What accounts for the longevity of the Japanese, whose life expectancy in Japan is well above the global average for both men and women? Their robust health is often attributed to a healthy diet in which fermentation plays a key role. Fermentation is a method of preservation, an aid to digestion, and a flavor enhancer. It has captivated leading Western chefs who, like René Redzepi of Noma, use this process to explore new flavor territories and create umami, the fifth taste after salty, sweet, bitter, and sour.
What exactly is fermentation?
At its most basic level, fermentation is the transformation of food by microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, or yeasts. In short, the microbes responsible for fermentation break down complex food molecule chains into simpler food molecules. This process makes food more digestible, more nutritious, and more flavorful, while also allowing it to be preserved for longer.
There are thousands of products resulting from fermentation, from beer and wine to cheese, sake, and soy sauce. They are all very different products, of course, but they all come from the same basic process of fermentation.
At the Japanese table
If you love Japanese cuisine, you're already a fan of fermentation. On a typical Japanese table, you'll find no fewer than four or five fermented products. The best known are shoyu (soy sauce) and miso, made from fermented soybeans. You'll also find tsukemono, which are vegetables pickled in fermented rice bran. Sake is made from fermented rice. Natto, fermented soybeans, is very healthy but sticky, has a very strong smell, and a taste that can be difficult to get used to. These traditional foods inspire confidence because they have always been part of the Japanese diet and offer both delicious flavors and invaluable health benefits.
Koji, the miracle mushroom
The king of fermentation in Japan is the koji fungus, or Aspergillus oryzae. This noble mold arrived in Japan a millennium ago as a parasite in rice paddies and has since been cultivated by the Japanese as their preferred microbe. Koji thrives in grains and its power is multifaceted: it penetrates rice, barley, or soybeans and produces enzymes that break down proteins, starches, and lipids into free amino acids, simple sugars, and other fats. This complex process gives rise, among other things, to umami, a flavor so beloved by Western chefs. Koji, in particular, imparts a sweetness to foods, making miso, for example, so distinctive once tasted. Importantly, amino acids have anti-aging properties.
The gift of time
At Bizen, we're crazy about fermentation. We've turned the residue from rice fermentation into our signature active ingredient for skincare. This fermented rice lees is rich in amino acids and ceramides released during the fermentation process. These beneficial ingredients, natural hydrating agents, also have antioxidant and anti-aging properties. Proof? The legendary whiteness and youthfulness of Japanese sake brewers' hands. It's contact with the rice ferment, the magical koji, that makes them so soft and beautiful.