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NeKKo
Nearly black hatcho miso in a white bowl
  • Miso type
  • 八丁味噌

Hatcho-miso

Only soybeans, two years and three tons of stone.

Flavor profile

Umamidense umami 95%
Fermentfermented depth 95%
Salinitydry saltiness 70%
Aciditytangy edge 65%
Bitternessastringency 60%

The strengths are editorial judgments on a scale within the family, not measurements. They can be compared across the miso varieties, not directly against another family.

Origin the block eight cho (about 900 meters) west of Okazaki castle in Aichi

Hatcho is miso without grain. The koji is grown directly on steamed soybeans shaped into balls, and the paste then matures in cedar vats under several tons of river stone for at least two years. The result is nearly black, dry and so dense it barely stirs out: dark umami with an astringent, almost bitter edge and hardly any sweetness at all, since there is no rice to turn into sugar. It is the most extreme miso in the family, and the only one that is the subject of a legal dispute.

Sensory analysis

Pyramid and character

Aroma

from the tub

  • dark chocolate
  • fermented soy
  • dried fruit

Taste

on the tongue

  • dense umami
  • astringency
  • dry saltiness

Finish

what lingers

  • very long
  • bitter edge
  • dry
SALINITYSWEETNESSUMAMIACIDITYFERMENT DEPTHBODY

Character 0-100 per axis, set relative to the other entries in the same family. An editorial judgment of a typical serving, not measurements.

Background

Facts

Koji
mame-koji, meaning koji grown directly on soybeans; no rice and no barley
Origin
the block eight cho (about 900 meters) west of Okazaki castle in Aichi, by the Yahagi River
Producers
two houses with centuries behind them, Maruya and Kakukyu
Fermentation
at least two years in cedar vats under about three tons of stacked river stone
Color
very dark reddish brown to nearly black
Pairs with
miso nikomi udon, dengaku, long braises and stews that can take a powerful tone

In the kitchen

Use

Amount
start with a third of what you would take of a shiro
Method
it is too dense to stir straight in; mash it first with a little warm broth in a ladle
Note
more hatcho does not make it rounder, only more astringent; blend it with a light miso instead, which is exactly what Nagoya's kitchens do

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