http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean History
Soybeans were a crucial crop in eastern
Asia long before written records. They remain a major crop in
China,
Japan, and
Korea. Prior to fermented products such as
soy sauce,
tempeh,
natto, and
miso, soy was considered sacred for its use in crop rotation as a method of fixing nitrogen. The plants would be plowed under to clear the field for food crops. Soy was first introduced to
Europe in the early 18th century and to British colonies in North America in 1765, where it was first grown for hay.
Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter in 1770 mentioning sending soybeans home from England. Soybeans did not become an important crop outside of Asia until about 1910. In America, soy was considered an industrial product only, and was not used as a food prior to the 1920s. Soy was introduced to Africa from China in the late 19th century, and is now widespread across the continent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edamame http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NattoHistorySources differ about the earliest origin of nattō. The materials and tools needed to produce nattō have been commonly available in Japan since ancient times; one source puts the first use of nattō in the Jōmon period (10,000–300 BC). According to other sources the product may have originated in China during the Zhou Dynasty (1134-246 BC). There is also the story about Minamoto no Yoshiie who was on a battle campaign in northeastern Japan between 1086 and 1088 when one day they were attacked while boiling soybeans for their horses. They hurriedly packed up the beans, and did not open the straw bags until a few days later, by which time the beans had fermented. The soldiers ate it anyway, and liked the taste, so they offered some to Yoshiie, who also liked the taste. A third source places the origin of nattō more recently, in the Edo period (1603–1867). It is even possible that the product was discovered independently at different times.One significant change in the production of nattō happened in the Taishō period (1912–1926), when researchers discovered a way to produce a nattō starter culture containing Bacillus natto without the need for straw. This simplified production and permitted more consistency. Nattō contains chemicals alleged to prevent cancer, for example, daidzein, genistein, isoflavone, phytoestrogen, and the chemical elementselenium. However, most of these chemicals can also be found in other soybean products, and their effect on cancer prevention is uncertain.Recent studies show nattō may have a cholesterol-lowering effect.Nattō is said to have an antibiotic effect, and its use as medicine against dysentery was researched by the Imperial Japanese Navy before World War II.Nattō is claimed to prevent obesity, possibly because of its low calorie content of approximately 90 calories per 7–8 grams of protein in an average serving. Unverified claims include improved digestion, reduced effects of aging, and the reversal of hair loss in men due to its phytoestrogen content, which can affect testosterone associated with baldness. These conjectured physiological effects of eating natto are based on biochemically active contents of nattō, and have not been confirmed by human study.http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4380/2 In
China,
Japan, and
Korea, the bean and products made from it are a popular part of the diet. The Chinese invented tofu (豆腐
dòufu), and also made use of several varieties of
soybean paste as seasonings. Japanese foods made from soya include
miso (味噌),
nattō (納豆),
kinako (黄粉) and
edamame (枝豆). Also many kinds of food are produced using tofu such as
atsuage,
aburaage, and so on. In
Korean cuisine, soybean sprouts, called
kongnamul (
콩나물), are also used in a variety of dishes, and are also the base ingredient in
doenjang,
cheonggukjang and
ganjang. In
Vietnam, soybeans are used to make soybean paste-
tương in the North with the most popular products are
tương Bần,
tương Nam Đàn,
tương Cự Đà as a garnish for
phở and
gỏi cuốn dishes), tofu (
đậu hũ or
đậu phụ or
tàu hũ), soya sauce (
nước tương, literally: soya water), soya milk (
nước đậu in the North or
sữa đậu nành in the South), and
đậu hũ nước đường (tofu sweet soup).
The beans can be processed in a variety of ways. Common forms of soy (or soya) include
soy meal,
soy flour, soy milk, tofu,
textured vegetable protein (TVP, which is made into a wide variety of
vegetarian foods, some of them intended to imitate
meat),
tempeh, soy
lecithin and
soybean oil. Soybeans are also the primary ingredient involved in the production of
soy sauce (
shoyu).
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is among the largest processors of soybeans and soy products. ADM, along with
Dow Chemical Company,
DuPont and
Monsanto Company, support the industry trade associations United Soybean Board and Soyfoods Association of North America. These trade associations have increased the consumption of soy products dramatically in recent years
