Editing Miso soup (section)

== Miso paste ==
[[File:Miso 001.jpg|thumb|left|[[Miso]] paste is added to water or broth to make miso soup]]
{{Main|Miso}}
The type of miso paste chosen for the soup defines a great deal of its character and flavor. Miso pastes (a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and the fungus ''[[Aspergillus oryzae]]'', known in Japanese as ''[[:ja:麹|kōjikin]]'' (麹菌), and sometimes rice, barley, or other ingredients) can be categorized into red (''akamiso''), white (''shiromiso''), or mixed (''awase'').<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/miso-paste_n_571e54ede4b0d0042da9e115|title=What Is Miso Paste, Anyway, And How Do I Use It? Help!|date=2016-04-26|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2018-12-14|archive-date=2018-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214164406/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/miso-paste_n_571e54ede4b0d0042da9e115|url-status=live}}</ref> There are many variations within these themes, including regional variations, such as [[Shinano Province|Shinshū]] miso or [[:ja:仙台味噌|Sendai miso]].

The amount of time taken also affects its flavor: a miso paste that has been fermented for a shorter period of time, such as a white miso, provides a lighter, sweeter flavor, while one which has been fermented for a longer period, such as a red miso, gives the miso soup a stronger, deeper one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-use-miso|title=5 Ways to Use Miso That Don't Involve Soup|last=Delany|first=Alex|website=Bon Appetit|date=27 March 2018 |language=en|access-date=2018-12-14|archive-date=2018-12-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214165725/https://www.bonappetit.com/story/how-to-use-miso|url-status=live}}</ref>

More than 80% of Japan's annual production of miso is used in miso soup, and 75% of all Japanese people consume miso soup at least once a day.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shurtleff |first1=William|author-link=William Shurtleff|last2=Aoyagi |first2=Akiko|author-link2=Akiko Aoyagi  |date=2001 |title=The Book of Tofu & Miso |publisher=Ten Speed Press |isbn=1-58008-358-7 }}</ref>