I ate some fermented bean curd that I saw at the korean market yesterday, and the flavor was let’s just say quite strong and horrible. Having never had fermented bean curd before I just assumed this is how it was supposed to taste, and it was just one of those things asians eat that tastes terribly at first but they’ve somehow developed a taste for it. I did wonder why they bothered to make it “spicy” when the taste was so strong that spiciness was totally superfluous. So I forced down the one piece I ate and threw out the rest.
Later that night, I the sort of stomach experience that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. I’ll spare the details, other than to say it involved waking up and wondering if I would pass out before reaching the bathroom, and a puddle of cold sweat on the bathroom floor.
So now I’m wondering if it was that the fermented bean curd was way too fermented, or if there’s something else in my fridge I should be throwing out?
I like natto but I never would’ve considered blue cheese as an analogous taste. It’s like beans but more earthy, and if textures are an issue for you it might be a little hard to take. Keep in mind that you don’t have to stir it up and get it really frothy like some people do though.
A lot of people eat it over rice but I like it just on a spoon. I usually add a bit of spicy mustard and a small bit of tare sauce (the natto packs are often sold with tiny packets of mustard and tare included).