The Atlantic

The Transformative Fungus That Powers Japanese Cuisine

A single mold is behind many best-known flavors.
Source: Buddhika Weerasinghe / Getty

It’s impossible to imagine Japanese meals without soy sauce, or the umami-rich fermented bean paste called miso, or the rice-based spirit known as sake. Which means that Japanese cuisine depends on the one fungus that enables the fermentation of all these delicious foods: . Today, American chefs are discovering what Asian

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