“I love that slimy goodness paired with a cup of green tea.”

– Moonlynn Tsai

“I was skeptical, until the moment I tried it. It has a fuller, more complex flavor than the stuff I'd been buying here, which always seemed an insipid echo of the kind my family buys in Japan, despite the fact that I buy the same brand.”

– Sho Spaeth

“It’s completely different from commercial nattō. What you find in local Japanese supermarkets is frozen and air-freighted, so hers is naturally fresher with different aroma, bite, stickiness and nutritional value. This shows how completely Japanese food has penetrated the New York food scene, when people are driven to make their own because there’s something missing.”

– Arline Lyons

“From sushi to ramen, there are plenty of Japanese staples Americans have readily embraced. Natto, a superfood made from sticky fermented soybeans, isn’t one of them ... yet.”

– Hannah Chenoweth

Sake and natto found in NY! Japanese food spreads around the globe

(Fresh-made Brooklyn natto <Best of Brooklyn, old and new>)

“It’s often compared to washed-rind cheese in terms of it’s complex funkiness and general, ort of, in-your-face-ness.”

– Ann Yonetani

“When I am not enjoying Yonetani’s natto, I’m often ogling it on her Instagram feed: Natto on nachos! Natto on deviled eggs! And, of course: natto on pizza!”

– Roxanne Khamsi

At this talk, microbiologist and natto maker Dr. Ann Yonetani, founder of Brooklyn-based NYrture Food, dishes on her favorite ways to prepare natto, examines both traditional and novel culinary pairings, and breaks down the food science behind this soybean sensation.

Moderated by Sho Spaeth, Features Editor at Serious Eats.

“We love NYrture’s black New York Natto, which is made fresh in NYC from sustainably grown black soybeans that are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds.”

– Molly Beauchemin

“I tell people who are not Japanese to think outside of the box and not feel that they need to eat it with rice. … It's like a vegan stinky cheese.”

– Ann Yonetani in an interview with Von Diaz

“You can basically do anything with it that you could with a flavorful cheese.”

– Ann Yonetani on Japan Eats