Table 1.

Commonly consumed traditional soyfoods.

Soybeans A species of legume (Glycine max) native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. It is classified as an oil seed not a pulse because of its high fat content. Edamame Soybeans in the pod which are harvested at about 80% maturity, so they retain more water and sugars. The pods are boiled or steamed and may be served with salt or other condiments. Tofu (soybean curd) Prepared by coagulating soymilk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be silken, soft, firm, extra firm or super firm. The three main commonly used categories of coagulants are salts (e.g., calcium sulfate, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride), acids (e.g., glucono delta-lactone), and enzymes (e.g., papain and proteases). Soymilk Made by soaking and grinding soybeans, boiling the mixture, and filtering out remaining particulates. It is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. Its original form is an intermediate product of the manufacture of tofu. Miso Made by fermenting soybeans for a few days to over a year with salt and koji (the fungus Aspergillus oryzae) and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. Natto A traditional Japanese food made from soybeans that have been fermented with Bacillus subtilis var. natto. It is often served as a breakfast food along with karashi mustard, soy or tare sauce, and sometimes Japanese bunching onion. Tempeh A traditional Indonesian (Javanese) food made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, Rhizopus oligosporus, is used in the fermentation process and is also known as tempeh starter.