How strong is fermented bean curd supposed to taste exactly?

Submitted ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨last_philosopher@lemmy.world⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

I ate some fermented bean curd that I saw at the korean market yesterday, and the flavor was let’s just say quite strong and horrible. Having never had fermented bean curd before I just assumed this is how it was supposed to taste, and it was just one of those things asians eat that tastes terribly at first but they’ve somehow developed a taste for it. I did wonder why they bothered to make it “spicy” when the taste was so strong that spiciness was totally superfluous. So I forced down the one piece I ate and threw out the rest.

Later that night, I the sort of stomach experience that I’m sure many of you are familiar with. I’ll spare the details, other than to say it involved waking up and wondering if I would pass out before reaching the bathroom, and a puddle of cold sweat on the bathroom floor.

So now I’m wondering if it was that the fermented bean curd was way too fermented, or if there’s something else in my fridge I should be throwing out?

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ATDA@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Fermented soybean anything is going to be extremely… Flavorful.

Natto tastes like distilled blue cheese to me. I love it but it’s an occasional thing.

Bear in mind that if you’re not used to it, the curd will have a LOT of probiotics that while not harmful can really throw your gut for a loop.

If you’re not sure I’d toss it, best to trust instinct but more than likely it’s just… An experience haha

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- EpicMuch@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  As someone who can’t eat cow based blue cheese but have always wondered what that tasted like, is this something I should seek out? I’ve not heard of natto before now
  
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  - ATDA@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I mean if you’re adventurous. It’s a very potent umame, earthy, kind of salty flavor. The texture is very different from cheeses being slimy fermented whole beans. I couldn’t begin to tell you where to find it stateside.
    
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  - tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    I like natto but I never would’ve considered blue cheese as an analogous taste. It’s like beans but more earthy, and if textures are an issue for you it might be a little hard to take. Keep in mind that you don’t have to stir it up and get it really frothy like some people do though.
    
    A lot of people eat it over rice but I like it just on a spoon. I usually add a bit of spicy mustard and a small bit of tare sauce (the natto packs are often sold with tiny packets of mustard and tare included).
    
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- Kolanaki@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  
  Natto tastes like distilled blue cheese to me. I love it but it’s an occasional thing.
  
  And just like that I am on board with trying Natto.
  
  Seeing the stuff turned me off, but god damn do I love blue cheese and its variants.
  
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- TheButtonJustSpins@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Natto is one of the worst flavors and textures I’ve ever had in my life.
  
  Roasted natto is not bad.
  
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MelonYellow@lemmy.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Idk but it’s regarded as “asian cheese” lol. I eat it on the side with rice, as a condiment moreso. Koreans will put it in sauce and soups too.

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bitofarambler@crazypeople.online ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
if you’re talking about the fermented bean curd that I’m familiar with, the flavor is insanely strong.

and despicable, haha.

describing the spiciness of fermented bean curd as superfluous sounds accurate to me.

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scytale@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
It’s definitely a taste that you need to acquire if you didn’t grow up with it. Did you just eat it as is though? It’s usually best as an ingredient for soups and sauces.

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- last_philosopher@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
  Yup I was going to treat it like eating cubes of tofu
  
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  - HatchetHaro@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
    oh boy, yeah no don’t do that. fermented anything should be used in small quantities to flavour a much larger quantity of stuff, like rice.
    
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littletoolshed@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago
Sounds like an interesting experience, for sure, but I wouldn’t call it the expected result from trying a little bit of stinky tofu, sorry that happened to you. I use it as a condiment with my rice dishes all the time and enjoy it quite a bit.

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