Miso’s got it all. The fermented soybean paste is both magically salty-sweet, lending a punch of umami to all that it touches, and packed with good-for-the-gut probiotics. The traditional process involves inoculating a grain (usually rice) with a mold called koji and using that to ferment a protein-rich legume (usually soy). But, now that it’s gone mainstream, artisans around the country are using their miso-making know-how to get experimental, crafting idiosyncratic batches from things like chickpeas, farro, sweet potatoes, and more.
“We had customers asking us to make a non-soy based miso, partly because their children were soy-allergic,” explains Earnest Migaki, whose Portland company, Jōrinji, offers chickpea and lima bean–based versions in addition to traditional varieties. But catering to allergies is just one source of the alt-miso boom—the variations are also incredibly delicious and versatile. “We always want to balance mixing things up with a respect for an ancient culture,” says White Rose Miso’s Isaiah Billington, who, along with his partner, Sarah Conezio, supplies quirky misos to heavy hitters like Baltimore’s Woodberry Kitchen and The Dabney in DC. “We’re thrilled that people are seeing it as an all-purpose flavor enhancer, something that you can use in place of salt, more than a culturally specific thing,” adds Conezio.
The wide range of newly available miso opens up worlds of possibilities for home cooks, whether that means whisking mellow chickpea miso into a vinaigrette, rubbing pork chops with deeply savory farro miso before grilling, or incorporating caramel-sweet sunchoke miso into a next-level buttercream frosting. “Throw some in whatever you’re making rather than limiting yourself to soup,” Billington suggests.
Have you heard of these misos?
Farro Miso
The Maryland-based duo behind White Rose Miso’s ferments local grains into this deeply savory, super-funky paste, which they sell exclusively to a select handful of umami-obsessed mid-Atlantic chefs.
Lima Bean Miso
The folks at Jōrinji claim this complex paste is "probably the first lima miso in the world," and nobody's arguing. We'd happily mix this mild and sweet miso one to one with good butter and schmear it on grilled bread.
Adzuki Bean Miso
This light, almost fruity-tasting variety is one of the wood-fired types made by the alt-miso OG at Conway, MA-based South River Miso.
Chickpea Miso
San Francisco's Aedan Fermented Foods produces this mellow-tasting soy-free miso, ideal for whisking into a citrus vinaigrette or a pot of simple chicken-and-vegetable soup.