The making of miso is, in essence, a simple process: Large quantities of soybeans are first steamed, then laden with salt. Cooked grains (rice and barley are the most common) are then added, followed by a special bacterial mold known as koji. It then ferments from weeks to years, depending on the desired result, in a wooden or stainless steel tub, until ready to use. Miso comes in many varieties and colors, ranging from light yellow (the lightest and sweetest variety), to dark yellow/brown (the most typical, medium body) to reddish brown (most savory, most salty, most intense). Generally speaking, the lighter the color, the milder and sweeter the flavor. The dark yellow/brown variety is the most versatile, but I keep all three in my refrigerator at all times.

Miso soup-consumed by tens of millions of Japanese for breakfast and often for lunch and dinner, too-is almost always made with dashi (a stock made from dried bonito and kelp) as a base, but it's also excellent with other stocks. The combination of chicken stock and fennel, really brings out the best in miso.

Miso can also be used as a base for marinades, a glaze ingredient for broiled fish, eaten straight with cucumber spears and beer, stuffed under the skin of a chicken before it's roasted, in stewed pork, on mashed potatoes as a gravy, and countless other uses when you need a savory blast.

Thankfully, miso is now widely available, even in supermarkets. But for a better and more eclectic selection, visit a Japanese or Asian foods market.