The soybeans are also steamed instead of boiled before fermentation. This is different from the process of making more traditional miso, which is made with rice altering the traditional sweetness of the flavor. Instead, you are given a more savory and rich flavor. The paste is then left for two years in a riverbed to ferment.
Miso was a much needed solution to malnutrition during feudal Japan. The paste is very high in protein and vitamins that were very hard to maintain during times of struggle. A common meal was made up of a bowl of rice, some dried fish, a serving of miso and a fresh vegetable.
