Japanese with anime voice: episode93
Hello, I’m Sachi.
What is today, July 10? Here’s a hint: it’s another anniversary associated with wordplay. This is the anniversary of a play on words that often appears in episodes. It’s time you started to be able to guess, isn’t it? The correct answer is Natto Day!
This one, too, involves a federation. What kind of federation is it, you know, the National Federation of Natto Cooperative Associations. It is not only a natto cooperative, but also a federation with the word “national” attached. I am wondering why it was not enough to have only a cooperative. A cooperative is a group of people, while a federation is a group of cooperatives that have been established in various regions. In the first place, I am not sure what a union itself is supposed to do. That is why I wonder if the discussion will come together when the federation becomes an even larger organization.
Well, let’s leave it at that. Have you ever eaten natto? Yes. It is that stinky food. How can you eat that kind of food with impunity, you may wonder. But you know, it is delicious. The smell is, of course, smelly. But it is delicious. Moreover, natto has high nutritional value and is a very healthy food. For example, it can prevent arteriosclerosis, regulate the intestinal environment, and prevent lifestyle-related diseases such as cancer.
What is especially exciting for women is that it has a skin beautifying effect. Isoflavone, a component abundantly contained in natto, is a kind of polyphenol that works in a similar way to estrogen, a female hormone. This is why it is expected to have the effect of making skin firm and supple. Since the secretion of estrogen decreases significantly after menopause, women should be especially conscious of eating isoflavone.
I eat natto every day without getting tired of it. I don’t eat natto as it is, but I put 梅肉 (bainiku) and green onion in it and chop it finely.
梅肉 (bainiku) is a umeboshi with the seeds removed. The umeboshi were made by my mom. I can only eat umeboshi made by my mom. The taste is totally different from others. This year, under my mom’s supervision, I am going to try my hand at making umeboshi! Natto is a type of fermented soybeans that has been finely chopped into small pieces, called hikiwari natto, and nowadays, hikiwari natto is also available in the market. When I told my former coworker about my way of eating natto, she said that using a knife is a hassle and that I should just buy hikiwari natto. She was right. It’s so much work to chop. I don’t want to have to wash more dishes. But I prefer to buy regular natto and chop it myself. I don’t know how I do it, but it’s a mysterious obsession of mine.
By the way, the more this natto is stirred, the more flavorful it becomes. The umami ingredients of natto are amino acids and sweet minor ingredients. The more it is stirred, the more it increases in flavor, making it several times tastier than natto eaten without stirring. There is a research result of this experiment. I was wondering why they would do such an experiment. The difference in taste comes out when you stir the rice more than 200 times. My arm will die before I eat it. My hands are so tired that I can’t eat natto. If you are interested, please try it when you don’t have trouble the next day. I probably won’t do it. I mean, I never do it. It’s too tiring.
As I mentioned earlier, natto is said to prevent arteriosclerosis because the component called nattokinase in natto has the ability to dissolve blood clots. Before I knew that, I used to eat natto over rice. Nattokinase has a property that its component is destroyed when heated above 70 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it is recommended to eat natto at room temperature to prevent blood clots. But I don’t think commercial natto is at room temperature because it is refrigerated. I wonder about that. Does that mean it is better to bring it to room temperature before eating? I don’t know.
This may mean that it is better to make natto by yourself. Surprisingly, there seem to be many Japanese living abroad who make natto. Especially the young ones. I didn’t expect such an idea. I think it’s nice to make natto by yourself. I’m really interested in that kind of thing these days. Making miso by myself, for example. When I have more time, I would like to try such a thing.
Oh, and for those of you who have never tried natto, please give it a try. Then, please comment on your impressions!
