Do you know the products and foods of Japan derived from Soy? Everyone knows that soy offers numerous health benefits, which is why the Japanese manage to keep their skin looking young and live past 100 years.
Soy is a food that does not please most people, either due to the taste or the general opinions. The fact is that this does not happen in Asia and 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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Shoyu - Japanese Soy Sauce
Shōyu [醤油] is a sauce made from a mixture of soy, roasted grain, water and sea salt and is present in almost all Japanese cuisine. There are several types of soy sauce, from sweet to salty.
Shoyu soy sauce can be used in dessert, meat, sushi, rice, anything. In Japan, several foods are created that use soy sauce as an ingredient, even chocolates and snacks.
Natto - Fermented Soy
Discover 8 delicious Japanese soy foods and recipes that will transform your kitchen! Learn to prepare authentic and healthy dishes that will delight your taste buds. Click to explore exotic flavors! Natto is made from fermented soybeans and is characterized by a strong smell and sticky appearance. This is a food widely consumed in Japan, especially for breakfast, mixed with white rice and raw egg. It is quite high in protein, and was a great source of nutrition in feudal Japan.
Natto is made from fermented soybeans and is characterized by a strong smell and sticky appearance. This is a food widely consumed in Japan, especially for breakfast, mixed with white rice and raw egg. It is quite high in protein, and was a great source of nutrition in feudal Japan.
Tofu - Soy Cheese
Tofu [豆腐] is a food made from soybeans. It has a firm texture similar to that of cheese, delicate flavor, creamy white color and comes 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.
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Miso soup - Miso soup
Miso soup or misoshiru is a dish commonly consumed by the Japanese. It is usually prepared with soy, hondashi, tofu, and green onions; sometimes other vegetables are added.
"Misoshiru" is served before the main course and must be consumed hot. The word "missoshiru" means fermented soy broth, formed by two words where misso means "fermented soy" and shiru means "broth".
This is one of the healthiest dishes in Japan and is part of the Japanese diet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There are variations with pork called tonjiru and many others, all of them are succulent and delicious.
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Other soy foods
Soy milk - It is a drink made from soy beans. It helps reduce body fat and is an option for those with cholesterol issues or a milk allergy. It may not be very popular in Brazil, but in Japan it has a high consumption both pure and in cuisine.
Edamame [枝豆] - Literally Green Soy, is a preparation made with soybeans still in the pod, usually found in Japan, Hawaii, China and Korea. The pods are boiled in water with seasonings (such as salt) and served whole.
Okara – It's not really a food, but it's a residue left over from the process of creating soy milk, or other plant milks. After the breeding process, the fiber and some residual nutrients stay in the filter of the soy milk machine, giving rise to okara. Okara can be used to enrich soups, add to bread dough, meatballs, hamburgers and other foods.
Tempeh – is a food fermented with a fungus of the genus “Rhizopus”, from white soybean seeds from Indonesia, with a nutty aroma and a dense and slightly fleshy texture. It is a strong food, with a more intense flavor than other soy derivatives.
Well, that's just the basics, because basically in most Japanese recipes and foods, something soy-based is used, even if it's a soy sauce or tofu. Thus making soy an indispensable ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
It's amazing how the Japanese manage to make something that I particularly think is bad, into a tasty and delicious food. What do you think of soy in Japanese cuisine? We appreciate your comments and shares.
