Tsuyu, the Rainy Season, has started in Southern Japan already. And so with Tsuyu also comes the season of Kabi (mold).
Because of Japan's humid climate, mold becomes a problem at home. Areas such as your bathroom, kitchen, etc., provide an environment for spores to grow, and while you may feel this is a bad thing, we also have to remember that mold is a key contributor to some unique Japanese foods (and of other cultures as well).
One such food is Natto, a sticky mixture of boiled soy beans that traditionally come wrapped in straw. The bacteria responsible for Natto's smell and stickiness is Bacillus Subtilis, which propagates in straw and which makes Natto rich in Vitamin B.
Another food is Katsuo Bushi (dried bonito), the shaved brown flakes that people put on top of their Tako-yaki or Okonomiyaki. Shaved fish flakes dance in the heat of the food and are fun to watch as they move. The flakes are produced with a mold enzyme which breaks down the bonito adeps (a type of lard) and adds the taste and flavor.
Cheese is also, of course, made with the help of molds, as well as wine, saki, etc. Especially the precious is the Botrytis Cinerea bacteria's contribution to create La Pourriture Noble (Pourriture Noble wine). Botrytis cinerea requires a complicated combination of temperature and humidity, which wine makers struggle with each year.
Interestingly, with the SARS epidemic, people in Hong Kong and China have started wondering why Japanese and Koreans are not suffering from the disease. An urban myth has emerged that it may be because both cultures eat a lot of fermented foods. As a result, sales of Kimchi and Natto have soared in the region, as have those of Yakult, a fermented milk drink, made with the Shirota strain of Lactobacillus Casei bacteria.
Because of Japan's humid climate, mold becomes a problem at home. Areas such as your bathroom, kitchen, etc., provide an environment for spores to grow, and while you may feel this is a bad thing, we also have to remember that mold is a key contributor to some unique Japanese foods (and of other cultures as well).
One such food is Natto, a sticky mixture of boiled soy beans that traditionally come wrapped in straw. The bacteria responsible for Natto's smell and stickiness is Bacillus Subtilis, which propagates in straw and which makes Natto rich in Vitamin B.
Another food is Katsuo Bushi (dried bonito), the shaved brown flakes that people put on top of their Tako-yaki or Okonomiyaki. Shaved fish flakes dance in the heat of the food and are fun to watch as they move. The flakes are produced with a mold enzyme which breaks down the bonito adeps (a type of lard) and adds the taste and flavor.
Cheese is also, of course, made with the help of molds, as well as wine, saki, etc. Especially the precious is the Botrytis Cinerea bacteria's contribution to create La Pourriture Noble (Pourriture Noble wine). Botrytis cinerea requires a complicated combination of temperature and humidity, which wine makers struggle with each year.
Interestingly, with the SARS epidemic, people in Hong Kong and China have started wondering why Japanese and Koreans are not suffering from the disease. An urban myth has emerged that it may be because both cultures eat a lot of fermented foods. As a result, sales of Kimchi and Natto have soared in the region, as have those of Yakult, a fermented milk drink, made with the Shirota strain of Lactobacillus Casei bacteria.
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