InventorSpot

Sleepers Awake... for breakfast!
Call it "food that bites Bach"... Bahha no Yuraku Kyoichiraku miso made by Marujyu, a Japanese food manufacturer, owes its excellent taste to the music of J.S. Bach pumped into miso fermentation chambers. At least, that's the tune they're playing.

Miso, or fermented soybean paste, is a staple ingredient of Japanese cuisine most commonly served in soup. It has a slightly tangy or nutty taste and delivers all the health benefits soybeans and soy products are known for. Miso comes in many different colors (typically Red or White, though both are mainly shades of brown), textures and grades.

The Miso Variations
One soy products manufacturer, Marujyu, decided to put themselves at the top of the luxury miso market by introducing Bahha no Yuraku Kyoichiraku miso. "Bahha" is romanized Japanese for "Bach", as in the legendary Classical composer. At 630 yen (about $6.10) per each 300-gram (10.7 ounce) container, Marujyu has better have more than old J.S.'s likeness on the label as a selling point- and so they do.

Classical, er, classic miso soup

Tomoaki Sato, Marujyu's President, recalled hearing that premium Sake distillers would play Mozart during the fermentation process. Sato is a Bach fan, however, so when he tried duplicating the brewer's musical immersion process he chose Bach. Says Sato, "Listening to Bach makes both people and miso better." It's unknown what Marujyu's employees think about the idea, but listening to classical Bach all day along with the slowly fermenting soybeans doesn't seem too bad.

Savvy miso consumers may be a bit skeptical of Marujyu's motives but Sato is confident their Bach-flavored miso can stand up to any taste test. Just to be on the safe side though, only locally produced Yamagata Prefecture rice and soy beans are used to make the premium product.As for me, I'm guessing Marujyu is targeting wealthy, status-conscious consumers who are only too happy to one-up the Joneses with a new pricey product. We'll have to wait & see if the Joneses one-up them right Bach! (via Mainichi Daily News)