My Japan Gallery and Miso

I have decided to publish many of my Japan pictures in one place! If you look at the left side of this blog, you will see a link to my Japan photos. I plan on improving the gallery feature and using it much more often. Feel free to give me some suggestions to make your experience a better one. This blog is always a work in progress.

We received many nice comments about my blog describing tofu, so I thought you might like to read about another important food ingredient of Japan – miso.  You may have tried miso soup in a Japanese restaurant, but what exactly is it?

Well, miso, also referred to as bean paste, is essential to Japanese food preparation.  Miso is made by salting and fermenting soybeans together with a grain such as rice, barley, or wheat, along with a special mold.  This mixture is then slowly fermented in several stages for anywhere from a few months to a few years.  Like wine- and cheese making, creating miso is a complex art.  And because it’s made in diverse ways, the color, taste, and texture vary greatly.  In Japan, each region has its own favorite miso, ranging in color from ivory, to light brown, to nearly black.  Basically, the darker the miso, the longer the fermentation time, which results in a stronger and saltier flavor.

Miso is used in making soups, preparing sauces and marinades, in salad dressings, pickling all sorts of vegetables, and as a table condiment.  And because miso contains living enzymes, it’s said to be good for the digestive system.  It also provides a nutritious balance of complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it’s customary in Japan to begin each day with a hot bowl of delicious miso soup.  If you’d like to start experimenting with miso, you can find several types in Asian markets and in heath food stores.

Click here to search for many of our recipes containing Miso!

Here are some pictures of some of my favorite miso recipes at Marthastewart.com

Comments

[Amy]

What wonderful pictures! Looks like a fantastic trip!
You always pick the little details in your pictures to showcase and I love that. I find myself doing that more with mine too.
Keep up the great blogging, makes my morning!

[Margie]

Thanks so much for the details. Comparing variations of any food or beverage group becomes a delight for the participants. The fun is the variations keeps the tastings fresh and eventful. The quest does not even have to be costly. In college over a semester's time we poor students just compared a specific Mexican dish at all the local cafes.

[Claudine]

I love Miso! and Miso and Salmon is a perfect combination.... I think I will need to go ang get some this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration. I can't wait to look at the pictures. I hope your mom is ok, sending good thoughts your way.

[Andrew Ritchie]

Martha, the gallery is ideal. One can browse through the thumbnails to pick a photo they'd especially like to see. Once a photo is opened, you can then browse through the gallery in larger format, with the template along the side. It's perfect! (And thanks for the lesson on miso! Miso soup is so delicious.)

-Andrew
Ottawa, Canada

[Pam]

Wow, Martha, just found your blog and I love it! I had no idea that you had a hip replacement...glad that it went well and that you are now (hopefully) pain free. I am enjoying the pictures and blog entries about your Japan trip. My husband and I visited there last November and loved it, especially Kyoto and Nara, so it is fun to reminisce. We were actually there over Thanksgiving and ate oysters in Sendai for Thanksgiving dinner...we are looking forward to a more traditional meal this year!

[Stef in Seattle]

Hi Martha,

I always see containers of Miso at the store and have wondered what to do with it exactly. I think I'll take a look at some of your recipes here and try to work with it some. I have eaten Miso soup and love it! So simple and still so good.

Thanks so much for the insight!

Kind Regards,
Stef

[Trish]

Hi Martha,
Your pictures are quite impressive grouped on one page and I like being able to enlarge each one with just a click. I see you checked out your MSL magazine and then was that the Japanese version of the magazine in the next photo? So cool! I tried to get a copy once after you brought one to Rosie's show years ago.

The only suggestion I have is I wouldn't mind seeing a few comments below the pictures. Is that Kevin on the floor,(?),in one of them? Are you standing in front of towels for sale in another?

I like that you share content that enriches our lives and I think other Bloggers should take note. You have already made substantial improvements since your first Blog and it all just gets better!
Thanks. Trish

[Tirlitan]

Great pictures! I have lived in Japan and love the country. I am amazed that you managed to see so much on a short trip.

[noriyo]

Hello Marhta!
Thank you for sharing those beautiful photos. I enjoyed very much. They are not only beautiful, but also show me your view point on various Japanese things, which, for me as a Japanese, quite interesting such as wooden wall in Kyoto, colourful but sublte shades of fablics in .. Ginza? ..and much much more.
And, as a regular miso and tofu consumer, your description on those essential Japanese ingredients are impeccablly accurate. Martha, you are such a good teacher to the world!

[Vera Milunovic]

Wow!!!!!!Your trip was amazing and the pictures shows a wonderfull impression of your view! This blog conect us closer.
big hug

[Livi]

Upon the onset of cold symptoms, I often visit my favorite Japanese restaurant for a bowl of Miso soup. It always makes me feel so much better and now I know why. Thank you for explaining in such detail the many properties, which it contains.

[Jan Erickson]

Hi Martha, Thanks for sharing this blog about miso and all of the pictures from your trip to Japan. I could spend all day just enjoying your beautiful pictures and blogs. I am reminded of an old show that featured Nobu and he cooked black cod marinated in miso and made miso soup for you. He told you to stay healthy by starting each day with miso soup. Thanks again for sharing. Jan

[Frederic Kahler]

Lovely to see you in Japan! Looking forward to the day I visit and absorb the Japanese people's amazing culture and its cuisine. And how lovely to see you at my favorite place, Chanel, brandishing a lovely handbag! I'll bet it's a breather for you to roam about fairly unrecognized...

And my best to your Mother on her recovery. She is a model of good health and perserverance for us all!

Frederic Kahler

[Eneida Courtney]

I just had the opportunity to see the photos of your trip to Japan, and they were wonderful. You're a genius with a camera. For people like me, who live in a very rural town with very little amenities, you show us the world in pictures. You have introduced me to so many ideas, when it comes to decorating, crafting, gardening, and cooking. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you've done for me. I look forward, every month, to receiving your magazine in the mail and seeing what you have new to show me. Thank you again.

[Lynn Ferguson]

This a fantastic Blog entry, because Miso is so new to the American cook!

I have been making healthy food with Miso for thirty years and it needs more recognition for the wonderful versatility and flavor it imparts.

Those aduki beans you discussed on TV are excellent when a little barley Miso and Kombu seaweed are cooked in with them! Garnish with some diced scallions and gomasio and it will be memorable...

Martha...Keep up the Good Work here!

[Akihiro Ito]

Japan recently introduced an information site. Foreigners who are relatively unknown in Japan to introduce the information. Surprise is full of information.
We hope once the link please.
（URL）http://japanesefood-cultuer-history-anime.blogspot.com/