Nattō, typical Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans
A nightmare for some, a temptation for others, between its reputation as a fermented superfood and a texture that many cannot tolerate, nattō is gaining market share outside of Japan, driven by the demand for foods associated with digestive health.
Sticky, translucent strands hang from chopsticks. Wesley Smith while the North American tourist savors his nattothe loved and hated Japanese made from fermented soybeans, which is taking the world by storm, slimy spoonful by slimy spoonful.
The most recent trade statistics show that Japanese exports of these sticky, highly nutritious grains have tripled since 2017, reaching 5,248 tons in 2025, with China and the United States at the top of the list of destinations.
This delicacy rich in beneficial bacteria remains a traditional Japanese breakfast food, but its intense aromathe viscous texture and fermented flavor divide even the Japanese themselves.
“At first, I thought it was a little strange.”Smith told AFP during a recent lunch at Sendaiyaa Tokyo restaurant that serves all-you-can-eat nattō menus — an idea of hell for some, heaven for others.
But, over the years, the soft, brownish-yellow soybeans they have become “an acquired taste, as can happen with a strong cheese, because you know how there are cheeses that smell like dirty socks,” said the 47-year-old tourist from Arizona.
In recent years, nattō has joined a number of fermented foodssince the kimchi Korean kombuchaa fermented drink of Asian origin, which have gained popularity around the world as many consumers seek to improve their digestive health in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regular consumption of this food rich in fiber and protein is often associated with a stronger immune systembetter digestion and greater bone density.
In China, “trend towards greater health awarenessespecially among the middle and higher-income classes,” is sparking interest in Japanese foods, the Japan Foreign Trade Organization said in a recent report.
Curiosity in California
In Los Angeles, at the Japanese restaurant Suehirothe owner Kenji Suzuki have noticed that every time more non-Japanese customers venture to experiment.
“When social media started talking about nattō and how it is a superfoodI think that more and more people wanted to understand what it was, to prove it — ‘It will be as bad as they say?'” Suzuki told AFP. “Some people might not like it, but others, you know, love it“.
During lunch in Tokyo, Maya Bourdeau, 46, Smith’s wife, compared nattō to “natural wine”with “that slightly different flavor”.
As he vigorously stirred his bowl of nattō-topped bibimbap, Smith knew that would only make the dish even more stringy. “In my subconscious, I didn’t want to have nattō running out of my beard“, he said, laughing.
Stir the nattō, he added, too “really maximizes viscosity“, a characteristic that many North Americans find so distasteful that they doubt that nattō — despite all the recent enthusiasm — will ever become a widely consumed product.
“I can’t think of anything common in North American cuisine that has this slimy texture.”
Pride
Daisuke Tsujimoto31, is enthusiastic about natto’s growing popularity outside of Japan. He traveled hundreds of kilometers from Osaka to Tokyo to indulge in Sendaiya. “It’s a food culture that Japan can be proud of,” he told AFP. “I hope the people all over the world continue to eat it“.
In addition to what is supposed, nattō has long been appreciated in Japan for combining nutritional value with a almost unbeatable price.
A pack of three cups of nattō, each weighing 40 to 50 grams, typically sells for around 100 yen (around 50 cents), or even less, in supermarkets. Each package usually includes small plastic sachets with mustard and soy sauce.
But not even this eternal champion of low prices escaped a “wave of price increases”, he told AFP Yoshihiro Noroformer head of the Japan Nattō Cooperative Federation.
The reason is in naphtha shortagea by-product of petroleum, caused by the war in the Middle East, he explained.
At the same time, Noro sees the price rise as an opportunity for nattō overcome the reputation of “poor man’s food”considered “unsaleable if it costs more than 100 yen”.
“Very few foods can be called as truly healthy a superfood as nattō,” said Noro, 72, who also owns the family business. “I hope that an era will come when people recognize, together, that It’s worth paying for high-quality, high-end nattō“.
Filamentary in Singapore
This is precisely what seeks to achieve Kamakurayama Nattōproduced by his company and presented as “extremely filamentous”, but without “bad smell or bitterness”.
At the factory west of Tokyo, workers in sanitary uniforms wash and steam soybeans, which are then generously sprayed with bacteriabefore machines meticulously place them in glasses, where they ferment for 18 hours.
Although it is about three times more expensive than averageKamakurayama Nattō has achieved, in recent years, international orders from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and even Norway.
“I heard that in some countries people were told that nattō is good for their health, so they force themselves to eat it, even though I strongly dislike the taste“, said Noro. “But keep eating it, and they will definitely get addicted“.
