Miso, a traditional Japanese cuison
Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called " dashi " into which softened miso paste is mixed. Many ingredients are added depending on regional and seasonal recipes, and personal preference. Miso soup is one of the two basic soup types of Japanese cuisine – the other one is suimono . It's a familiar and comforting sight, taste, and smell for anyone who has eaten at a typical neighborhood Japanese restaurant and been greeted warmly by shouts of "Irasshaimase!" roughly meaning "Come on in!" or "Welcome!" from the staff. First things first: Just what is the cloudy stuff that settles toward the bottom of the bowl? Leave the soup untouched and one will see it seemingly separate, with a clear broth surrounding the "cloud." Stir it up again and it's whole, just as it was before. Mysterious? Indeed. That "stuff" is the miso paste. Unlike salt or sugar, it never really dis...