Natto is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans, and is characterized by its strong taste, pungent smell, and gooey texture. Natto isn’t well-known outside of Japan, and its acquired taste and unpleasant appearance probably confines it to a limited audience. Nonetheless, natto can be found in some Western health food stores for one reason: it is highly nutritious. In fact, the health benefits of natto are so considerable that some stores sell it in capsule form…
Nutritional yeast is a heat-deactivated yeast that is typically sourced from sugarcane and beet molasses. It has a cheese-like, nutty flavor, and can be incorporated into pizzas, creamed vegetables, popcorn, onion rings, mashed potatoes, fries, pasta, and various soups and salads. It is loved by vegetarians and vegans because it is a dairy and gluten-free source of numerous trace nutrients; indeed, the nutritional yeast found in health food stores is just as likely to be…
Moringa oleifera, also called the drumstick tree and horseradish tree, is a sturdy tree native to the lower slopes of the Himalayan mountain range in northwestern India. Its pods and leaves are often cultivated for food and oil extraction in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, as well as for water purification purposes. The leaves and pods of the moringa tree are unusually nutritious, even when compared to other tropical vegetables, and they have…
Wakame is an edible brown seaweed that is native to the cold and temperate coastal areas of Korea, China, and Japan. It has a delicate flavor and a slippery texture. Dried or salted wakame is often incorporated into a variety of East Asian dishes, including miyeok guk, miso soup, and tofu-based salads. Although wakame’s popularity remains confined to East Asia, many natural food stores in the West have started stocking it as a supplement because…
Sea lettuce is an edible green seaweed that grows along the coastlines of the world’s oceans. It is eaten by a number of sea animals including sea slugs and manatees, although humans have also eaten it for centuries. Characterized by its bright green color, lettuce-like appearance (hence the name), and somewhat waxy taste, sea lettuce can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in soups. Compared to other sea vegetables such as nori, kombu, and bladderwrack,…
