🍱 Shoyu Mame / Shoyu no Mi (Soy Sauce Beans / Soy sauce seeds)

"Shoyu Mame" or "Soy Sauce Beans" is a fermented food traditional to the northern and central Shinshu region. It is made by fermenting steamed soybeans or black beans with seed koji(seed malt), creating a fermented product with the savory flavor of soy sauce, akin to "eating soy sauce." It should not be confused with the regional dish "Shoyu Mame" from Kagawa Prefecture, which uses soramame (fava beans). For "Shoyu Mame" in Nagano, steamed soybeans or black beans are fermented with rice koji, and then soaked in raw soy sauce. The mixture is manually stirred every day while monitoring the fermentation process. After fermenting for over a month, the result is the flavorful "Shoyu Mame." Nagano Prefecture, known for having the highest number of miso storehouses in Japan, has a deep-rooted fermentation culture. Various fermented foods, such as "Koji Amazake," "Shio Koji," and "Shoyu Koji," utilizing koji, play a significant role in the local culinary traditions. In the Ina region, people make "Shiromiso" by adding beans to amazake and letting it mature for a few days, which is then enjoyed with mochi during the New Year. In the Saku region, a firmer type of amazake with added beans, known as "Amamiso" or "Onattou," is prepared and enjoyed by dipping mochi in it during the New Year festivities.