‘If AI were asked to make miso, it would taste like this’: the best (and worst) supermarket miso, tasted and rated
We ran supermarket pastes through the ‘soup test’ to find out which ones have an authentic flavour and which are nothing like the real thing • The best supermarket kimchi Miso is a
By The Guardian
Supermarket miso products have been put through a simple “soup test” to assess how closely their flavour resembles traditionally made miso.
The test involved mixing a teaspoon of each paste with warm water before tasting it. The method was recommended by Jono Hope of Slow Sauce, a Scottish brewery producing miso and shoyu.
Hope advised against tasting miso directly from the jar because its intense saltiness could overwhelm the palate. Diluting it in warm water instead gives a clearer impression of the flavour.
Miso is traditionally made by fermenting pulses, usually soya beans, with salt and koji. The koji is commonly made using rice or barley inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae mould, although other grains can also be used.
The tasting found a wide variation between supermarket products. Some were judged to have an authentic flavour, while others were described as heavily processed alternatives containing ingredients such as thickeners, colourants, acidulants and preservatives.
The results also challenged the idea that higher prices guarantee better quality. The report said some of the least authentic products were among the most expensive in the test.
The tasting identified one particularly strong exception among the products reviewed, although the available report summary does not provide the full product-by-product rankings.
The assessment was part of a wider look at supermarket fermented foods, alongside a separate guide to supermarket kimchi.