MISO

Miso is a food so rich in properties to be considered a natural tonic.

Why include miso in our diet

Because is a food high in vegetable proteins, provides the eight essential amino acids, minerals, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, sodium, helps fight blood acidity.

Improves digestion.

Strengthens the native flora.

What is miso

It is a paste fermented from a few days up to three years with koji (Aspergillus oryzae fungus species) based on single soybeans, soy and other legumes combined with cereals, pseudocereals, different seeds and sea salt.

How does

Its texture can be dry, powder, paste, sauce. Miso paste has a creamy and spreadable consistency, smooth and gelatinous when it is clear and slightly fermented, dense and grainy when it is dark and fermented for longer periods.

Its color given by the type of ingredients used and the degree of maturity can be: white, beige (light), yellow, red, reddish brown (brown), black.

How does it taste

The light miso has a delicate sweet / salty taste.
The dark blacks or miso acquire cocoa savory notes, coffee, malt, nuts and / or yeast.

How to Choose the miso

It  is very important to carefully read the labels before you buy.

According to my point of view the first choice to do is purchase a certificate of organic farming products, paste, possibly with whole grains, and to enjoy all its freshness and flavor it should not be pasteurized (pasteurization inactivates the lactobacilli wasting large part of its beneficial effect).

The second choice concerns the ingredients, especially if we have to be careful not to assume certain foods, soy is often accompanied by different kinds of grains (wheat, buckwheat, millet, barley, rye). There are certified gluten for sufferers of celiac disease.

The third choice concerns the personal taste and the type of use that we will make in the kitchen.

How do you use in the kitchen

Miso to avoid losing all its health properties should not be cooked, it should be added to the dishes at the end of diluting cooking in a small part of the ingredient liquid recipe to mix it better with the rest of the ingredients.
When the miso replaces the salt, add about one or two teaspoons of miso for a quarter of a teaspoon of salt.

The miso contains enough salt to successfully control the fermentation, with the actual amount that varies from 5% for the lighter varieties up to 12% for the strongest, the darker varieties, for this can be used in sweet recipes and salted.
For sweet dishes: the light miso is to be used in small doses even in dessert recipes to create a contrast of flavors such as salted caramel.

For savory dishes: miso is a seasoning concentrate with remarkable flavoring capabilities.

White miso	Definite Shiromiso. Prepared with a large percentage of grain, barley or rice and soy. Sweet salty. For sweet and savory toppings, flavored butter, sweet and savory sauces, sweet and savory creams sweet and savory spreads, dips, marinades, broths and soups with a delicate taste.
Light miso or beige / yellow	Beans fermented soy mainly with barley, sometimes with a small percentage of rice. Sweet / salty, earthy with a sour note. To read recipes of toppings, icings, sauces, marinades, soups and creamy soups.
Red miso or medium	Definite Akamiso Fermented soy beans (more time to clear miso, from one to two years), with barley or other cereals. salty / sweet taste, with a rich texture. Ideal for most of the recipes it is used in flavored butter, glazes, marinades, stews, sauces, most delicious soups and rich.
Miso dark and black	Black miso is defined Kuromiso. Miso is fermented up to three years only with dark soy or grains such as buckwheat. Stronger flavor salty / umami. To be mixed with other types of miso to create more complex flavors. Ideal for casseroles, for example, with root vegetables, marinades, sauces with red wine, tomato, vegetable stews, sauces, soups bodied.

What kind of miso you can be found in stores of biologists products

Genmai miso	Soy miso and brown rice. It has a fermentation of about 18 months and a very aromatic taste. Reddish.
Hatcho miso	Defined in Japan “the emperor miso” is miso most valuable and concentrated. It is aged in cedar casks for about three years. It has a spicy aroma, full-bodied is very salty to be used in small doses. Its color is very dark.
Mugi miso	Miso barley and soybeans. It has a strong taste given by the fermentation time of 18/24 months. The color may be pale or reddish depends on the fermentation time.
Natto miso	A miso sauce with the addition of ginger and soy. Soybeans are sometimes partially whole and look like peanuts when you chew, the color is reminiscent of spicy cheese.
Onozaki miso	It can be prepared with rice and soy (onozaki reismiso) or with barley and soybeans (onozaki gertenmiso). It has a very balanced spicy delicate flavor suitable for all seasons and in all the culinary preparation.
Shiro miso	Miso rice and soybeans or barley and soybeans. Very delicate taste with a sweet aroma. Light color.
Tekka miso	A seasoning powder made from miso and roots (carrots, Bardano, lotus and ginger). It has an aroma of coffee and should be used in small pinches on the finished dish.