Customer Reviews

The Book of Miso

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This book is a real classic (mine is soup-stained from years of use.)

It is actually surprising how easy it is to make that cup of warm, cloudy soup you get in the sushi bar. The only problem is the dashi (fish broth) that is commercially available. It is usually loaded with MSG. You can make your own broth from bonito flakes per this book, if you have a Japanese grocery, but if you don't have a Japanese grocery or don't eat fish, vegetable broth works just fine with a dash of soy sauce.

This book has many, many soup ideas, as well as some delicious Asian noodle recipes, and uses for miso that replace things like cheese. The meaty taste of miso results from natural amino acids, which provide the savory flavor similar to meats and cheeses. If you are becoming vegetarian, miso can replace that familiar taste.

Confused by 6 different kinds of miso at your store? This book explains 17 kinds, how each is made, nutritional analysis, what to use each kind for. Over 100 pages of general info plus 500 pages of recipes. My well-worn copy is dated 1976 and it's still being reprinted! This book is one of my most frequently used cooking references. Excellent!

As a full-time athlete and conscious eater, this book was my savior. This is not only the bible on miso as the key to a healthy vegetarian diet, but also the bible on great living and world consciousness through your food choices. Miso matches meat in protein yet has almost no fat. This book allows the reader to make excellent, economical and tasty choices on how to include miso in one's daily diet. I have been very happy with my discovery of this book a few years ago. Since then I have felt strong and healthy without feeling the pressure of eating meat. The history, recipes and other info are very well written and well researched. The authors are ahead of their time and there is no doubt that miso will soon become a much greater part of the average western diet. I highly reccomend this book to everyone who cares about their own health and the health of the planet. Have a good read!

This book will keep you going for years. There are so many recipes and they all involve the use of miso and many also show you what to do with tofu and noodles. It offers a great insight into the cuisine and lifestyle of the Japanese. So it is practical and a good read,too. I am hooked!

This book is written by two real enthusiasts and is well worth buying for the many appetizing recipes and the information on the history and the manufacture of miso on both large and small scale.

In addition, one is told many fascinating things about the properties of the food. It has a " range of textures and colors as varied as those of the world's fine cheeses and wines" and is of "limitless versatility". One learns that "food is a form of energy", that miso will substitute for animal protein and "animals will be grateful to you for not eating them". Since many recipes involve bonito flakes, the tuna must not count as an animal. Miso's fairly high salt content is "mellowed by the presence of amino acids and natural oils" and is thus good for low salt and low-fat diets. This is especially so since "Western cooking uses (large quantities of) fat to soften salt's intrinsic sharpness". Miso is a "perfect (alkaline) coffee substitute" for "acidic caffeine" (which, incidentally, is an organic base.) "Miso's alkalizing and cleansing effects are considered very important in the development of an alkaline condition that is known to promote resistance to disease". It "may prevent radiation sickness", "neutralize the effects of smoking and air pollution" and is "a key to the vegetarian transition". Vegetarians live longer than meat eaters and elimination of meat from a diet will cure arthritis and obesity. Vegetarians apparently have greater stamina than meat eaters (despite the fact that African hunters used to catch antelopes by running them to exhaustion).

There are many further interesting observations. Japanese shoyu is a fine natural product distinct from the soy sauce sold in the West. Sodium glutamate "differs in chemical structure from natural glutamic acid". Tofu is delicious (I suppose I would find that true if I could detect tastes other than those provided by added flavorings.) Maggi sauce is just soy sauce as filched by one Albert Langgarth in the 1870s and the name is a corruption of the Mogi family name. I would have liked to know more about the Mogis but, unfortunately, no further information is given.

Bill Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi write lovingly of miso, an old-fashioned, fermented soybean product that enjoys high honor in Japan as a digestive aid, powerful energizer, stamina builder, disease preventer and longevity elixir. The molds and cultures used to make miso have traditionally been treasured as more valuable than gold, even safeguarded in fire-, flood- and burglar-proof vaults. Miso's health-giving reputation is well deserved and the authors tell a richly detailed and engaging history. That said, it is vital that we remember that miso differs greatly from the modern, fractionated soy products favored in the west (such as soy protein isolate, soy flour, textured vegetable protein and soy oil), which are manufactured using cheap, fast, high-tech, industrial processes. Because these methods do not adequately remove antinutrients and toxins, modern soyfoods have been have been linked to malnutrition, digestive distress, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, even heart disease and cancer. In contrast, traditional miso soup is a true health food and a gourmet delight that enjoys a place in our diets. As a long-time miso lover, I am grateful that Shurtleff and Aoyagi have learned and shared so much.

Very good collection of miso and its history. Sent this to a friend who was interested in learning more of this healthy food.