Talk:Nattō

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This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 20 August 2019 and 15 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Chriszhouzzl97. Peer reviewers: Joshjensen308, MellowSandwich.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 04:59, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Amanatto isn't natto!
"A dried form of nattō, having little odor or sliminess, may be eaten as a nutritious snack." I have never come across an actual natto being dried up and eaten as a snack. However, there is such a thing called amanatto 甘納豆, which is entirely a different creature, basically a sugared adzuki bean confection. This was thought to have been originally called ama-na-na-to 甘名納糖, with the "to" being sugar/candy, not bean. 

Amythewillowprincess (talk) 21:24, 4 March 2013 (UTC)

This is like the Asian Carp/Koi issue
Why do we have a separate section for Natto. East asians have all been fermenting soybeans foreever and it looks like the Chinese and Koreans have been doing it for longer than Japan. Douchi, Meju, Doenjang, cheonggukjang, Kinema, and Tempeh This whole article should be a subsection of Chinese fermented soybeans. This is about as dumb and the Koi section in Wiki. Koi is Asian Carp, genetically bred first by the Chinese, then the Koreans had it, then later it got passed onto Japan. Why do we have a section like Koi. Koi should be a sub-section of Asian Carp stating the Japanese call Asian carp Koi. Nationalism is dumb, combine these fermented soybean articles. This is ridiculous, are we going to have a section for each country? The Vietnamese call Asian Carp blank or the Vietmanese call fermented soybeans blank and have an article for each country. That is dumb. Make these a subsection of fermented soybean with all the countries as a subsection and put the Koi article under Asian Carp like it should be.--4.23.83.100 (talk) 02:30, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

Carp is fish. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.147.122.158 (talk) 17:05, 18 April 2014 (UTC)

Comment 1
If Natto was "invented" in the Jomon era, why would it have a name made from Chinese loan elements rather than a yamatokotoba name? (User:202.231.176.242)


 * There is a type of food made from fermented and dried beans in Southern China which is writted down in similar characters. So, it's likely that the name was taken from that. I think ancient Japanese simply thought it was cool to use a Chinese sounding name. Revth 15:27, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * There are two views about the origin of natto.The jomon origin view is major. But this has almost little evidence.Another view suggests invention in 11 century.Also I think it was invented in Kansai area in early 11 century.Nabimaru-jp 10:14, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Comment 2
I just wanted to thank the person who picked the picture, it captures perfectly in a single still frame the essence of natto-ness (viz. horrible, mind-bending discomfort and nausea).


 * I like the photo too, and seeing as we're being all POV here, I'd just like to say looking at it reminds me of natto's nuanced, wonderfully textured and delicious flavor. Oska 03:45, Dec 24, 2004 (UTC)


 * Yup. Made me hungry. Stargoat 09:38, 24 Dec 2004 (UTC)


 * I am not a Japanese. Nor am I influenced by them. I just found myself able to eat natto without rice. God, I have no smell. :( -- Toytoy 23:14, Mar 15, 2005 (UTC)


 * I am a Japanese but I just couldn't stand eating natto on its own. Give me a bowl of rice! :) -- Revth 15:27, 24 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * I am not a Japanese (I'm German) but my Japanese ex-girlfriend introduced me to natto. I'm not turned off by its smell, but I find it a lot more palatable if I add lots of soy sauce to it :D --Eniac turing 17:55, 23 November 2006 (UTC)


 * The picture seems to be missing now. El Mariachi 23:47, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

I ate tons of Natto in japan since it was cheap and good. Kind of addictive after the third try. Yum. 207.228.52.221 (talk) 18:43, 1 September 2008 (UTC)Fran

Comment 3
Hello, being Swedish, I'm wondering about likening the smell of natto to that of lutfisk. This dish does not smell a lot, just like any other cooked fish. Surströmming(fermented herring) however has a rather pungent "aroma" which isn't very pleasing.

Then again i've never tried natto, but would very much like to. 213.112.50.67 08:54, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

Having tried lutfisk and surströmming, I can say natto does not smell like either. Sinse (talk) 19:38, 2 August 2011 (UTC)

Smell
“akin to strong cheese and the pickled vegetable known as kimchi.”

I removed and the pickled vegetable known as kimchi. I've had kimchi with a strong smell but it was not near natto. KungFuMonkey 15:43, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

Natto doesn't smell like any cheese I've ever encountered (and certainly nothing like kimchi). It's more like a cross between dirty socks and a dead body. "Pungent" doesn't begin to describe it. --RabidDeity 04:28, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
 * You need to expand your consumption of cheese. O.o and I don't think your description of the smell quite describes it either. I have never had nattou that smelled like dirty socks or a dead body.  Of course my normal place to purchase it is at a local grocery store, and the brands I usually purchase are made realatively locally.  Maybe you are not getting it fresh. :P Ok, so fresh is a strange word when talking about nattou, but still.  I do have to agree though that the smell is NOTHING like kimchi.  I eat kimchi regularly as well.  :) It does smell like some strong cheeses though.  It is comparable to munster in some ways. Emry (talk) 11:07, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

I had some Natto at a Japanese restaurant some years back. Definitely fresh. The original poster might be a bit harsh about the smell but it does remind me a little carrion. Moreso, however, I would describe the smell/taste as burnt/recently manufactured rubber or something. Most unpleasant thing I had eaten in a long while but it got me in good with my wife's father. I guess he saw it as a test of manhood so he was incredibly impressed when I ate it all before he did. Hell, his own 2 sons wouldn't come near the stuff.99.137.192.155 (talk) 19:54, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

consumption of natto
another source (http://www.weekender.co.jp/LatestEdition/961004/coverstory.html)from 1996 claims 220,000 tons are consumed in Japan each year. That's more than four times as much as in this article! Kohnuma 21:49, 11 January 2007 (UTC)

According to the report issued on March 2006 by General Food Policy Bureau in Japan, the production of natto in 2005 was guessed to be 236,000 tons.(Reference: "The Current State of Tofu and natto", in Japanese.) Nabimaru-jp 08:52, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Why Kansai doesn't like natto
In doing some research for the Kansai region article, I came across this source (http://www.jpf.org.au/06_newsletter/hitokuchi_3new.pdf) which puts forth the theory that natto is disliked in the Kansai due to its proportionately low number of horses as opposed to cattle. The theory goes that in areas which historically raised a high number of horses, soy was also grown commonly to provide grain. In cattle-raising regions, this was not so, and so the appreciation of soy-related products is not as high. It didn't seem worth putting in the Kansai article, but I think it might be a good addition to this one. -- Exitmoose 08:32, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

It is a very interesting theory. However, I do not think it is true. Food was always insufficient in Japan where the population density was high. The soybean was a valuable nourishment source, and the soybean fodder was never given to the horse. Cold weather was necessary for a traditional natto manufacturing. A suitable period for manufacturing natto is short in clement west Japan, and long in inclement east Japan. This might be a cause of a regional difference of natto.Nabimaru-jp 09:19, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

Which is also why their incidence of heart disease etc... is higher. There was a study that was done that compared life expectancy and incidence of disease between different regions of Japan and they found that where Natto was consumed daily before 8am or so, the incidence of embolisms and other ailments was severely cut and their life expectancy was higher. 75.142.234.137 (talk) 04:37, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Natto
I remember vaguely from a TV program a long time ago that eating Natto can increase one's intelligence for some reason. Now, the show was cancelled a long time ago, so I don't have it. Can anyone verify that, or at least prove that such a claim exists? Arbiteroftruth 16:43, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

A genius boy probably named Mikel, Japanese American, liked natto very much. This might be the origin of the rumor.Nabimaru-jp 09:40, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

More "facts" from that TV program
No evidence, but I'm told (by a Japanese) that the program that lied about natto's weight loss advantage also said that natto "is very popular in England" which is patently untrue (I'm British). They must have been on a real pro-natto tip! 138.243.129.4 12:49, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Controversy?
Should this section really be in the article? It's interesting, certainly, but it doesn't seem particularly relevant. The controversy surrounds the television show more so than natto itself. At the very least, the section ought to be renamed. Bloodbeard 21:23, 18 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Tend to agree - in the grand scheme of an encyclopledia article this amounts to little more than a triva titbit. The article is about natto, not a TV show's publicity stunt. ShizuokaSensei 23:27, 18 June 2007 (UTC)


 * Have taken it upon myself to remove said section, and also the following section which lists some TV shows which natto has appeared in. This is little more than trivia which adds nothing to the article. We can't possibly begin to list natto's TV appearances in an encyclopdia article. ShizuokaSensei 23:34, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Use of beans other than soya
Does anyone know if any beans other than soya are also known to have been used for making natto (traditionnally or recently)? Thanks. Cheekychico —Preceding undated comment added 22:47, 16 March 2009 (UTC).
 * I cannot say anything for traditional uses, but I can tell you that in Japan at least, every brand of nattou that is carried in the stores I visit are all soy beans. There is a lot of soy in the Japanese diet. I also doubt that nattou made with anything else would taste anything like nattou.  It would have to be called something else.  Emry (talk) 11:13, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

A question about names
This is nit-picking, but is there a reason that Nattou redirects to Nattō, and not the other way around? Both are valid spellings, Nattō uses non-standard characters, and is really only the preffered spelling OUTSIDE of Japan. Ok, admitedly the accepte spellings in Japan are 納豆　and なっとう, so my accepted spelling argument doesn't mean a whole lot. :)  The non-standard character argument still stands. Emry (talk) 13:06, 1 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree about the mis-spelling. This is the English version of Wikipedia, and having non-standard diacritical marks in the title page is just plain incorrect. Some user's insistence on using them in certain loan words in order to look smart aside, we do not have diacritical character marks in English. This page needs to be changed to "Natto" 216.241.193.26 (talk) 15:39, 4 September 2023 (UTC)

Protecting the Article
I have noticed that there are a number of edits that are reverting vandalism by people who are not logged in. How do we go about having an article protected so that only registered users can edit them?

It is strange to me that a food related article has this kind of problems. :P Personally, I eat Nattou two to five times a week. I do not see why people should insist on making stuppid edits about it whiping out valid text in the process. :/ Emry (talk) 11:04, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Ammoniacal smell?

 * The first thing noticed by the uninitiated after opening a pack of nattō is the very strong ammoniacal smell, akin to strong cheese.

If the natto is fresh it should not have a very strong ammoniacal smell. This seems to describe overripe natto. Dforest (talk) 07:49, 9 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Is "ammoniacal" even a word? I agree, though, natto really doesn't smell like ammonia.  Exploding Boy (talk) 15:40, 9 July 2009 (UTC)
 * If anything, it smells rather similar to certain cheeses that are known for not looking so different. The smell is a bit strong, but if you eat nattou, you get used to the smell pretty quick.  Emry (talk) 16:34, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Dangers of Natto
While I agree with all that is written in this article, my Japanese professor told me, after he had suffered an minor heart attack that he was forbidden by his doctor from eating Natto. He claimed that while in healthy people, some guey consituent of natto entered the blood and cleared blood vessels, the same guey constituent of natto was dangerous to those who already had constricted blood vessels since it could block them. So, while natto may be good for those that are healthy, it may have negative effect upon those with congested blood vessels. I have no sources. But since if the above heresay is true then natto could kill, I mention it here.--Timtak (talk) 13:42, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
 * In an attempt to find some basis for the above claim I searched for natto and danger in japanese to find that some websites (again heresay) were claiming that natto is carcinogenic, at least if taken in extreme amounts by those on a "natto diet."--Timtak (talk) 13:56, 28 July 2010 (UTC)
 * It is Vitamin K2 in natto that binds calcium and helps blood clot. True, this is usually desired, but I've also read too much in the wrong person can make things worse: Vitamin_K 45.48.161.1 (talk) 23:24, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Vitamin_K2 45.48.161.1 (talk) 23:30, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

Sounds like an old wife's tale considering that you would have to directly inject a substance into your blood in order for its consistency to actually affect your circulatory system.75.142.234.137 (talk) 04:39, 5 June 2011 (UTC)

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) content
The usda tells me that 100g natto contains 23µg Vitamin K. In the article here a value of 'approximately 870 micrograms' without source is stated.

A search in http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list links to the detail page: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4804

Well ... , clicking on 'Statistical report' one finds that this value is derived from another food (Miso) which value is also derived from ..., etc. one ends at '16108, Soybeans, mature seeds, raw'. The VitK difference between raw Soybeans and Natto seems just the difference between dry and soaked beans. So the change by bacterial fermentation may be ignored.

Anyone has more, better values? --Peter Büttner (talk) 14:12, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Vitamin K2 in the slime, bean or both?
Natto is known for its menaquinone (not phylloquinone, K1). It seems logical that most or all of it is probably in the slime, rather than the beans. Anyone know? Encyclopedant (talk) 00:29, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

Packaging
Could someone add a description of the condiments it's typically packaged with? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.53.107.223 (talk) 03:00, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
 * I'd be happy to add the requested information if you can provide reliable sources. Thanks! Meatsgains (talk) 03:20, 15 November 2015 (UTC)
 * ✅ ―― Phoenix7777 (talk) 04:18, 15 November 2015 (UTC)

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I feel that a section about Natto's health implications is required
Both positive and negative - there is some research and numerous claims about the health effects of this food (two are mentioned in the talk - carcinogenic and weight-loss), and any fermented food deserves a word about probiotics and/or consumption risks. Please add this section. נוף כרמל (talk) 18:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)