Okame Natto: Japan’s No.1 Natto Brand from Takano Foods
Natto is a soy food of Japanese origin that’s become a breakfast staple in Japan, and Okame Natto (おかめ納豆) from Takano Foods is the No.1 brand that sells best of all.
Okame Natto (おかめ納豆)
Based on the official website of Takano Foods, Okame Natto currently has a lineup of 12 products, among which this Goku Kotsubu Mini 3 is famous with about 40 years of history.
But what is Okame?
What is Okame (おかめ)?
Okame refers to an old mask of a woman that’s existed for a long time in Japan. The face is white with characteristic features, shaped like the one on the packages.
As you can see in the photo, Takano Foods also applies the Okame face to tofu products, making it their symbol.
Contents
The contents of the Okame Goku Kotsubu Natto are like this. The pack comes with packets of Karashi yellow mustard and Natto Tare sauce.
The seasoning sauce is soy sauce-based and flavored with Katsuobushi bonito extract.
Preparation
For Natto beginners, here is how the Natto is prepared.
| 1 |  |
First, remove the plastic cover film and pour the Tare sauce. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |  |
At the same time, add in the Karashi yellow mustard. |
| 3 |  |
Then, stir well with chopsticks until the beans become slimy enough. |
How to Eat
Although the simple combination with a warm bowl of white rice is the best for the Okame Natto, you can enjoy it in various ways, as seen in this post.
The Okame Goku Kotsubu Natto is an acquired taste, and if you haven’t tried fermented soybeans yet, it may be the perfect starter.
Ingredients/Nutrition Facts
| [Natto] Whole soybeans (from the United States or Canada), Rice flour, Bacillus natto, [Tare] Protein hydrolysate, Sugar mixed high-fructose corn syrup, Soy sauce, Salt, Brewed vinegar, Katsuobushi bonito extract, Seasoning (amino acid), Alcohol, Vitamin B1, [Karashi] Karashi, Brewed Vinegar, Salt, Vegetable fat/oil, Acidifier, Color (turmeric), Vitamin C, Polysaccharide thickener, Seasoning (amino acid), Spice |
Nutritional Values
| Calories | 100 kcal |
| Protein | 8.4 g |
| Fat | 4.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.4 g |
| – Sugars | 3.8 g |
| – Dietary fibers | 3.6 g |
| Salt equivalents | 0.7 g |
Thanks for this article. What does the Goku in “Okame Goku Kotsubu” mean? Does it mean the area where the natto is traditionally produced? Because there’s also “Okame Hokkaido Kotsubu”.
Hi, Thank you for commenting!
Here, Goku/極 is not the name of an area, but it is derived from the Japanese adverb 極めて, meaning extremely or very.
On the other hand, Kotsubu/小粒 is short for 小さい粒 or 小さな粒, meaning small grain, so Goku Kotsubu/極小粒 means that the size of natto grains are extremely/very small.