You've finally been adventurous enough to buy a container of it. Now you've got it home, taken off the lid—but wait a minute, phew, is it supposed to smell like that? And if it is, what can you possibly make with this stuff?
Don't panic, and don't take it back to the store or toss it in the garbage. Miso is a densely nutritious food and a must for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. While it might smell a little odd and look like one of those New Age-type foods, you'll be relieved to know it's got a long history. Miso has been used in China since about 722 to 481 B.C., and has been a pantry staple in Asian cuisine ever since.
This powerhouse of nutrition is loaded with protein, iron, vitamin B12, potassium and dietary fiber. Lots of people are reluctant to use or eat it because of its fermented odor. And if you think it smells a lot like yeast, you're not wrong. Miso is made when a yeast mold called koji is added to soybeans and other ingredients to start the fermentation process. This can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to three years. Once the fermentation is complete the miso is ground to a paste that resembles peanut butter, and then stored in either plastic or glass containers.
It's this fermentation process that sets it apart from other foods. If you have any type of digestive problem, you might want to give miso a try. Like certain yogurts, miso contains friendly bacteria known as lactobacillus and proteolic enzymes that promote healthy intestinal flora that aid the digestive process. And the good news doesn't stop there. Fermentation allows all the nutrients in miso to be easily absorbed by our bodies for maximum benefit.
You can always find miso on the shelves of Asian markets. Miso soup is also a staple in most Japanese restaurants. And while containers of miso have graced the shelves of health food stores and coops for years, miso has gradually gone more mainstream. These days you'll have no difficulty finding it on the shelf of your local supermarket. If you head to the dairy section, you'll usually find one or two types of miso there.
Types of Miso
The most common ingredient in miso is soybeans, but rice, barley and wheat can also be added to give each type of miso its distinctive taste. If you're new to miso, it's recommended that you start out with a white variety, because it tends to be much milder. You can then graduate up to red or even dark miso. But don't worry if you always stick with the white variety because you'll still be getting great nutritional benefits.
For vegetarians, miso is one of the best sources of much-needed iron and vitamin B12. And if you've just embarked on a vegetarian diet and miss the taste of meat, miso can be added to food to give it the same depth of flavor you can only get from meat and meat stocks. It makes a really tasty addition to most soups or stews. Some people even think miso added to food like tofu can mimic the flavor of cheese.
If you're a label reader, don't panic when you see the sodium content. It's high, but a little miso goes a long way. And many natural food cooks opt for miso rather than table salt. It's really versatile and can be used in anything from soups to salad dressing.
There are only two basic rules to know about miso. One is that it has to be kept refrigerated. But, once opened, it can keep fresh for up to a year. Two, if you're adding it to soups and stews or other hot dishes, never boil it. Boiling kills all the beneficial enzymes, which is one of the main reasons to eat it in the first place.
