A common food and key source of protein for the Japanese is Natto, or fermented soybeans. This strong smelling food has been eaten in Japan since ancient times; one source puts the first use of natto in the Jōmon period (10,000–300 BC).
Natto is usually eaten for breakfast along with rice and it’s normally served with soy sauce, spicy mustard and chopped Scallions or “Negi”. When stirred, natto turns into a gummy spider web of…goo. Most people who try natto for the first time hate it. I haven’t met many foreigners who have eaten natto and liked it. The ones that say they like it, well, I think they’re lying.
