May 17,2018
Since antiquity, miso has been an enduring fermented food essential for the Japanese dining table. For this second part of our special feature on Terajima Akane — the Travelling Fermenter who conducts workshops in Japan and abroad to promote how to make miso and who leads several projects centered on miso — our editorial team joined one of her miso-making classes and reports on what the experience of actually making miso is like.
The workshop was held at the Hakko Guesthouse「Miminichi」in Kamakura, not far from Zaimokuza Beach. Miminichi is a 50-year-old private home converted into a guesthouse. It is a peaceful space with a sense of nostalgia, as if you were visiting your grandmother’s house in the countryside. The guesthouse’s name was changed in 2017 from Shonan Guesthouse to Hakko [Fermentation] Guesthouse, and it appears to function as an excellent place for fermentation both in name and in reality.
When we arrived, Terajima was in the final stages of prepping for the workshop. The soybeans for the day were gently boiling away in a large pot. To make miso, the soybeans must first be soaked in water for 24 hours and then boiled. Soybeans are the right softness for miso when you can squish them between your thumb and little finger. Soybeans reach this softness after being boiled gently for three to six hours while adding water to keep them covered. Naturally, a large quantity of soybeans is needed for a large workshop. For our workshop, Terajima bought eight kilograms of soybeans.
Even the long saibashi chopsticks for stirring the soybeans are huge!
The soybeans are soft enough when you can easily squish them between your thumb and little finger.
While Terajima was telling us about how different the various soybean varieties taste, how she met the owners of Hakko Guesthouse Miminichi [see the interview with her for more on this], how she sources ingredients locally for her workshops in other countries, and other tales, she finished up the prep work. The other participants arrived at just the right time and at last the workshop began.
Fourteen people showed up for the workshop, around 30 percent of whom were men. The participants were joined by the couple who own Miminichi and their two adorable children. People of all ages gathered in the living room, a tatami-mat room that helped quickly foster a homey atmosphere.
We began by fortifying ourselves with a bento lunch and delectable miso soup prepared with miso Terajima had made the previous year, while we each introduced ourselves, including Terajima herself.
Miso that Terajima had made the previous year.
Each of us put a one-person serving of miso in a bowl and added hot water to make soup.
The workshop was held on March 11, exactly seven years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. Each of us talked about where we were when the earthquake struck. In our previous interview, Terajima had told us that 2011, the year of the earthquake, was a turning point for her, as she rethought her views on food and diet and developed a strong interest in fermentation. She got into making miso with a renewed sense that eating is an act of receiving life.
We next compared the tastes of three varieties of soybeans. We tasted local Tachiyutaka soybeans from Yamagata that we would use for the workshop’s miso-making, as well as Hiden-mame (also from Yamagata) and Tsukuizairai soybeans.
Terajima: “Japan has many varieties of soybeans dating back centuries. There are farmers today who continue to carefully cultivate native varieties and preserve them for the future. My wish is for more people to know about them.”
Soybean varieties are not something we normally pay attention to, so we were taken aback that there were three types of soybeans so different in appearance, taste, and sweetness. Next, we sampled the rice koji [rice malt] and salt to be used in the miso we were about to make. Although rice koji plays a large role in the food we eat every day, this was the first time we had eaten it plain. It had an unadorned taste with a hint of sweetness.
Terajima’s handwritten miso recipe. It is so easy to follow that we will try making miso at home next year.
The ingredients to make miso (from left): rice koji, soybeans, and salt.
What was surprisingly difficult was the process of mashing the boiled soybeans that Terajima had prepared for us. After the soybeans had cooled somewhat, we put them in plastic bags and mashed them diligently until the soybeans had a paste-like consistency. If you do it too roughly, there will be solid chunks left or the bag may tear. The real test comes after having partially mashed the soybeans. You have to feel around the bag to find unmashed soybeans and methodically mash them one by one.
Putting the soybeans in a bag and weighing them to make a kilogram of miso.
Mashing every single soybean.
The two children of the owners of Hakko Guesthouse Miminichi, the venue for the workshop, help out making a year’s worth of miso.
While mashing the soybeans, we began conversing with the other participants. We had Terajima check our progress, but because we were so engrossed in chatting, it took quite a while before our mashed soybeans were given a pass.
Terajima’s quality inspections were quite strict.
Next, we added salt and koji, which had been broken up by hand, to the mashed soybeans and thoroughly mixed them together. Again, we did this in a plastic bag, working very conscientiously. Having been told that how well the ingredients are mixed together at this stage influences the resulting miso, everyone worked energetically while Kamakura’s traditional “Hakko-Bon-Uta” [“Fermentation Bon Festival Song”] played in the background.
The final step was adding and mixing in a teaspoon of miso that Terajima had made the previous year, with the wish that the miso would turn out delicious.
A spoonful of magic to make it delicious!
Tasting the magic miso (also made the previous year).
We then put our prepared miso into containers we had brought, levelled out the miso, and then salted around the edge. To keep the air out, we placed plastic wrap tightly over the entire surface, and we were done.* It takes at least six months for the miso to be ready to eat, so we can only hope now that it will ferment well.
※Once we had the container back at home, we placed a weight on the miso.
The miso is formed into a bed to prevent air from getting in, and a ridge is made around the edge, which is then salted.
Plastic wrap is pressed over the miso and snugly into the corners of the container to prevent air from getting in. A weight is also placed on top of the plastic wrap.
After completing the miso-making portion of the workshop, we took a break with some delicious raw sweets and drinks while watching Terajima’s original fermentation puppet show. Using handmade puppets taking on the roles of koji, soybeans, yeast, lactic acid bacteria, and salt, Terajima acted out the story of how each of these elements helps miso ferment.
Terajima’s distinctive storytelling got everyone laughing. But thanks to her explanation, we got a clear understanding of the mechanisms of fermentation that we only had a vague understanding of before. We gained plenty of new knowledge and had a great time making miso while interacting with lots of different people. It was a very intensive, but rewarding workshop.
At the end of the workshop, everyone reviewed the miso-making process.
Terajima left us with the following words: “Even when made with the same ingredients, how the miso turns out varies greatly depending on the person and the environment. Sometimes it turns into tamari soy sauce [a rich type of soy sauce] and very occasionally a strange mold will grow on the miso. If you notice anything about your miso, feel free to ask me anytime.”
The miso we made together as a group is now fermenting in our respective homes, and we can’t help wondering how everyone’s miso will turn out. We hope we can get together with everyone again and share our finished miso — that’s just how valuable and heartwarming an experience it was.
The Travelling Fermenter / Miso-no-Wa Project Director
The Travelling Fermenter / Miso-no-Wa Project Director
Born in Tokyo in 1986, Terajima quit her office job in 2014 and went to England to study English. In England, she was influenced by the thinker Satish Kumar and assimilated ideas to make society better. To experience the philosophy she gained, she traveled to Europe, Scandinavia, and New Zealand to visit eco-communities, people who live on the land, and people who care about the planet. In her travels and in Japan, she shares the joys of miso-making, while also endeavoring to make miso an emergency ration.
Terajima writes about her travels and fermentation on her blog Travelling Fermenter.
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