| Have you ever heard of the Japanese food called | | | | nary a crinkle of the nose. |
| Natto? | | | | The stickiness of natto: If you can get past the smell |
| Japanese natto is the infamously pungent fermented | | | | of natto, next you have to deal with the stickiness |
| soybeans that Japanese love to ask visitors if they | | | | of the beans. The Japanese have a fun word, |
| like, and which resident gaijin (foreigners) must try at | | | | "neba-neba," that perfectly describes the sticky and |
| least once in order to prove their mettle as | | | | gooey texture of natto. |
| connoisseurs of all things Japan. | | | | The stringiness of natto: Finally, once you've gotten |
| Sticky, stinky, stringy, and yet oh so healthy, there is | | | | past the smell and sticky qualities of natto, you'll dig |
| no middle ground. You'll either love natto or hate | | | | your chopsticks in and pull up a bite, only to find your |
| natto, but because of its great health benefits, you | | | | mouthful still attached to the bowl by about a |
| can natto ignore it! | | | | thousand gooey, spider-web-like strings. This stringy |
| What is Natto? | | | | quality of natto is also off-putting to many would be |
| Natto is a sticky, pungent fermented soybean that | | | | eaters. |
| according to some historians has been part of the | | | | Health Benefits of Natto |
| Japanese diet for over 1,000 years. Usually sold in | | | | If natto is so, um, gross, why do the Japanese eat |
| store-bought packs, and served most commonly | | | | it? Why would anyone eat it? Well, one reason is |
| over rice, natto is an important daily food staple and | | | | because many actually like it! But the main reason to |
| source of nutrition for a significant portion of the | | | | eat natto is that it is a rich source of protein, and |
| Japanese population. The rest of the population can't | | | | among other benefits is thought to be effective in |
| stand the sight or smell of it. | | | | the prevention of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, |
| Unique Characteristics of Japanese Natto | | | | osteoporosis, obesity, and intestinal disease. |
| Natto has several unique characteristics that quickly | | | | So if you can make it past the appearance, the smell, |
| separate the true natto lovers from the natto | | | | the stickiness, and the stringiness and still enjoy it, in |
| loathers. | | | | Japanese natto you'll have a healthy source of food |
| The visual appearance of natto: First and foremost, | | | | for life. And even if you can't deal with the |
| natto doesn't look all that appetizing. In fact, to | | | | unpleasant smell and texture, you still have options. |
| some, the fermented beans look a lot like a pile of | | | | Nattokinase |
| insect eggs that are about to hatch. | | | | Nattokinase is an enzyme extracted and purified |
| The smell of natto: Open up a pack of natto, and | | | | from natto, which is available in a tasteless, odorless |
| you cannot avoid noticing the intensely pungent smell | | | | capsule form. Nattokinase is regarded as effective |
| that rushes up and hits you like a slap in the face. | | | | for reducing blood pressure and clots, and as a blood |
| Some describe it as akin to rotten Limburger cheese; | | | | thinner. So if you're looking for all of the benefits of |
| to others the smell is simply indescribable. And yet | | | | Japanese natto, Japan's stinky miracle food, |
| there are many that happily eat it day after day with | | | | nattokinase is a fantastic option! |