In this article, we will talk about one of the main ingredients that accompanies Japanese cuisine, the famous shoyu (醤油) or soy sauce. We will answer the following questions about this sauce: What is the origin of shoyu? What are the benefits of soy sauce? What are the dangers of shoyu? What are the ingredients of Shoyu? How to use soy sauce? These and many other curiosities and questions will be answered in this article.
What is the Origin of Shoyu? The origin of shoyu is Chinese, records indicate its use around the year 500 AD, while Japanese records indicate around the year 700 AD. The word shoyu 醤油 is composed of 2 ideograms that mean 醤 (paste or puree, similar to miso) and 油 (oil, fat). In Chinese, the ideograms are the same but it is pronounced jiangyou.
Since ancient times, Japan has used animals and other vegetables to create preserves and sauces for salting and seasoning food. This must be one of the reasons the word shoyu uses an ideogram that refers to miso paste. Even the famous tamari shoyu used mainly in sushi and sashimi was extracted from miso.
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How is shoyu used?
Soy sauce is used to replace salt, enhance aroma, and strengthen the coloring of food, and it is quite popular in all countries of Asia. Shoyu can be used in practically any recipe of Asian cuisine, including desserts like dango.
Unlike Westerners, in Japanese cuisine, soy sauce is not used in large quantities, in salads or in prepared dishes. Most of the time, it is used to season the meat before cooking it, or it is used in recipes before preparing them. Of course, shoyu and soy derivatives are always available in restaurants for you to season your dish as you like.
Most of the time shoyu is used with sugar or it is already sweetened. Pure or salted soy sauce is most often used in sushi or sashimi. In fact, there are several different types of soy sauce or even other soy sauces that you can confuse with soy sauce, below we will see some types of soy sauce and where they are used:
- Koikuchi (shoyu) - The most common soy sauce. It is salty and has a slightly sweet taste and is rich in umami;
- Tamari – Thicker soy sauce used to eat with sushi, sashimi and teriyaki;
- Saishikomi - Fermented in soy itself, it is also used in sushi, sashimi and tofu;
- Usukuchi – Originated in Kansai and has 10% more salt than usual and has a light and light color;
- Shiro – Used in soups, shiro is whiter, lighter and sweeter;
How is soy sauce made?
Soy sauce is not entirely made of soy. The soybeans are soaked in water, steamed, and mixed with roasted and ground wheat, along with a type of fungus called koji. This mixture is combined with a brine forming the momori, which is aged from 6 months to 2 years. After this long fermentation process, it is finished with a compression and heating.
Due to the high consumption of soy sauce, this process can be faster (1 week) using a synthetic process where the amino acids from soy are separated by hydrolysis, added with caramel and flavorings.
What are the dangers and benefits of soy sauce?
The main danger of shoyu is its high sodium content. It is recommended to consume no more than 1 to 2 tablespoons of soy sauce per day. Therefore, we recommend not using shoyu in salads or in recipes that require a large amount. But sodium is not the only danger; unfortunately, we have to stay alert with any type of industrialized product.
But since it is made from soy, it is rich in proteins, iron, calcium, and vitamins, especially vitamin B. Soy and its derivatives have antioxidant action and help prevent diseases like osteoporosis and cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to have discernment and know the best way to consume this sauce and its derivatives.