VOL.211 JANUARY 2026
JAPAN AND UME [Discovering Japan Through the Eyes of Japanese Influencers] The History of Fermented Foods and Their Connection to the Japanese People

Soybeans. Fermented foods like miso, soy sauce, and natto are made from soybeans.
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji

Ayaka is a culinary expert and fermented food specialist. In this issue, she speaks about the history of fermented foods and their connection to the Japanese people.

Natto, nuka-zuke,¹ miso, soy sauce, mirin, and other fermented foods loved by the Japanese people were in fact born from accidental discoveries. The history of fermented foods in Japan stretches from ancient times to the present and has influenced Japanese food culture greatly over many years.

The history of fermented foods in Japan is said to date back to the Jomon Period (14th century BC to 3rd century BC). Paddy rice farming began around the end of the Jomon Period, and it is said that the harvested rice was not only eaten, but also made into alcohol by the primitive method of chewing it to naturally ferment it in the mouth (called kuchikami-zake). That is regarded as the origin of Japanese sake.

The word misho, said to be the prototype of miso and soy sauce, appeared in writings from the Nara Period (around the 8th century). In the Heian Period (late 8th to the end of the 12th century), miso was used as a food preservative and gift for aristocrats and high priests of temples, and was established as a nonperishable luxury food item. During the Warring States Period (late 15th to late 16th century), miso sustained the diets of the samurai as an “essential item supporting battle.” During the Edo Period (early 17th to mid-late 19th century), agriculture production and commercial trade developed significantly, and miso, soy sauce, pickles, and other fermented foods spread widely to the tables of ordinary people in the city.

Why did fermented foods take root so fully in Japan? It was a combination of various factors.

1.  Japan’s Climate
Japan’s warm and humid climate provides an ideal environment for the microorganisms involved in fermentation thrive, while this kind of environment is prone to damage and prevent food material from keeping in good condition as if they are fresh. For this reason, the technique of fermentation, which improves preservability, became indispensable to the diets of Japanese people.

2. A Rise Production of Rice and Soybean 
Large quantities of rice and soybeans are consumed in Japan, and these foods are also essential ingredients for fermented foods. Rice yields sake, rice vinegar, and amazake,² and soybeans yield miso, soy sauce, and natto.

3. The Influence of Buddhism
Shojin ryori, a vegetarian cuisine deeply connected to Buddhism, which prohibited meat consumption, uses miso, natto and other fermented foods as protein sources to replace meat.

This is how fermented foods came to sustain the Japanese diet since ancient times, and they remain an indispensable part of our food culture today.

Ayaka
Culinary expert and fermentation food specialist Ayaka was born in Okayama Prefecture, and moved to Tokyo after entering university. For about five years, she studied cooking while working at a company. She currently shares beauty and gut-health recipes using fermented foods and seasonal vegetables on Nadia and other popular recipe sites, runs cooking classes, and develops recipes. She is also author of the book Karada ga yorokobu, demo kantan! Koji de minimal recipe (“Simple Recipes with Koji That Your Body Will Love,” published by KADOKAWA).

• 1. A traditional Japanese pickled dish made by fermenting vegetables with komenuka rice bran (the outer husk of rice) in a mix of salt, water, etc.
• 2. A beverage made from rice koji or sake lees that has been consumed in Japan since olden times.

By Ayaka
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji; Ayaka; PIXTA