한국콩연구회

Japanese Natto is a Modified Form of Chongkukjang.

The mucous substance in Chong-kukjang is peptide-polysaccharides produced by Bacillus subtilis. Recent studies discover the health beneficial physiological functions of some mu-cous polysaccharides produced by the bacteria in Chongkukjang.  Bacillus subtilis produces strong proteolytic enzymes, and soybean proteins are partially hydrolyzed into peptides in the short fermentation period. The soybean peptides has strong angiotensin reducing activity, and thus suppress the incidence of high blood pressure. The isoflavonoides in soybean support estrogen hormone function and relieve the malfunction of human menopause. It is not sur-prising to find that fermented soybean products have been used as medicine in many Oriental medicine subscrip-tion, such as those in Dongeuibogam, a Classic of Oriental medicine written by Hur Kyun in 1611.

Japanese Natto is a modified form of Chongkukjang. Natto is fermented soybean grown Bacillus subtilis on cooked soybean. The raw fermented soybean with mucous string is consumed directly without further processing, so it is a non-salt fermented soybean food. However, Korean people do not like the raw flavor of fermented soybean with the bacteria. It is always mixed with spices and used for the cooking of vegetable stew as a meaty flavored condiment. The amount of addition to the stew is large enough to supplement protein to the diet significantly. The fermented bean halves floating and mixing in the vegetable stew gives healthy sign of the dish. The strong desire on Chongkukjang of Korean elderlies may be not only the sensory nostalgia, but the physiological demands for their better health.     [K]

SERIES [3]

Foods that go well together

Steak and Pineapple

The beef cooking differs from country to country or from re-gion to region. However, the most common beef cooking may be the beef steak. In order to make a beef steak, a small amount of sweet po-tato, carrot, pea, corn, etc., will be added to a lump of well-roasted beef. People should feed the cattle well and even massage them in an effort to get good beef. Some farmers have the cattle listen to music or drink beer.

Meanwhile, in order to soften the meat people use a softener. In Korea pears or radishes have been used as meat softener. However, pineapple will soften the meat more effectively than these traditional softeners. The bromeline, a protein-dissolving en-zyme contained in pineapple will, ef-ficiently soften the meat. This soften-ing effect can be easily proved if we spray a small amount of bromeline over the meat and see the result.

When yo cook a steak, you do not have to soften the meat with the bromeline necessarily, but instead, you can eat the meat together with a slice of pineapple or eat the slice after the meat. Then, the meat will be well digested in your stomach. Moreover, pineapple contains 0.5%-3.0 citric acid and the same portion of apple acid which will facilitate the secretion of various digesting enzymes. Besides, as pineapple also contains calcium, it is deemed to be most ideally combined with the meat. And the fruit consists of 88.5% water, 1.7g protein, 0.4g fat, 8.7g sweet and 31mg vitamin C.

Although the beef contains many essential amino acids evenly and thus can be categorized as high nutrient food, it has little vitamins and high nutrient food, it has little vitamins and high phvalue. Therefore, beef had better be taken with vegetables or fruits such as pineapple.    [K]