Do you know the products and foods from Japan derived from Soy? Everyone knows that soy offers numerous health benefits, which is why the Japanese manage to keep their skin youthful and live past 100 years.
Soy is a food that does not please most, either because of the taste or the generalized testimonials. The fact is that this does not happen in Asia, especially in Japan.
Soy in Japanese is called daizu [大豆] and is very present in Japanese cuisine. In this article, we will also mention other foods that are not of Japanese origin but are based on soy.
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Table of Contents
Shoyu – Japanese Soy Sauce
Shōyu [醤油] is a sauce made from a mixture of soy, roasted cereal, water, and sea salt and is present in almost all Japanese cuisine. There are various types of soy sauce, from sweet to salty.
The soy sauce shoyu can be used in dessert, meat, sushi, rice, in anything. In Japan, various foods are created that use soy sauce as an ingredient, even chocolates and snacks.
Natto – Fermented Soy
Natto (なっとう | 纳豆) – Natto is made from fermented soy and is characterized by a strong smell and sticky appearance. This is a food widely consumed in Japan, especially at breakfast, mixed with white rice and raw egg. It is quite rich in protein and was a significant source of nutrition in feudal Japan.
Natto is made from fermented soy and is characterized by a strong smell and sticky appearance. This is a food widely consumed in Japan, especially at breakfast, mixed with white rice and raw egg. It is quite rich in protein and was a significant source of nutrition in feudal Japan.
Tofu – Soy Cheese
Tofu [豆腐] is a food produced from soy. It has a firm texture similar to cheese, a delicate flavor, creamy white color, and is presented in the form of a white cube.
It is even called soy cheese. The manufacturing process is from soy milk. In Asian cuisine, tofu is used in all kinds of recipes, both sweet and savory. It can be eaten raw, fried, cooked in soups or sauces, steamed, stuffed with different ingredients, or fermented like pickles.
Missoshiru – Miso Soup
Miso soup or missoshiru [味噌汁|] is a dish commonly consumed frequently by the Japanese. It is usually prepared with soy, hondashi, tofu, green onions; sometimes other vegetables are added.
The “misoshiru” is served before the main dish and should be consumed hot. The word “missoshiru” means fermented soy broth, formed by two words where miso means “fermented soy” and shiru means “broth”.
This is one of the healthiest dishes in Japan and is part of the Japanese diet at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are variations with pork called tonjiru and many others, all are juicy and delicious.
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Other Soy Derived Foods
Soy Milk – A drink made from soybeans. It helps reduce body fat and is an option for those with cholesterol problems or milk allergies. It may not be very popular in Brazil, but in Japan, it has a relatively high consumption both pure and in cooking.
Edamame [枝豆] – Literally Green Soy, is a preparation made with soybeans still in the pod, commonly found in Japan, Hawaii, China, and Korea. The pods are boiled in water with seasonings (like salt) and served whole.
Okara – It is not exactly a food, but it is a residue left over from the process of making soy milk or other plant-based milks. After the process of creation, the fiber and some residual nutrients remain in the filter of the soy milk machine, giving rise to okara. Okara can be used to enrich soups, added to bread dough, meatballs, burgers, and other foods.
Tempeh – is a fermented food with a fungus of the genus “Rhizopus,” made from white soybeans from Indonesia, with a nutty aroma and a dense, slightly meaty texture. It constitutes a strong food, with a more intense flavor than other soy derivatives.
Well, this is just the basics, because basically in most Japanese recipes and foods, something based on soy is used, even if it is just shoyu or tofu. Thus, soy becomes an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
It is amazing how the Japanese can make something that I personally find bad into a tasty and delicious food. What do you think of soy in Japanese cuisine?
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