In my first post, I said koji is 'a type of mould'. However, strictly speaking, it is actually thousands of types of mould belonging to the same family.
In this blog, I am mainly talking about Aspergillus oryzae, but even Aspergillus oryzae has thousands of types. They have names such as Aspergullus oryzae xxx and do belong to the same family, but strictly speaking, different types. Juzo Nagata, who was brought up in a koji making family, writes in his book how he was surprised to see various types of koji in his adulthood. Until he actually had to buy koji from other shops, he thought good koji were always the white ones with long velvety furs.
Added to this variety within Aspergillus oryzae family, there are other moulds which are called 'koji'. Monascus purpureus is a famous one of those.
It is possible to catch wild koji from your own environment-- in a traditional manner. Aspergillus oryzae are quite common in Japan and long time ago, people did use house koji or house yeast.
Sometimes, catching wild koji can be an absolute necessity. After the Second World War, for example, Okinawan people tried to revive black koji by doing exactly that. The island was bombed flat and they lost all the koji.
There is something that is fundamentally empowering in the idea that you can catch your own koji. It is a bit like foraging. The sheer knowledge that it is possible excites me.
And yet, on this particular issue, I am more conservative and rather buy my spore from a well established shop. Some of the Aspergilus moulds (not oryzae as far as I am aware) can produce toxin and I am not willing to risk my own or my family's health.
Cooking and eating food is so mundane but it is also so fundamentally about life and survival.
Well, I think if I am starting my own journey with koji, it probably is a good idea to start with a little bit of guidance.
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