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Soy sauce

Soy sauce (Chinese language: in Mandarin, 醬油 pinyin jiàngyóu , in Cantonese, 豉油 see yau; Japanese: 醤油 shōyu) is a fermented sauce, made from soybeans, roasted grain, water and salt, commonly used in Asian cuisine. Although there are many types of soy sauce, all are salty and earthy tasting brownish liquids used to season food while cooking or at the table. Although it originated in China, it is used in various cuisines across Asia. In particular, it is an important flavouring in Japanese cuisine. However, Chinese and Japanese soy sauces are substantially different, and it is rarely appropriate to substitute one for the other.

Table of contents
1 Chinese Soy Sauce
2 Japanese Soy Sauce
3 Health
4 External links

Chinese Soy Sauce

The Chinese soy sauces are primarily made from soybean, with relatively low amounts of other grains. There are two main varieties:

Japanese Soy Sauce

The Japanese soy sauce, or "shoyu", is traditionally divided into five main categories, depending on differences in their ingredients and method of production. Japanese soy sauces include
wheat as a primary ingredient. This tends to give the Japanese varieties a slightly sweeter taste than the Chinese soy sauces. Low-salt soy sauces also exist, but is not considered to be a separate variety of soy sauce, since the reduction in salt content is a process performed outside of the standard process of producing soy sauce.

Health

Soy sauce contains a small amount of naturally occurring
MSG. It can also be extremely salty, so it is not a suitable condiment for some people, and should generally be taken in moderation. Low-salt soy sauces are produced, but it is impossible to make soy sauce without using some quantity of salt.

External links