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What is fermentation anyway? Fermentation comes from the Latin fervere, which means to boil (water). It refers to the property of many ferments, such as bubbling during fermentation and the formation of bubbles. This is how sparkling wine bubbles, bubbles form in bread and the mash of soya sauce bubbles. The bubbles are caused by gases produced by the metabolism of countless microorganisms.
Microorganisms play a major role in fermentation. Depending on what is growing there and how they are doing, the edibility and flavour of the ferment is very important. But don't worry, the fermentation of food has been practised for thousands of years, even without knowing exactly what is happening. It is therefore a very robust process that also makes food more durable, healthier, more digestible and even tastier.
Microorganisms are often used specifically for fermentation. For example, certain yeasts for certain beers. At mimi, we mainly use different types of koji for our ferments. Koji is a noble mould of the genus Aspergillus - also known as watering can mould. The name Aspergillus comes from the fact that the spore carriers of the fungus are similar in shape to an aspergillum, which is used for sprinkling with holy water. The spores of the koji are finely dusted onto the prepared raw materials and cultivated for two days under controlled conditions. After this time, the koji mould has colonised the entire substrate and looks wonderfully fluffy. In further steps, it can be used to ferment miso, shoyu, sake, mirin and many other Japanese products that are essential for Japanese cuisine.
Miso
Miso is a Japanese seasoning paste that usually consists of soya beans, rice and salt. Depending on the recipe, it is fermented for between a few months and several years. Miso probably originated in China. ‘Jiang’, a relatively liquid paste made from fermented vegetables, fish, game and later pulses, has been produced there for thousands of years and was first mentioned in writing in 200 BC.
Jiang was brought to Japan around the 7th century at the latest and was initially produced there by Buddhist monks and called ‘Hishio’. It was not until the 9th century that the current way of reading and writing ‘miso’ was introduced, marking a point in time when Japanese miso became independent and culturally integrated. With the increasing cultivation of soya beans, miso paved its way to becoming a staple food in Japan and is now used in almost every household. Traditionally, for example, a bowl of miso soup is part of a Japanese breakfast. According to Japanese mythology, miso is a gift from the gods to bring health, longevity and a happy life. It came to Europe in the 1960s as part of the macrobiotic diet.
As miso was traditionally produced in many farms and temples for personal consumption, there are countless varieties of miso. Each region and many families have their own special recipe. These range from young to old miso or sweet to very savoury and salty varieties. In line with the large number of recipes, the names are very varied and unfortunately not standardised.
Shoyu – Soya sauce
Soy sauce, called shoyu in Japan, is a seasoning sauce based on wheat and soya beans. Its origin comes from a ferment called hishio, which is the original form of both soya sauce and miso.
Like miso, shoyu is produced in two fermentation steps. The first step consists of fermenting steamed soybeans with roasted and crushed wheat using a mould culture called koji (Aspergillus soyae). In the second step, the fermented soya-wheat mixture is placed in a brine. The resulting mash, called moromi in Japanese, is then stirred regularly and fermented in wooden barrels for several months to years. At Mimi Ferments, we only use pre-matured red wine, whisky or rum barrels for our soya sauces.
At the end of the fermentation period, a press separates the mash into solids and liquid. As a rule, the raw soy sauce is then filtered and pasteurised to stop the fermentation process. The end product is a savoury, salty seasoning sauce that has delicate and mild to strong and deep notes, depending on the type and age.
Unlike miso, there is no tradition of making soya sauce at home. Therefore, shoyu has always been brewed by specialised manufacturers. Today, five different types of soy sauce have been established: Tamari Shoyu, Saishikomi Shoyu, Koikuchi Shoyu, Usukuchi Shoyu, Shiro Shoyu and Shiro Tamari.