Find everything you need to know about fermentation here.
Hakko means fermentation in Japanese. Learn the fermentation process of soy sauce, miso, and mirin, and explore the miraculous world of fermentation.
Latest Articles
Fermentation Makes Processed Meat Different
One of the main benefits of fermented meat is its increased nutritional content. During fermentation, the meat is exposed to beneficial bacteria that help break down and digest the food. This process makes the meat more easily digestible and increases the concentration of vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins and iron.
How Fermentation Works to Preserve Food and Punch Up Flavors
In the manufacturing process of fermented foods, amino acids are released in the process of decomposing proteins contained in foodstuffs in order for microorganisms to secure their own nutrients, resulting in unique flavors. The mixture of amino acids produced by aging proteins generally gives off a sense of umami. Umami and sweetness enhance the taste of food, and sourness and bitterness also contribute to richness and flavor.
Sake By-Products Create Super Nutritious Vegan Mayo: Ine to Agave
Koji Mayo is like a mayonnaise with its pale yellow color and texture, but contains no eggs. It has a distinct umami, which is actually derived from sake kasu. Its tartness and unique aroma expands the variety of recipes it can be used in beyond Japanese cuisine.
A Sake Brewery to Save the Vanishing Rural: Ine to Agave
In the fall of 2021, an abandoned train station building on the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture, located in the northwest of the Japan archipelago, was transformed into a sake brewery. The founder of “ Ine to Agave” Brewery, Shuhei Okazumi, who was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, a thousand miles south of Oga City, is the key figure behind the project.
A Mysterious Fermented Food Known Only to Those in the Know! What is “Kobore-Ume”?
Nowadays, kobore-ume is not as familiar as sake-kasu or amazake, but the gentle sweetness derived from rice and the deep flavor produced by aging make it a very appealing fermented food – if you can get your hands on it.
Trying Out Different Rice Varieties
Short-grain rice is used for general koji making, although in some Western countries long-grain rice such as Jasmine or Basmati is used. Living in Europe, I often use Koshihikari rice grown in Italy, such as Yumenishiki. The grain is approximately 5 mm long, absorbs water easily and takes about an hour to steam. This year, as that rice was not readily available, I happened to have the opportunity to try a number of different varieties.
Recipes
What is Tempeh?
All the experts seem to agree that tempeh originated on the island of Java, one of over a thousand islands in the Indonesian archipelago. How it began is less clear, but we can assume that it likely grew out of either trade or war with a ferment-loving neighbor like China or Japan.
Mirin and the Japanese New Year – All about “Otoso,” Plus a Mirin Chai Recipe
Otoso is an alcohol elixir made from various herbs and spices and is imbibed to help usher in good health and fortune for the year to come.
Introducing the Ginger and Apple Mirin Cordial – Another Drinkable Way to Enjoy This Traditional Japanese Cooking Staple
Mirin, itself rather sweet, makes for an unexpectedly perfect cordial ingredient and can be used instead of sugars and syrups for a no-sugar-added beverage great for cold seasons and the holidays.
Chicken Teriyaki
Which kind of soy sauce allows you to enjoy the most delicious Japanese teriyaki? Shiro, usukuchi, koikuchi, sai-shikomi, or tamari? We tasted and compared these five kinds of soy sauce.
Surprising Pairing of Sake and Herbs
Marie Chiba, a pairing specialist who is the head of a sake bar in Tokyo, tells Hakko Hub why herbs and sake go so well together, and gives us a simple recipe that can be made with ingredients close at hand.
Tsukemono – Shoyuzuke Eggs and Misozuke Eggs
Tsukemono is one such tradition from Japan. The Japanese pickling methods are particularly artful and delicious.
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