The Japanese fermented tofu known as miso traces its roots back to ancient China, where people living in a time before proper refrigeration techniques needed reliable ways to preserve their food. They would ferment their foods, creating substances that they called jiang. The soybean-based jiang, or doujiang, was the earliest ancestor of miso. Ancient writings show us that such jiang was being produced in China at least as early as 535 AD.
Jiang made its way to Japan shortly before the arrival of Buddhism in the middle of the sixth century. The Chinese character for “jiang” was pronounced alternatively as hishio and misho by the Japanese. The latter term eventually turned into “miso”, which first appeared in Japanese writing at some point between 996 and 901 AD.
In the sixteenth century, a samurai by the name of Takeda Shingen realized that miso soup was affordable and had great nutritional value. He therefore began using it as a source of sustenance for his soldiers. To ensure a ready supply, he spread the techniques for growing soy and creating miso throughout his lands.
If you’d like to experience this ancient classic for yourself, come to our Japanese restaurant in Bellevue.