WEBVTT
00:00:00.632 --> 00:00:05.145
♪ (meditative calm music) ♪
NOTE Paragraph
00:00:17.416 --> 00:00:24.328 line:1
(Ann Yonetani) It's true that natto
has this very unique gooey, sticky texture
00:00:24.328 --> 00:00:27.051 line:1
but to me that's fun!
00:00:27.051 --> 00:00:30.075
You know, it's interesting.
(laughter)
00:00:30.889 --> 00:00:32.944
It's something to talk about.
NOTE Paragraph
00:00:37.664 --> 00:00:41.190
Natto truly is the Japanese cheese.
00:00:42.023 --> 00:00:44.483
It's a vegan version
00:00:44.483 --> 00:00:50.304
of a really complex, umami-rich,
00:00:50.304 --> 00:00:52.625
like washed rind cheese.
00:00:52.978 --> 00:00:56.965
And yeah, many cheese lovers
really enjoy natto
00:00:56.965 --> 00:01:00.962
and see that parallel in flavor profile.
00:01:00.962 --> 00:01:06.063
It's a food that I feel like
more people need to have access to
00:01:06.898 --> 00:01:09.971
because I think that
can benefit a lot of people
00:01:09.971 --> 00:01:12.419
by incorporating it into their diets.
00:01:12.878 --> 00:01:18.219
Hi, my name is Ann Yonetani,
I'm the founder and owner of NYrture Food
00:01:18.219 --> 00:01:21.209
which makes natto in Brooklyn, New York.
00:01:21.716 --> 00:01:25.887
Natto is really a ubiquitous food,
00:01:25.887 --> 00:01:30.609
an everyday food that's most commonly
eaten for breakfast.
00:01:31.289 --> 00:01:37.626
Yes, I feel like I have sort of taken on
the mission of being a cheerleader,
00:01:37.626 --> 00:01:40.459
a spokesperson,
00:01:40.459 --> 00:01:44.432
an evangelist for natto in America.
00:01:44.432 --> 00:01:48.416
And it really is because I truly believe
00:01:48.416 --> 00:01:52.160
that natto is just so special,
00:01:52.160 --> 00:01:53.459
so unique...
00:01:53.459 --> 00:02:00.561
I think if there's any food on earth
that deserves to be called a superfood
00:02:00.561 --> 00:02:01.448
is natto.
00:02:02.858 --> 00:02:05.952
♪ (slow piano music) ♪
00:02:11.413 --> 00:02:12.191
It's good.
00:02:12.865 --> 00:02:16.700
In a weird way, I'm an urban farmer,
00:02:16.700 --> 00:02:18.316
an urban micro farmer.
00:02:18.890 --> 00:02:23.523
I grow bacteria,
and those bacteria eat soybeans,
00:02:23.523 --> 00:02:26.168
and they help me produce natto.
00:02:26.588 --> 00:02:29.122
Yeah, I'm a nerd.
(laughter)
00:02:33.990 --> 00:02:40.296
This is day one of
Nyrture's natto-making-process.
00:02:40.508 --> 00:02:43.767
Every batch starts with this step,
00:02:43.767 --> 00:02:46.676
which is me hand-sorting
through the beans.
00:02:48.621 --> 00:02:52.692
I kind of love this step--
I love this step and I hate this step
00:02:52.692 --> 00:02:58.080
but there's something very meditative
about the process
00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:02.017
and our beans are beautiful,
I mean, they're so clean,
00:03:02.017 --> 00:03:06.652
you know, 99.9% of them look fantastic.
00:03:07.157 --> 00:03:12.357
I'd like to think that
every single natto bean we sell
00:03:12.357 --> 00:03:14.898
has passed underneath my eyes.
00:03:15.391 --> 00:03:19.830
I'm a microbiologist, actually,
that's how I got into this business,
00:03:19.830 --> 00:03:26.841
just being fascinated by
the power of the microbial world.
00:03:28.324 --> 00:03:33.788
I'm interested in how consuming
some of these good bacterias,
00:03:33.788 --> 00:03:39.248
these probiotic-types of bacteria
in the form of fermented food
00:03:39.248 --> 00:03:41.858
has that impact in human health.
00:03:44.227 --> 00:03:45.962
Our first products--
00:03:45.962 --> 00:03:50.954
So those little white dots
are actually chemically-pure umami taste.
00:03:51.341 --> 00:03:57.821
There is written documentation
describing natto for over a 1000 years.
00:03:58.198 --> 00:04:02.075
In the West and in America
is virtually unknown.
00:04:02.075 --> 00:04:08.115
It makes me think that if more adults
will come to natto with just an open mind,
00:04:08.398 --> 00:04:14.238
a lot more of them might find
that they actually like it. (chuckles)
00:04:15.092 --> 00:04:19.720
This might be excessive
but I wash them ten times,
00:04:21.210 --> 00:04:24.451
you know, soak them, entertain them,
00:04:24.451 --> 00:04:26.824
and then, dump out the water.
00:04:26.824 --> 00:04:29.331
And then, they sit in the bath overnight,
00:04:29.331 --> 00:04:34.179
so that the beans are able to hydrate.
00:04:35.449 --> 00:04:39.655
They will swell to over twice
their weight and volume.
00:04:40.605 --> 00:04:42.975
When I first learned how to make natto
00:04:42.975 --> 00:04:46.774
from a fifth-generation
natto-maker in Tokio,
00:04:48.272 --> 00:04:51.450
he told me that the most important step
00:04:51.450 --> 00:04:55.938
was to choose the best beans you could
to start with,
00:04:57.488 --> 00:04:58.716
and he was right.
00:05:03.976 --> 00:05:10.186
The best natto soybeans in America
00:05:10.186 --> 00:05:14.050
are grown in the northern midwest,
00:05:14.050 --> 00:05:16.107
mostly in North Dakota.
00:05:17.501 --> 00:05:20.090
And something that
a lot of people don't realize
00:05:20.090 --> 00:05:24.072
is that most of the natto
that is made in the world,
00:05:25.641 --> 00:05:29.457
i.e. the natto that is made
and sold in Japan,
00:05:29.457 --> 00:05:33.096
it's actually, most of it,
is made from US-grown soy,
00:05:33.508 --> 00:05:37.554
and the bulk for that, also,
from North Dakota, specifically.
00:05:37.804 --> 00:05:41.267
We also have black soybeans
00:05:41.267 --> 00:05:45.607
and then, we have another brown bean
which is certified organic.
00:05:46.974 --> 00:05:54.000
Natto soybeans are very different
from the typical commodity soybean.
00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.971
That's their non-GMO certified definition.
00:05:58.511 --> 00:06:04.937
But soybeans that are used to make natto
by any decent natto-maker
00:06:04.937 --> 00:06:10.812
are really beans that have been
carefully selected over generations
00:06:10.812 --> 00:06:15.061
to be ideal for this particular
fermentation process.
00:06:15.637 --> 00:06:18.097
♪ (music) ♪
00:06:28.193 --> 00:06:31.443
What makes Nyrture's natto unique:
00:06:31.443 --> 00:06:33.783
Our natto is fresh,
00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:36.743
it's never been frozen,
00:06:36.743 --> 00:06:41.171
unlike all the natto
that is imported from Japan--
00:06:41.171 --> 00:06:43.269
it's frozen before export.
00:06:44.261 --> 00:06:45.167
That's important,
00:06:45.167 --> 00:06:51.065
one, because freezing and thawing food
can really affect its taste and texture,
00:06:51.517 --> 00:06:57.716
but two, if people are motivated
by eating natto for its health benefits,
00:06:57.716 --> 00:07:01.483
freezing and thawing,
also, significantly damage
00:07:01.483 --> 00:07:03.486
those health benefits, as well.
00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:05.279
(Liza) How is it?
00:07:05.834 --> 00:07:11.288
Good, they're nice and soft,
has some sugar to it, it's sweet...
00:07:11.734 --> 00:07:15.668
It has at least three
completely unique properties
00:07:15.668 --> 00:07:19.917
that are unlike any other food on earth.
00:07:19.917 --> 00:07:26.268
Number one, it's probiotic,
it's fermented with Bacillus subtilis,
00:07:26.268 --> 00:07:30.701
which is a member
of the healthy gut microbiome,
00:07:30.701 --> 00:07:32.800
so it's a probiotic bacteria
00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:38.552
that isn't found in any other
fermented food certainly in the West.
00:07:38.552 --> 00:07:41.100
The second one is that natto
00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:47.818
is the most concentrated food source
of vitamin K2 of any food on earth,
00:07:47.818 --> 00:07:50.952
and it beats any other
by an order of magnitude.
00:07:50.952 --> 00:07:56.118
Vitamin K2 is essential for bone health
00:07:56.118 --> 00:08:00.399
but it's also very important
for cardiovascular health.
00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:04.233
It doesn't matter
how much calcium you eat,
00:08:04.233 --> 00:08:09.033
if you don't have enough vitamin K2
to help recruit it out of your bloodstream
00:08:09.033 --> 00:08:10.731
and bring it to to your bones,
00:08:10.731 --> 00:08:14.566
it accumulates and causes
arterial calcification,
00:08:14.566 --> 00:08:16.817
and leads to heart disease.
00:08:16.817 --> 00:08:22.473
The third reason is that
there's an enzyme named after natto,
00:08:22.473 --> 00:08:24.567
called nattokinase,
00:08:24.567 --> 00:08:29.652
and this enzyme is
a natural blood thinner.
00:08:29.652 --> 00:08:34.453
It has an enzymatic activity which,
actually, has been shown
00:08:34.453 --> 00:08:39.067
to be able of breaking down blood clots,
00:08:39.067 --> 00:08:44.385
and the only natural source of it
is natto.
00:08:44.385 --> 00:08:50.550
Well, there are some cardiologists
who are starting to promote natto.
00:08:50.550 --> 00:08:56.982
We're really hoping to work
with healthcare providers
00:08:56.982 --> 00:09:01.133
to educate them, and help them
educate their patients.
00:09:01.133 --> 00:09:03.915
Whether your reason is the vitamin K2,
00:09:03.915 --> 00:09:08.068
the nattokinase content,
or the probiotics,
00:09:08.068 --> 00:09:14.084
why not at least give it a try
and eat the food which is,
00:09:14.084 --> 00:09:16.517
one, delicious, I think,
00:09:16.517 --> 00:09:19.700
two, cheaper than taking a pill,
00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:24.418
and three, you get all three
of these benefits at once.
00:09:24.972 --> 00:09:30.849
They sit here and age and require
[inaudible] of a week or so.
00:09:30.849 --> 00:09:31.405
Many Japanese people have told me
that our natto
00:09:31.405 --> 00:09:38.221
is the most delicious natto
they've ever had
00:09:38.221 --> 00:09:40.687
either here or even in Japan,
00:09:40.687 --> 00:09:42.771
which is great to hear.
00:09:42.771 --> 00:09:49.154
I've also gone to
the National Natto Competition in Japan
00:09:49.154 --> 00:09:53.322
and met many natto producers from Japan,
00:09:53.322 --> 00:09:58.587 line:1
and also have gotten very high praise
from natto producers in Japan.
00:09:59.904 --> 00:10:02.005
♪ (exciting music) ♪
00:10:04.522 --> 00:10:07.275
I think the favorite moment of mine
00:10:07.275 --> 00:10:12.153
in the entire week-long-process
of making the natto
00:10:12.153 --> 00:10:18.169
is that moment
after the fermentation is complete
00:10:18.169 --> 00:10:25.303
when I get to pull back the film
on a fresh tray of natto,
00:10:25.303 --> 00:10:28.054
and just see that neba-neba stickiness,
00:10:28.054 --> 00:10:33.088
those spiderwebs,
sort of coming off the beans--
00:10:33.088 --> 00:10:38.554
The more resistance
I have from those strings,
00:10:38.554 --> 00:10:42.687
the better I know the fermentation is,
the better the natto,
00:10:42.687 --> 00:10:48.120
so it serves as quality control assessment
at the same time,
00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:55.888
but I love that feeling
of the biofilm resisting my pull.
00:10:55.888 --> 00:10:57.503
(laughter)
00:10:57.971 --> 00:11:00.589
♪ (exciting music) ♪
00:11:00.789 --> 00:11:04.572
Yeah, we really look at this
as a long game
00:11:04.572 --> 00:11:08.372
and we're at the very beginning of it
right now,
00:11:08.372 --> 00:11:14.404
but I suspect it may take 10 years,
maybe 20 years,
00:11:14.404 --> 00:11:22.320
for natto to become known enough
for people to recognize it
00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.992
as a thing, as a food...
00:11:24.992 --> 00:11:32.753
It'll take a while, and a lot of education
and exposure like this,
00:11:32.753 --> 00:11:35.422
to just spread the word.
00:11:35.422 --> 00:11:39.138
♪ (music) ♪
00:11:49.421 --> 00:11:53.620
Our logo, many people comment on our logo,
00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:57.104
it's actually a mathematical function,
00:11:57.104 --> 00:12:00.819
it's a Fermat's spiral
or a parabolical spiral,
00:12:00.819 --> 00:12:05.721
and I love it because at the center of it
kind of look like a ying-yang symbol,
00:12:05.721 --> 00:12:10.322
and to me it represents
the two ingredients in our food,
00:12:10.322 --> 00:12:13.745
the soybean and the probiotic bacteria,
00:12:13.745 --> 00:12:19.205
that are coming together and synergizing
and making something better, bigger,
00:12:19.205 --> 00:12:22.588
more beautiful than
the two components alone.
00:12:23.254 --> 00:12:26.388
♪ (outro music) ♪
00:12:26.845 --> 00:12:29.729
English subtitles by
Jenny Lam-Chowdhury