Are You a Natto Fan?

[thejapanguy]

Natto. Mmmm...fermented soybeans. Some people love, some people hate it, some people throw up just thinking about it. But I don't know, it's one of those Japanese foods that have kind of grown on me.

What do you think of natto? Incredibly awesome? or Incredibly awful?

 

[Jericho Desu]

I believe I might have had it once as part of a temaki sushi roll and if it was natto that was in there, I'm definitely part of the "hate" crowd at this moment in time

 

[Numark]

I couldn't get into it... but then again I only tried it once or twice.

It took me a while to start liking miso soup and tsukemono but now I love them... so maybe if I set out to give natto a real try I would start to like it.

It seems all good foods in life (Beer, Wine, Strong Cheeses, Fermented food products) are acquired tastes and take some time to appreciate.

 

[justin]

Put me in the same crowd as Jericho Desu. One of my japanese friends let me try some of hers and I almost lost my lunch right there. Now if I'm going to eat soy beans roast them bad boys! Yum!

 

[psc]

i am sure it's healthy, but i have a problem with the texture and the smell. but i think because i eat what i want, when i want, i can be picky

 

[thejapanguy]

Absolutely! It's the texture and the smell that get people. After natto has been stirred, it looks a bit like it's been digested already, and smells a bit like old, dirty socks. Why do I like natto? I can't say for sure. But that earlier post about acquired tastes is right on the money. I didn't eat natto and enjoy it right off the bat, but I do like it now.

 

[Jericho Desu]

I am tempted to give it another shot, but I love my cereal too much in the morning lol

 

[Pachipro]

At first I was repulsed by the smell and texture and refused to eat it for years. Today, I love it. When or how I began to like it I cannot say. Much like sashime and sushi, I just came to love it. I enjoy natto over rice or I mix it with ika (squid) and wasabi and soy sauce in a small bowl and eat it that way with a beer or mizu-wari. Just the smell of it today makes my mouth water. However, it is an acquired taste and I have acquired it.

Not only is it good, but it is good for you too. It's among the most healthiest foods you can eat and your body will love you for it.

 

[Jericho Desu]

Ok I just had it with rice and... not bad actually, I expected it to taste really bad but honesty it tasted alright, actually didn't have that much of a taste at all to me, but I would definitely eat it again maybe with egg or something. And yeah the smell was strong, but not in a bad way to me.

Well there you go, I'm now pro-natto

 

[epigene]

Our suggestions on how to eat natto are here:

just tried natto for first time!

 

[thejapanguy]

So there are other people that do like natto. That's great! I enjoy eating it over rice or toast. Pretty tasty I must say. But initially, I wasn't a fan.

 

[Jericho Desu]

Yeah I was thinking of putting it on toast, but I think thats because I like beans on toast (being british and all)

 

[Navy Guy]

I would be in the no thanks crowd... my wife and kids eat it regularly though. I just don't like the texture or the taste of it... just not for me.

 

[thejapanguy]

That's completely understandable. I think there are bunch of people that fall into the "no thanks" crowd. It's not the easiest food to take a liking to.

 

[Yukakko]

I am Japanese and I like natto very much
I have eaten it since I was a small child.
In Japan, it is said that people in Kansai(West Japan) tend to dislike natto.
(But I am from Kansai.lol)
Some Japanese like natto very much like me and some Japanese dislike natto like my father.
So I think it depends.
What I can surely say is that natto smells too strongly and its stickness is also strong so you must be careful if you eat natto.

 

[breezie1977]

In England we have something called "Marmite", in Australia I believe the same product is called "Vegemite". It's basically yeast extract which is a by-product of beer brewing. You spread it on toast and eat it, very much like jam... but the taste is NOTHING like jam. It's an incredibly thick, strong, salty, pungent taste and, much like natto, people love it or hate it! So much so that the advertisers actually made this their slogan!!

I think most cultures have one of these staple "love or hate" foods. The Chinese have something called chou doufu (fermented tofu) which apparently stinks to high heaven, but is incredibly popular.

Personally, I don't do natto, Marmite, Vegemite or chou doufu. "Uni" (sea urcheon) and "shirako" (fish ovaries) are also out! I'll try anything once, but with somethings... once is more than enough.

After all, I've only just got used to eating chicken cartilage!!

 

[WaterFox]

Hi.
I'm a native-Japanese who disliked Natto when I was young. I became Natto fan when I went to University, where the University co-op restaurant provided me Natto in breakfast. There was no choice but Natto.....

Now I have a question.
Is Natto going bad?
Natto seems to be bad already, so I can't decide if it's gone bad or not, when passed-over.

I tried 3-week-duration-expired Natto in my refrigerator, yet I didn't become ill.
I wonder if Natto would never go bad ???

 

[mubay]

I in fact LOVE Natto with traditional Japanese Rice, Nori (seaweed) and Negi (onion).

The first time I tasted it was from the plane, and it was totally disgusting, if you wanna enjoy natto, try if just made from a super market in japan or even the hand made natto from a Japanese family... really hard to find tho.

I got the best natto in my life when i was in Fukuoka!

窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堙仰ー

 

[Chidoriashi]

I would not say that I like it, but I certainly do not dislike it. I basically feel about natto how I feel about salad. If you put it in front of me I will eat it, but you won't catch me making for myself.

 

[tamaneko9]

I have yet to be able to get past the intense smell of it.
My husband loves it and I buy it for him. However, we double bag the containers after he is done eating it. That stuff overpowers normal garbage stink.

One food I have come to like after a while is daikon. I still do not like it grated, but when it is magically transformed into tsukemono or takuan, yummy!

 

[amatamit1]

hmm dont think i've tasted natto before, may its worth a try

 

[Alicapitan]

Nah, I think its just the texture that kind of puts me off it. I mean, Natto has got quite a unique texture, but I do think that the main reason when i tried it, I dislike it was I was given it for breakfast on my first day in Japan, when for the past at least 10 years of my life, I've had nothing but either cereal or fruit for breakfast.

So I think I could get into it If I tried it a few more times, especially when you hear some people add stuff to Natto which could make the texture and taste better.