flavor was so different from anything I had eaten before. \u00a0I didn’t really enjoy it, but then it quickly grew on me. \u00a0Now, I look forward to miso, be it in my soup, as a glaze for fish, or in the middle of a rice ball<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’ve studied Japan for a long time, and I’ve always translated miso as ‘fermented soy bean paste.’ \u00a0Just like soy sauce, miso is made from soy, but it is only part of the story. \u00a0A few weeks ago, my island had its\u00a0sangyo matsuri<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>where I was able to meet one of the people who make miso here (Kumejima<\/a>‘s miso is quite popular). \u00a0I was interested in the process so I wrangled a visit to the factory.<\/p>\n

One of the first things I found out is that they don’t make miso all the time. \u00a0Traditionally, miso was something made at home. \u00a0Each family would make their own miso for their own use. \u00a0As with so many things, the miso making skills are fading with the\u00a0convenience\u00a0of store-bought foods. \u00a0Still, there are a few places that still do local miso. \u00a0Since it is a fermented product, the temperature is an important factor, thus miso can only be made in moderate seasons. \u00a0If it gets too cold, or too hot, the fermentation wont go on as well.<\/p>\n

The process also takes more than three months. \u00a0At the small local factories, they make large batches two or three times a year as needed. \u00a0The rest of the time, they focus on other projects or on creating new items.<\/p>\n