Soy in Japanese Food (2024)

Soy in Japanese Food

Soy is found, in some form, in nearly all Japanese meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The most common ways people in Japan eat soy are: tofu, edamame, natto, miso and perhaps most common, shoyu, or soy sauce. Each type of food is made and eaten in a different way.Tofu, or bean curd, is made from mixing soy milk and other ingredients and pressing them into a block, much like cheese is made from milk. Tofu comes in a variety of forms, from very firm to very soft, and because tofu has no flavor of its own, it is very versatile in cooking. Edamame, or soybeans, are often eaten as a snack, right from the pod, with just a little bit of salt to add flavor. Natto, a dish that is popular in eastern Japan, is fermented soybeans, known by its strong, even overpowering odor. Miso, also a fermented form of soy mixed with salt and various grains, is a paste that is usually used as a base for soup. Finally, the most common type of food that uses soy is shoyu. It is used as an ingredient in many Japanese foods, but also as a condiment as well!