An Introduction to Japanese Fermented Food event at Japan House London

Join Stefano and Naoko Vallebona in The Shop at Japan House to learn more about Japanese fermented food. Three foods will be available for tastings:

- Moromi-miso – This miso comes from Shodo island, off the coast of Shikoku, which is well-known for soy sauce and olive oil. There used to be more than 200 soy sauce producers on the island; today just 20 remain.  Moromi-miso is a mild, chunky miso, usually with grains of rice or barely still in it. It is usually eaten as a condiment, rather than used in cooking. This moromi-miso is made by taking some of the raw ingredients brewed to make soy sauce and naturally fermenting them in a cedar barrel that is over 100-years-old. The Vallebona’s recommend it as a cheese board accompaniment, partically to complement goat’s and blue cheeses.

- Soy sauce – Also coming from Shodo island, Tsuru Bishio aged soy sauce by Yamamoto Yasuo is aged in 150-year-old timber barrels. Only 1% of all soy sauce produced in Japan is made in this way. The salt percentage in this quality soy sauce is significantly lower than what you find in other soy sauce. It has rich umami flavour with a smooth finish.

- Yuzu marmalade - Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit with a flavour that is often said to be somewhere between lemon and mandarin, but with a less acidic, more delicate flavour. Made using organic yuzu from Tokushima, the producer naturally sweetens the product with beetroot instead of sugar to make the jam. The Vallebona’s recommend it as a cheese board accompaniment or for use in desserts.

About the Vallebona’s

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Stefano Vallebona is the founder of Vallebona Ltd. He has been sourcing artisan ingredients from Italy for over 20 years. He and his wife, Naoko Vallebona, originally from Gifu Prefecture in Japan, now also source incredible quality, artisan Japanese products to bring back to the UK. Relationships are at the heart of what they do. The Vallebona have worked hard to find unique produce of the highest quality from independent producers, as well as introducing new produce to the UK market. Find a range of products chosen by the Vallebona’s in The Shop at Japan House London.