Final presentation [About Fermented Food]

 2043022 Yu Tomiyama

    This time, our presentation's theme is Fermented Food. She was talked about the good points of them, and the type.

    First, she started talking about what fermented foods are. It is made by some food with the power of microorganisms. Fermentation gives it a unique taste and improves its nutritional value. Fermented foods are familiar in Japan, but it is said that they already existed in the Jomon and Yayoi periods. The oldest example of fermented food in Japan is salted melon. I was surprised that this kind of thing has been done for a long time.

    Next, she talked about the good things about fermented foods. The first is that it helps protect our health. For example, fermented foods activate immune cells. And, it also has the effect of removing LDL-cholesterol and preventing high blood pressure. Fermented foods are good for preventing illness. Second, fermented foods improve the shelf life of food. Microorganisms used in fermented foods hinder the growth of bacteria other than myself. Therefore, food is less likely to spoil. There was no refrigerator in the past, so I thought it was very good function.

     Finally, she was talked about the type of fermented food. There are a lot of foods. For example, liquor. Some liquor, Japanese liquor, wine, beer, and so on are fermented. Different yeasts are used for each them, and we can enjoy the difference in taste. In addition, natto is an indispensable item for Japanese food. Natto has a sticky taste created by soybeans and natto bacteria. We often see natto wrapped in rice straw, which uses natto bacteria attached to rice straw. And seasonings are also familiar to our lives. All of the things we often use, such as miso and soy sauce, are fermented foods. Both are made from soybeans and fermented with koji. As for miso, rice koji, bean koji, wheat koji are used, and the taste differs depending on the type. And soy sauce is also used lactic acid bacteria and yeast. Thanks to these fermented foods, we can eat delicious food.

    She said that fermented foods are more accessible than she thought. She often use it casually, but she could learned a lot of things through this presentation. So, she would like to try various fermented foods and enjoy the flavors and the difference in taste.