natto

American  

[not-oh] / ˈnɒt oʊ /

noun

Japanese Cooking.

1. a dish of fermented cooked soybeans, often eaten for breakfast over white rice or with toppings such as soy sauce and mustard.

---

Etymology

Origin of natto

First recorded in 1870–75; from Japanese, from na(t)- (ultimately from Middle Chinese; cognate with Cantonese naap, Mandarin nà “to bring into, receive”) + tō “bean” ( bean ( def. ) )

Example Sentences

However, the condiment's polarising taste has landed it in the Disgusting Food Museum in Sweden - alongside natto, stinky tofu and monkey brains.

From BBC • Nov. 18, 2025

Like the famously frugal Buffett, Imura is also thrifty, taking public transport in Tokyo and regularly eating eggs, bananas and "natto", or fermented soybeans, for their "cost performance".

From Reuters • Jan. 13, 2023

I ate sea cucumbers and natto in Japan, poi in Hawaii, and morcilla when I lived in Madrid as a young adult.

From Salon • Oct. 8, 2021

His “Gaijin Cookbook” has a recipe for nasu natto — eggplant with fermented soybeans and cilantro.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2021

Made of fermented soy beans, natto is popular in Japan but considered too slimy and stinky for some.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2021