Miso

The Japanese name for a paste of cooked, mashed, salted, and fermented soybeans and, typically, rice, rye, or barley. It is a common ingredient in soups, sauces, and dressings. Miso varies in colour; the darker the miso is, the longer it has fermented and the more intense and mature its taste. Some are sweet, some are salty. Miso keeps for many months refrigerated.