How does miso get richer the longer it ferments?
Miso's Time Machine
How does miso get richer the longer it ferments?
You open a jar of miso — that thick, salty-sweet paste from Japan — and it tastes deep, like the ocean and roasted nuts and something you can't quite name. The label says it fermented for three years. What happened in that jar to make the flavor so rich?
Miso starts simple: cooked soybeans, salt, and a sprinkle of koji — rice or barley coated with a special mold called Aspergillus oryzae. You mash it all together, pack it into a barrel, and wait. At first, it tastes plain, beany, a little salty. Nothing magical yet.
