Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soybeans. Miso and its relatives have been essential ingredients in Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisines for thousands of years, adding savory umami taste to everything from soups to sauces to pickles.
The first step in making miso is preparing a (friendly!) mold called koji (“KO-gee”). The koji is then mixed with cooked, mashed soybeans; salt; and sometimes water. That mixture sits for anywhere from a few weeks to a few years! Over time, the koji starts to break down the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in the soybeans. It converts the soybeans’ proteins into amino acids, including glutamic acid, which give miso its trademark savory umami taste. At the same time, the koji turns the carbohydrates in the soybeans into simple sugars, which add some sweetness to the miso. According to the Japan Miso Promotion Board, there are 1,300 different types of miso!…