Miso

Also Called

Japanese soybean paste, miso paste

Usage

as an ingredient to make miso soup, as seasoning

Description

Miso is made by fermenting ground soybeans, resulting in a very thick paste-like texture. Its color varies depending on the variety, with miso commonly found in markets outside Japan ranging from yellow-brown to deep brown. Miso can be classified into three main types based on the ingredients used in the koji-making process: rice miso, barley miso, and soybean miso. It's important to note that “rice,” “barley,” and “soybean” only refer to the ingredients involved in the koji-making process, since all three types eventually involve soybeans in the second fermentation stage of production. Overall, the production of soybean miso is very similar to that of dajiang. Both involve fermenting ground soybeans into a paste-like consistency. The difference lies in the second fermentation stage, where miso only requires salt while dajiang requires both salt and water. This is why miso is much thicker than dajiang. Furthermore, miso differentiates from other soybean pastes in that it is primarily used for making soup.