For the Japanese, miso soup is a culinary staple. Miso is a paste made from a mixture of soybeans, a starch such as rice or barley, salt, a touch of water, and yeast. This mixture is placed into wooden barrels and aged for as long as three years. As early as the seventh century, Buddhist monks began creating this unique miso soup product. Rich in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, miso soup was used regularly by Samurai warriors for its nutritional content.

Many health experts believe miso soup helps prevent breast cancer. This is because miso soup is rich in isoflavones, which are believed to help block out cells that can become cancerous. According to health experts, women should drink two or three bowls of miso soup per week in order to gain these benefits.

Miso comes in four forms: red, white, barley, and soybean. Red miso is made from equal portions of white rice, soybeans, and barley. The end result is a reddish brown product with a high protein count. White miso also blends a mixture of white rice and soybeans, but a higher concentration of white rice is used. This type of miso is typically lighter in color and has a shorter shelf life than red miso.

Barley miso is made from a blend of barley and soybeans. It's the cheapest miso to make, and consequently quite popular. Soybean miso is made solely from soybeans, yeast, and salt. This type of miso has a very long fermentation process and contains lots of protein and few carbohydrates.

Miso soup can be made at home, though it is time consuming. To make white miso soup, soak two pounds (about 907 grams) of dried soybeans in one gallon of water overnight. Rinse and place the soybeans in a large cooking pot. Cover the soybeans with another gallon of water and simmer for two hours.

The soybeans should be simmered until they are soft, which should take about two hours. Next, drain and cool the beans, then mash them in a food processor or with a potato masher. The mashed soybeans should then be placed into a vessel that can be tightly covered.

Next, add one pound (about 454 grams) of salt and two pounds (about 907 grams) of koji, or fermented rice. Finally, add small amounts of water if the mixture is too hard, form it into a ball, and wrap it with cheesecloth. Place the ball in the airtight vessel and allow it to ferment for at least one year.

Once the miso has fermented, it can be used in stir-fries or rice dishes, spread on toast, or made into delicious miso soup. Miso soup is typically a mixture of miso paste, carrots, onions, seaweed, and water. One pint of water, one cubed carrot, one diced onion, and one sheet of seaweed are simmered for fifteen minutes. Next, remove the soup from the heat and stir in two tablespoons of miso paste. Be sure to dissolve the paste in two tablespoons of water before adding it to the miso soup. The miso soup should be served immediately for the best flavor.