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These days who could question the excellent nutritional qualities of soy? Doctors, nutritional experts, dieticians and alternative therapy specialists recommend soy because of its strong ability to prevent breast tumors, ease symptoms of menopausia and provide the body with high-quality proteins, allowing people to avoid taking in too much protein from less-healthy foods. But soy also has the advantage of being available in different formats and one of them is miso, a word which means source of flavor.

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It is fermented soy paste that can also include rice, garbanzo beans or barley. It is Chinese in origin, although it is eaten in other countries such as Japan. In color it ranges from light brown to a deeper, chocolate tone. The taste is salty because another ingredient in miso is sea salt.

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Making miso is not complicated but it is slow. It involves a very old technique in which soy grains (pellets with the consistency of other legumes) along with barley, rice or garbanzo beans if desired. Once all the ingredients are blended, they are pressed together and let sit for an average of two years, although the period varies from six months to three years. During this time the mix ferments, and salt is added from time to time. The process is lactic fermentation, and it is caused by a fungus. The result is a paste that is fairly thick, and many of miso's qualities stem from this fermentation because, as with cheese and yogurt, the process makes the food easier to digest and more nutritional as it contains living enzymes. For just this reason miso must be refrigerated so it does not lose its nutritional qualities. But there is also dehydrated miso which can be kept for up to a year in a cool, dry place.

Miso is rich in carbohydates and protein, and in fact has even more than meat. It also holds vitamins like B12, minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium, as well as essential amino acids (the ones the body cannot make for itself) and a bit of fat.

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Because of its composition it is a food that purges and cleans the organism, and it also helps the immune system. It is easy to digest, and thus ideal for stomach and intestinal disorders, eliminating acidity. It also improves the intestinal flora because its living bacteria make it a pro-biotic food. Its lecithin makes it beneficial for controling cholesterol and thus improves the health of arteries and helps prevent cardiovascular problems. Some studies carried out in Japan even suggest that miso protects smokers from lung cancer. As if all this were not enough, miso is even credited with stengthening hair, and is considered an excellent way to give the body a boost of energy. But people with hypertension should be careful because miso has a lot of salt.
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But how do we eat miso? How is it used in cooking? It can be eaten as dessert to assure good digestion. But the most common method is to include it in soups, along with vegetables and in fish broth, a common dish in Japanese restaurants. Miso goes very well with rise and pasta, and because of its consistency you can even spread it on a slice of bread. When preparing miso make sure the water does not boil so that the miso doesn't lose its nutritional value. Finally, it is worth pointing out that miso is the soy derivative with the most isoflavones after soy grain and meal.