Where would I buy natto in Zürich?

I guess there are some little Japanese stores around somewhere - not on the food-shopping path I beat between Jelmoli and Coop though, so it's time to expand my horizons.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww!!!

If there was one thing I couldn't stand when I was in Japan it was Natto!!
Funnily enough, the dry natto they served as snacks on JAL was really good, but the wet stuff, yuck!!!

Anyway, to each his own. Good luck and Itadakimasu!!

Ditto. When I lived in japan I would eat almost anything, some of it still alive. But not Natto. It smells and tastes as bad as it looks:
http://blogs.walesonline.co.uk/ricei...o-spoonful.jpg

I've never seen it on for sale in Europe.

While I am also perplexed as to why you would be willing to pay good money for something that sensible people avoid like the plague, I assume you expect a practical answer to your question rather than the expression of disgust of said sensible people.

The main Japanese grocery store in Zurich is Nishi's Japan shop in the Schaffhauserstrasse. I am not sure they have natto (at least they don't appear to sell it online) but maybe you can politely ask the ten'in "nattou wa arimasu ka?" and they will tell you where you can satisfy your eccentric tastes, provided you understand the answer.

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Er, pardon my ignorance but what's Natto?

You really want to know? It is a Japanese food made from fermented soybeans. It has a very powerful smell and a sticky texture. It is quite rich in protein.

I will eat tofu, but natto, NEVER

I don't think there are many westerners who have ever acquired a taste to natto.

Thanks, all. I must be missing natto-aversion taste buds. I don't eat it frequently but it's mildly addictive and every now and then I have an inclination to eat natto. Nev's post almost ruined my day, but I think that where there is a Japanese grocery store, there must be natto.

By the way, have you ever had Fernet Branca or Averna? Both are bitter Italian after-dinner liqueurs. I first drank one a few months ago and it was definitely unusual, but there is something addictive about that taste too. Maybe there's a hybrid Italian-Japanese restaurant out there doing a roaring trade in natto and Fernet Branca.

Fernet Branca should go well with natto, according to the description here:

If you think it goes well with Fernet Branca, maybe I should give this natto food a try. The photos don't look too inviting, though!

eeegit! That looks as though it may have tasted better the first time around

some say its the vegemite of japan

WARNING: Ensure you are not alone when you do so!! You may need assistance to recover!

i think natto is brilliant esp with quails' eggs and/or fresh maguro (tuna), some good soy sauce and/or wasabi (jap mustard). i can understand the aversion to Natto, very much along the lines of durian, blue cheese etc.

yumi hana off Bahnhofstr. in Zürich has fresh Natto (see below), but its out of stock at the moment. actually i am looking into getting a natto starter kit and making some of my own.

I thought natto sat fermenting in the dark in a wooden barrel for several months, a sort of Japanese sauerkraut. Interesting to see that it only takes a day to make.

EDIT - yumi hana will have natto in stock in two weeks. maybe.

that's what they said 2 weeks ago. i think i'll go to samurai midweek and see if they have any...

Can it be any worse than Dougal's "Schabziger cow extract" from a couple of weeks ago??

perchance would the good madam point me to the post...

edit: found the post. have not tried it. will try to remember to do so tomorrow and report back in "random chinese person vs. swiss green cow extract"

The benefits of posting to EF - I am still without natto but there's a new cheese to be had (thanks, raincookie), which inspires natto-like responses. This might keep me going until Yumi Hana get their natto drop.

Didn't know what natto was until I read this thread!

Now I have a question - it's not related to natto, but I wasn't sure where to put it.
I'm reading a book set in Canada, and in the narrative, the author says -"..he grabbed a Bojangles sausage biscuit and a Nehi orange"

As a Brit, I'm thinking sausage sandwich and some brand of soda??
Please someone enlighten me...

go here for the odd sausage and here for the orange