Miso (MEE-soh) is a thick, salty paste of fermented soybeans and grains not unlike peanut butter in consistency. An integral component of Japanese cuisine, miso has been revered in Japan for centuries for its depth of flavor and purported curative properties. It wasn’t until the 1960s that miso first gained shelf space at natural food co-ops in the United States. But in subsequent years, the paste has emerged on menus and cookbook pages in ways previously unimagined.
Its growing popularity is easily explained: No other single ingredient captures miso’s many attributes. The chunky soy paste is often compared with aged Parmigiano for its saltiness, to demiglace for its depth of flavor, to butter for its richness, to wine for its layered complexity and to olive oil for its usefulness. Depending on the cook, miso is a flavor enhancer, curing agent, sauce thickener, fat substitute or culinary cure-all. It imparts instant oomph, whether it’s in the hands of a traditional or nonconformist chef. [Schettler]
Schettler, Renee. “Miso Goes Mainstream.” The Washington Post. 28 April 2004. <www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45848-2004Apr27.html> (5 May 2004).