KINAKO: Is it the Miracle Powder from Japan?

Have you heard of Kinako?
It’s a powder made from soybeans.

First of all, soybeans were first cultivated in China over 2,000 years ago, or so they say. They were introduced to Japan during the Yayoi period and began being ground into powder in the Nara period. Kinako became popular among the general public during the Edo period. At that time, many sweets were made using Kinako. If I could travel back to the Edo period, I’d love to try those sweets!

Even now, in the Reiwa period, Kinako remains popular, especially among health enthusiasts. A health-focused YouTuber I often follow recently introduced a new way to use Kinako: adding it to coffee.

Of course, I had to try it right away. The Kinako dissolved smoothly into the hot coffee, and I was looking forward to tasting it. However, to be honest, it wasn’t as delicious as I had imagined. I guess I had set my expectations too high, hadn’t I?

Since I’ve already opened the package, I want to make good use of it. Maybe I’ll try adding it to miso soup. Do you think that would work?

By the way, I’ve already tried adding Kinako to miso soup. Surprisingly, it doesn’t interfere with the flavor of the soup, so it’s quite drinkable!

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