Item — HN Reader

> Natto Any advice to try it? I haven’t had the courage yet but I guess it's time to face my fears.

> lactic acid fermented Tofu The english name of the one I buy is "Lactofermented Tofu" [0], although their ingredients [1] lacks a coagulant but have ferment instead: I guess the tonyu+ferment produce lactic acid, which then coagulate the fermented tonyu into tofu. I wonder if that make a big difference with classic recipes that ferment the tofu directly [2].

> Tempeh It's a fresh product and the taste really differ depending on:

- Ripeness. It can be ripped a few days to build an intense flavor when homemade or bought fresh.

- Ingredients. Same fungus (Rhizopus oligosporus) can be used to ferment others legumes/grains. I once made black-lentil-tempeh which had a very strong gorgonzola flavor with a firm and non-fat texture.

0 https://lesojami.com/en/our-ranges/

1 (french) https://lesojami.com/produit/tofu-lactofermente-ail-des-ours...

2 https://revolutionfermentation.com/en/blogs/tempeh-soy-grain...

The only Natto that I've tried is pre-packaged and frozen, bought from a Chinese supermarket in Bristol, UK. It comes as five little polystyrene packs that have a small quantity of Natto (maybe 25g?) along with small packets of mustard and soy sauce. The Natto itself consists of the beans, but the oustide is somewhat slimy and very stringy (like cheese) and the flavour is very cheese-like. Incidentally, Natto is extremely high in vitamin K, especially K2, so be careful if you take an anticoagulant like Warfarin.

I don't think the fermented tofu is popular here, but I have seen fermented tofu sold in the same Chinese supermarket - it's sold in either glass or porcelain jars and doesn't usually have any english translation on them. I have got a jar that I bought a while ago, but I haven't had the courage to try it yet as the tofu looks blackened and murky.

Similarly, I've only tried Tempeh from mainstream supermarkets, so that might be why I don't find it to taste cheesy.