Shoyu – Curiosities about Soy Sauce

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.) 油 (oil, fat). In Chinese, the ideograms are the same but pronounced jiangyou.

Since ancient times, Japan used animals and other vegetables to create preserves and sauces to salt and season food. This must be one of the reasons the word shoyu uses an ideogram that refers to miso paste. In fact, the famous tamari shoyu used mainly in sushi and sashimi was extracted from miso.

How is shoyu used?

Soy sauce is used to replace salt, add aroma, and enhance the color of food and is quite popular in all Asian countries. 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 meat before cooking, 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 wish.

Most of the time, shoyu is used with sugar or it is already sweetened. Pure or salty shoyu is mostly used in sushi or sashimi. In reality, there are several different types of shoyu or even other sauces made from soy that you might confuse with shoyu; 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 flavor and is rich in umami;
• Tamari – Thicker soy sauce used for eating with sushi, sashimi, and making teriyaki;
• Saishikomi – Fermented in the soy itself, it is also used in sushi, sashimi, and tofu;
• Usukuchi – Originated in Kansai and has 10% more salt than the common one and has a light and clear 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 soy is soaked in water, steamed, and mixed with roasted and ground wheat, a type of fungus called koji. This mixture is made together with a brine forming the momori that is aged from 6 months to 2 years. After this long fermentation process, it is completed with compression and heating.

Because of 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.

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Brazil vs Japan

What is the difference between Brazilian and Japanese sauce? If you are concerned about the amount of sodium, it doesn’t matter where it was made, it will have plenty of sodium. The difference between the soy sauce of each country lies in its flavor and color. Brazilian soy sauce tends to be saltier and black, and usually uses the synthetic production method and is full of coloring and artificial ingredients. On the other hand, Japanese soy sauce has several variations and is usually made with nothing but salt, wheat, soy, and fermentation ingredients.

What are the differences in consumption? Unlike Brazilians, Japanese people use soy sauce in very small quantities. They avoid spreading the sauce on sushi rice and only lightly dip the fish.

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What are the dangers and benefits of shoyu?

The main danger of shoyu is its high sodium content. It is recommended to eat a maximum of 1 to 2 tablespoons of soy sauce per day. Therefore, we recommend not using shoyu in salads or in recipes that require a large quantity. But sodium is not the only danger; unfortunately, we have to be cautious with any type of industrialized product.

But since it is made of soy, it is rich in proteins, iron, calcium, and vitamins, especially vitamin B. Soy and its derivatives have antioxidant properties and help prevent diseases such as osteoporosis and cancer. Thus, it is necessary to have discernment and know the best way to consume this sauce and its derivatives.