Natto has a distinctive smell and becomes sticky, with gooey threads, when stirred with chopsticks. You might be surprised to learn that people eat it but it is a breakfast staple here in Japan, taken with a dash of soy sauce and stirred into a bowl of piping hot rice. Natto is made by fermenting boiled soybeans with a strain of the hay bacillus. The fermentation process makes the soy protein, dietary fiber, vitamins and other nutrients easier to digest and absorb. Natto is the consummate health food.