Soy sauce, composition, benefits and harms of soy sauce. Soy sauce. Cooking secrets

Almost every housewife has soy sauce in her kitchen: we not only use it with dishes Japanese cuisine, but we also add it everywhere. It seems easier than that - go to the store and buy it. But no! All sauces that are sold here as soy sauces are divided into three groups. To buy a healthy one, you need to know what it is made from. Often soy has nothing to do with it...

Fermentation sauces

How they do it

Steamed soybeans, from which the oil has been squeezed, are mixed with wheat or flour and the starter is added. In a warm, humid atmosphere, the mixture quickly becomes covered with mycelium (a special mold called “koji” in Chinese). Then the koji is poured with a salty solution, and a long fermentation process begins. Proteins break down into amino acids, carbohydrates into sugars. Some of the sugars react with proteins to form a natural brown dye, which gives the sauce its color.

Important: Soybean fats are often pre-removed using chemical solvents. Usually the unsafe solvent hexane is used.

Composition of the product

The ideal sauce contains 4 components - soy, wheat, water and salt. All! This is the best and most expensive soy sauce.

Ingredients that may also be included: sugar, coloring (most often E150 caramel), ethanol or other alcohol, a preservative that stops fermentation, or other acids. They are acceptable, but the quality of the seasoning with them decreases.

Ingredients that cannot be included: glutamate and other flavor enhancers.

Important: On the label, manufacturers try to indicate that this is a fermented or fermented sauce (which is the same thing). Some people write that the sauce is “cooked” or “naturally cooked”. This is a mistranslation - soy sauces are not boiled.

Chemical industry products

How they do it

Proteins are subjected to chemical hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid.

Important: this is the most harmful option. Hydrolysis often produces the powerful carcinogen chloropropanol. It is found in many seasonings: more often from Asia, less often from Europe.

Product composition

Long, contains a lot food additives:

— There are always flavor enhancers, they are disguised as yeast extract, hydrolyzate vegetable protein, guanylates (E626 - E629), innosinates (E630 - E633), ribonucleotides (E634, E635);

— There are always dyes (caramel E150, “sunset yellow” E110, etc.);

— Usually there is a preservative E211 (benzoate) or E202 (potassium sorbate);

— From 4 components natural sauce 3 may be present: soy, salt and water, but wheat is almost always absent.

Important: There’s not a word about fermentation, the main process in making sauce. The label only talks about its merits - quality, originality, etc.

Dissolving sauces

How they do it

No more than 10% of the fermentation sauce is dissolved in 90% water. And in order to give the liquid solution more taste and saturated color, add more dyes, sugar, acids. Most often they do without flavor enhancers.

Product composition

Water, sugar, salt, soy extract (water, soybeans, Wheat flour, salt) - 9%, coloring - caramel, lemon acid, preservative - potassium sorbate. On the label of this sauce you can read that it is “made from fermented soybeans.” This is only 10% true - so much of it is from the real sauce, the rest is from the evil one.

Important: sometimes there is a mixing sauce: mixture small quantity fermentation sauce with hydrolysis sauce. The composition may be written like this: “A mixture of sauces in the following proportions: hydrolyzed soy sauce 93%, naturally fermented soy sauce 7%.” The quality of the product is appropriate: “chemistry” with a small proportion of real sauce.

Important: You should not take seriously such definitions of sauce as “classic”, “premium”, “traditional”, etc. They are not regulated by law and are found even on chemical seasonings.

Soy sauce has become indispensable in our kitchen. Sometimes just boiled rice with good soy sauce is enough for lunch. It’s almost impossible to make a sauce similar to store bought at home, but it’s original homemade sauce You can try making it from soybeans.

Making soy sauce at home is quite difficult. The technology for preparing real sauce is not so simple as to reproduce it exactly.

How they do it in Japan

Real soy sauce is made through a fermentation process. To do this, take soybeans and wheat, put them in water, add saline solution and Koji fungus (sourdough starter). It is this fungus that allows us to produce everyone’s favorite sauce. Thanks to it, the fermentation process takes place in the resulting wort over several months. When the sauce is ready, the mixture is filtered and boiled. This allows you to kill all bacteria and stop the fermentation process. After this, the sauce is ready for use. By the way, there are three types of soy sauce. They differ in salt content and richness of taste. Koi Kuchi is the darkest sauce and the saltiest, it has rich taste and aroma. It is used instead of salt in many dishes. Usi-kuchi - has less saturated taste qualities, but also suitable as a salt substitute. Tamarin is the most delicate soy sauce, almost not salty, but with a rich bean flavor.

Soy sauce “Russian style”

Finding Koji fungus in our conditions is not easy, so make the sauce for real Japanese technology will not work. But you can make a variation of soy sauce that everyone can do. For this you will need: 100 gr. soy, 2 tablespoons broth, 1 tbsp. spoon of flour and 2 tbsp. spoons of butter.

The beans must be boiled until tender and pureed. Add broth and butter, a little salt, then flour to the resulting mass. Everything is mixed and placed on medium heat, where it is brought to a boil with constant stirring.

This sauce can be served with meat, rice and other dishes. It will easily replace store bought ketchup, and, most importantly, it will be healthier and more natural.

For lovers of real soy sauce, we can only advise you to be more careful when choosing it in the store. Buy sauce that does not contain preservatives and monosodium glutamate (E621). And most importantly, it is produced only by natural fermentation.

Sergey Vasilenkov

The sophistication and sophistication of the taste of soy sauce, both when used individually and when mixed with other ingredients, have made it very popular in the world. Today it is used as a salad dressing, a marinade for meat and fish, a sauce for appetizers, and a component of broths. In this article we will look at what soy sauce is, the secrets of preparation and use in dishes, how to prepare soy sauce at home, storing and enriching its flavor and aromatic qualities.

From this article you will learn:

What is soy sauce and how is it prepared?

International integration culinary traditions different nations in recent decades has led to the fact that Japanese cuisine is in demand among residents of all continents. One of its characteristic products is soy sauce. Many Russians are familiar with the classic tart sauce for rolls. It is very liquid, slightly transparent, has a rich black color and a pungent odor. Technologically, the liquid is a product of fermentation of soybeans with the addition of certain types of mushrooms and yeast. The biochemical composition is different high concentration amino acids and vitamins. Spicy taste - a real find for the housewife, and soy sauce, due to its large proportion of glutamic acid, enhances the taste of the dishes and ingredients to which it is added.

What is soy sauce made from: the classic version

IN industrial scale Today, two technologies for preparing soy sauce are used: fermentation and protein hydrolysis. Due to the natural nature of the processes occurring in the raw materials, the first method is considered more useful and valuable, but requires a lot of time:

Before preparing soy sauce through natural fermentation, manufacturers mix crushed, roasted wheat grains with soaked boiled beans and add mushrooms, bacteria or yeast to them.
The next stage is fermentation, before which salt is added to the mixture. The stage takes from 6 to 150 weeks and is accompanied by the decomposition of proteins into amino acids, and starch into sugars with a simple structure. The result is thick soy sauce in the form of a slurry.
The product is pressed to separate the liquid portion, which is then heated to kill yeast and fungi. At the last stages, the product is filtered and packaged in containers for sale.

The production technology from hydrolyzed soybean protein helps reduce cooking time to 3 days. The resulting liquid is less popular among consumers and is prepared, as a rule, for cheap brands. It is believed that naturally fermented sauce has brighter consumer properties, is stored longer and is capable the best way reveal even the most unusual combination products.

Varieties

The sauce, along with various types Soybean fermentation products are widely in demand not only in Japan and China, but also in other countries of East and Southeast Asia.

China

The variety of products in this country is extremely large and, in order to classify them, it is first easier to divide them into boiled and mixed. The first ones are prepared according to recipes close to the classic ones, from soy, wheat, water and salt:

Shengchou is an opaque light brown liquid with a strong salty taste. Often added to dishes as a dressing.
Touchou is a soy sauce dip. This is a product of the first pressing of fermented paste, which in this gradation is similar to the brand Extra Virgin among olive oils.
Shuanghuang is a light sauce that is fermented twice: in brine and in soy sauce. This gives additional taste and aroma properties.
Inyu. A very dark liquid that is prepared without the addition of wheat based on fermentation with salt. It has a strong, deep flavor and is used for frying, thickening, and dipping food.

Mixed varieties have a more complex composition, enriching the smell and taste:

Laochou is a sweet soy sauce with a very thick and dark texture. Its production technology involves longer fermentation with the addition of molasses or caramel. The juice of Volvariella volvova (mushroom) is added to the Caogu Laochou variety.
Jiangyugao is a black sauce thickened with sugar, starch, monosodium glutamate and spices.
Xiazi jianyu is a type of sweet Chinese sauce, for the preparation of which soy product boil with the addition of shrimp, sugar, spices and baijiu liqueur.

Japanese soy sauce: light, dark and sweet

Koikuchi is the most common type of sauce and has a strong taste.
Usukuti is paler and saltier than Koikuti, but less strong.
Tamari, a sauce characteristic of the Chubu region, is very dark color with a strong taste. Almost no wheat is used in production.
Shiro – white sauce, in the preparation of which more wheat is taken than soybeans. Often used as a dip for sashimi.
Saishikomi. This is an additionally brewed koikuchi with a brighter flavor.
Usujo and Gen'en are more modern variations of the sauce, with 50% and 20% less salt.

Kechap manis (Indonesia)

Kecap or ketsap manis (sweet soy sauce) is the name given to all soy sauces prepared by fermentation in Indonesia. Basically, they are divided into three types. Kechap asin – salty version, very similar to light Chinese, although it has a deeper flavor and thicker texture. Kechap manis indon is sweet sauce, similar in consistency to syrup. Traditionally, palm sugar is used in its preparation.

Thai soy sauce

Nam Pla is a traditional Thai variety of soy sauce, which is distinguished by the fact that anchovies can be used in its production. Nam Pla is used in Thai cooking, perhaps in the same way as salt is used in Russian. It is added to soups, salads, noodles, and marinades.

How to make soy sauce at home

To make homemade sauce for sushi and rolls, you don’t need special products or equipment. A simple recipe allows you to do without fermentation, but still get a product with similar taste and aromatic qualities. For this you need:

1 tbsp. wheat flour;
100 g soybeans;
2 tbsp. butter;
2 tbsp. vegetable broth;
sea salt (pinch).

How to cook:

Boil the beans for two or more hours until soft. Grind into porridge.
Add the remaining soy products and mix.
Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and remove from heat.

How can you replace soy sauce at home?

For those who do not have the right product or cannot consume it due to health reasons, you can consider the following options for replacing soy sauce:

For fish, you can make a dressing from balsamic or table vinegar, olive oil and mustard.
TO vegetable salads A suitable dressing is made from chopped garlic cloves, fried in a frying pan and mixed with a few drops of apple cider vinegar.
With many Asians meat salads Dressings based on Worcestershire (Worcestershire) sauce go well together.
Vegetable casseroles and second ones meat dishes perfectly complements a mixture of equal parts adjika and low-calorie mayonnaise.
The original sauce for rice or meat is made from marinade for olives.

How to dilute soy sauce for rolls

Most soy sauces are sold as concentrates that need to be diluted before being used as a sushi dip. This is done plain water, but before diluting the soy sauce, it needs to be boiled. Thanks to this, the seasoning becomes less salty and does not interrupt the taste of the dish. When diluting, you should focus on your taste, because the concentration of the product differs depending on the manufacturer. The diluted solution should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 weeks.

By the way, the sauce that delivery services put along with ready-made sushi and rolls does not need to be diluted - the company does it on its own.

Recipes with soy sauce

How to replace soy sauce

Soy sauce for sushi, DIY recipe

Ingredients:

Soybeans – 480 g.
Wheat flour – 4 tbsp.
Mushroom or vegetable broth– 200 ml.
Butter – 4 tbsp.
Salt – 10-15 g.

Preparation:

Cover the beans with water and cook until they become limp and slightly wrinkled.
Cut off the water from the boiled beans and puree them with a blender.
Continuing to stir, add the remaining ingredients one by one.
Seasonings can be added for a richer taste.
Bring the mixture to low heat to a boil.
Wait until it cools to room temperature.

Spicy mustard sauce with honey and ginger

Ingredients:

thick yogurt – 120 g;
honey – 1 tbsp;
mustard – 1 tsp;
soy sauce – 2 tbsp;
black pepper – 3 peas;
Provençal herbs and dry ginger - 1/3 tsp each.

Preparation:

Melt the honey, if it is not liquid, pour into a bowl and add mustard.
Pour in the sauce, add herbs, ginger. Stir and leave for 30 minutes for extraction.
Add yogurt and crushed pepper in a mortar. Mix well.

How to make soy sauce dip

Dip is any sauce that is used with vegetables and meat snacks for dipping them. Soy sauce is classic example dip for sushi, rolls, sashimi, gunkan, onigiri. As a dip, you can not only use it separately, but also add mustard, wasabi, pepper, seasonings, honey, or use the recipes given later in the article.

How to make Chinese Hoisin Hot Sauce

Hoisin – popular in Chinese and Asian cuisine spicy sauce, which is often chosen for marinating, brushing and dipping poultry. It is an integral part of Peking duck, which is popular around the world.

Famous recipe Chinese sauce Hoisin is quite simple:

1 small chili pepper;
2 cloves of garlic;
3 tbsp. red beans, canned in their own juice;
2 tbsp. rice vinegar;
1 tbsp. dark liquid honey;
1 tbsp. sesame oil;
3 tbsp. soy sauce;
½ tsp. mixtures of 5 chinese spices(star anise, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper).

If some ingredients are missing, the products are usually replaced with others: Sesame oil– for vegetable, honey – for caramel, etc. However, spices are the main component of the sauce and cannot be replaced.

Simple marinade recipe with soy sauce

Marinade with soy sauce for beef. Beef in soy sauce has a rich taste and a pleasant texture to eat, and the marinating recipe is extremely simple. For ½ kg of meat you only need 2 cloves of garlic, one medium chili pepper and about 100 ml of sauce. All this is mixed with meat cut into strips and aged for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Marinade with soy sauce for chicken or turkey. These two types of meat are very similar, so you can use the same recipe for marinating. For 1 kg of meat you need 60 ml of soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, 100 ml of honey, approximately 150 g of finely chopped onion, a little basil and other seasonings that suit your taste. The meat needs to be cut, placed in a deep bowl and thoroughly rubbed with spices mixed with chopped garlic, pour in melted honey. Cut the onion into half rings, press in your hands and mix with the meat. Marinate chicken for about 90 minutes, turkey for about 2 hours.
Marinade with soy sauce for pork and lamb. For 1 kg of meat: 100 ml of lemon juice and sauce, 5 cloves of garlic, 50 ml of mustard, spices - to taste. Marinating: mix mustard with pressed garlic and lemon juice, mix; Rub the pieces of meat with seasonings, mix with the marinade and leave for 3 hours.
Sweet and spicy marinade for pork. It is great for cooking in the oven. You need to mix 20 grams of crushed ginger root, a large spoon of melted or liquid honey, a large spoon hot mustard and 100 ml sweet soy sauce. Optimal time marinating - 3 hours.
Spicy and universal sauce– mustard, honey and soy sauce. Mix 105 ml sauce, 2 tsp. mustard, 30 ml liquid honey, three chopped garlic cloves and 30 ml tomato ketchup. Mustard-honey marinade for chicken, divide in half. One half of the mixture is used for marinating for an hour, and the other half is used for baking or stewing.
Soy sauce based marinade, tricky recipe for any meat. All you need is mayonnaise, soy sauce, fresh onion, cut into rings and seasonings. First, the meat is mixed with herbs and onions, and then with mayonnaise and sauce.

The sauce is very salty on its own, so the marinade almost never needs added salt.
The composition of soy sauce helps soften the meat, so it does not need additional marinating ingredients - only those that add flavor and aroma.
Soy marinades act quickly, but still require a few hours of exposure. Pork is ready to fry in 3-4 hours, beef later, and turkey and chicken earlier.
Before choosing products for pickling, pay attention to the dishes for this procedure. In the presence of acidic ingredients The use of aluminum bowls is unacceptable. Give preference to stainless, enamel, glass or ceramic containers.
If you do not plan to cook the meat in a few hours, it is better to put it in the refrigerator.

Application, composition and taste of teriyaki sauce

Teriyaki is a traditional Chinese culinary method of frying food in a sauce of the same name. The words "teri" and "yaki" are translated as "shine" and "fry". This is because the foods are fried until the sugar in the sauce caramelizes, giving the fried foods a shine. Teriyaki has a very interesting rich taste. It is sweet, salty, spicy and tart at the same time. The variety of recipes and combined ingredients greatly expands the map of flavor and aromatic properties of the sauce.

What are the benefits of soy sauce for women?

Making teriyaki sauce requires mixing soy sauce with mirin (sweet rice wine), sake and/or sugar. The recipe may also require the addition of apples, lemon, ginger, fish sauce, garlic, honey and other ingredients that enrich the taste. The calorie content of the product depends on the production technology and, on average, is 85-100 kcal per 100 grams.

The scope of application of teriyaki is limited, perhaps, only by the imagination of the cook. It is well suited for marinating, frying, creating sweet sauces for noodles or rice with vegetables. Teriyaki goes well with fish, meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables and even fruits.

Teriyaki sauce: homemade recipe

To prepare flavorful teriyaki in an easy way home technology you need to adhere to the following proportions:

soy sauce: 150 ml;
mirin: 1 tbsp;
garlic and ginger (dried): 1-2 tsp each;
potato starch: 3 tsp;
cane sugar: 4 tsp;
water: 1/3 cup;
honey: 1 tbsp.

Options for replacing products in the recipe:

mirin: vinegar 6% or dry white wine;
garlic and ginger are also suitable in fresh(you will need to chop them very well, and at the end strain the sauce);
The thickness of the sauce depends on the amount of starch, so you need to take it according to your preferences.

How to cook:

Pour ½ cup of soy sauce into a frying pan with a lid and add garlic, sugar and ginger.
Add mirin and vinegar, 1 tsp. sunflower or olive oil.
First dissolve the starch in 1/3 cup.
Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a boil, add honey.
Cook the boiling mixture for about 5 minutes and remove from heat.
While stirring, pour dissolved starch into the hot liquid in a thin stream.

The sauce thickens gradually as the starch cools, so at first it may seem like it didn't work out. Let it cool and then pour it into a glass container with a lid for storage in the refrigerator.

Diets and healthy eating 30.09.2017

Dear readers, today we will talk about soy sauce. You've probably tried this seasoning. She has a special one spicy taste and aroma, and now we add it to the most different dishes, combine with meat, fish and vegetables. And sushi, rolls and other dishes of Japanese cuisine all the more necessarily require the addition of this sauce. This is a universal seasoning that is perhaps not only suitable for desserts.

Soy sauce began to appear en masse on the shelves of our stores in the 90s. The fact that there is still so much of it on sale speaks volumes about its continued popularity. This is one of the elements of Asian cuisine that has taken root so thoroughly in our kitchens.

Have soy sauce ancient history. It was first made in China, then in Japan and in other distant countries. eastern countries Oh. Among Europeans, the Dutch were the first to import and then produce this sauce. And today Holland is one of the main producers of high-quality soy sauces.

What is soy sauce made from? The Koreans have a proverb: “A person who has lost trust is not believed, even if he claims that soy sauce is made from soybeans.” While the sauce is actually made from soybeans that are fermented. In addition to them, in the composition classic sauce Roasted wheat, salt, water must be present; sugar is also allowed. Now other, not so natural and healthy ingredients can be added to soy sauces, and how to choose soy sauce best quality, we will definitely talk below.

Soy sauce is a dietary product, and nutritionists say that it can replace salt, butter, mayonnaise, ketchup, and a number of spices. It is a brown liquid with salty spicy taste and a special smell. Soy sauce is low in calories and contains no cholesterol. These are its most famous properties, but it can be useful for our body not only for this. Let's see what the benefits and harms of soy sauce are.

Composition and calorie content of soy sauce

The benefits of soy sauce, of course, are due to the benefits of the soybeans themselves. Due to them, the sauce contains enough vegetable protein, carbohydrates and very little fat. The sauce also contains:

amino acids, about 20, including essential ones;
fatty acids in small quantities;
vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, PP and choline (B4);
fiber;
ash;
mono- and disaccharides;
minerals sodium, calcium, potassium, copper, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, selenium, etc.

Antioxidants are found in soy sauce in abundance. There are much more of them in it than in orange juice and red wine. So, by adding sauce to our dishes, we help the body get rid of free radicals.

Soy sauce is high in sodium, and any nutritionist will recommend consuming the product in reasonable quantities.

Soy sauce is good for those who control their weight. This low calorie product– only 50-70 kcal per 100 g.

Benefits of soy sauce

Due to its antioxidant properties, soy sauce is valuable because it helps the body eliminate free radicals and prevents acidification. This means reducing the risk of tumors and slowing down the aging process.

This is a seasoning, not a medicine, and yet soy sauce can be a good preventive measure and additional support in the treatment of a number of diseases. It is important for health of cardio-vascular system. By consuming soy sauce, you can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack; it prevents the development of ischemia and atherosclerosis. It is recommended to be included in the diet for recovery after a heart attack. The sauce improves blood circulation and increases the elasticity of blood vessels.

Soy sauce is useful for diseases of the musculoskeletal system - arthritis, arthrosis, osteoporosis. Lysine in the sauce allows calcium to be better absorbed.

The amino acids in soy sauce are beneficial for muscle tissue; the seasoning helps relieve muscle spasms. The amino acid histidine promotes tissue repair. The sauce has an anti-edematous effect.

Soy sauce is useful for chronic cholecystitis. Vitamin PP in the sauce normalizes cholesterol levels. When losing weight, the benefit of soy sauce is that it increases metabolism, burning extra calories.

The seasoning has a beneficial effect on the liver. The sauce contains the amino acids leucine and methionine, which normalize the functioning of this organ and protect it from diseases.

Soy sauce in the diet will also be beneficial for the skin. The amino acid cysteine maintains its normal structure. The seasoning will be useful for the prevention of dermatitis.

The sauce is also beneficial for nervous system. It has a calming effect, helps with insomnia and migraines, tryptophan and valline in its composition will support the body during stress and depression. This is a preventive remedy for the danger of nervous diseases.

The benefits of soy sauce for the female body

What are the benefits of soy sauce for women? It allows you to maintain normal hormonal balance. Soy phytoestrogens are beneficial during menopause. Eating the product relieves menstrual pain and menopausal symptoms. Another important property this seasoning for female body– reducing the risk of breast cancer.

Harm and contraindications

For soy sauce, as for all products in general, it works Golden Rule– should be consumed in moderation and only quality sauce! Studies have shown that fake soy sauce can cause cancer.

This seasoning has its own contraindications, and it can be harmful to the body in some cases. Excessive use sauce is dangerous due to the formation of kidney stones and bladder. Sodium and some other components of the seasoning can irritate the mucous membranes, so you need to be careful with the sauce if you have a stomach ulcer or gastritis.

Among the contraindications for soy sauce are the following:

should not be given to children under 5 years of age due to the risk of thyroid disorders and allergies;
not recommended during pregnancy (it is advisable to consult your doctor) and breastfeeding;
for kidney diseases;
for hypertension;
Caution should be exercised if there is a risk of allergic reactions.

From this video you will learn about the restrictions on the use of soy sauce, some contraindications and the original way using this seasoning.

How to choose a quality sauce

A good, high-quality soy sauce should not contain anything extra. These are the fermented beans themselves, wheat, salt and water. The presence of sugar is acceptable. Dyes, flavors and preservatives are evil, as in other products. In addition, soy sauce acquires antiseptic properties even at the stage of bean fermentation, so it can be stored without any preservatives for up to two years.

The color of the sauce should be light brown and the liquid should be clear. An impenetrable black color indicates counterfeiting and improper production. In modern production, low-quality sauce is made using acid (hydrochloric or sulfuric) and subsequent treatment with alkali. The remnants are not that far food reactions get into the product. These are the cheapest sauces on the shelves and should not be purchased.

Genetically modified soybeans can be used to make the sauce. The benefits and harms of GMOs are still a controversial issue. But often GMO soybeans are resistant to pesticides (to increase yield), which means that traces of them may be in the final product.

More important point– soy sauce should be sold in glass bottles. Plastic containers interact with the sauce and form harmful compounds. Through glass it is also more convenient to see whether the sauce is transparent, what color it is, and whether there is any sediment.

Soy sauce is a sauce made from a mixture of soybeans, salt, grains and water, which fermented under the influence of certain fungi, and then was squeezed to separate the liquid component. Strictly speaking, there is no one specific recipe for making this sauce, but any variety of it includes soybeans. There are also one or two varieties that require the use of soy flour.

Overall, there is at least 20 different varieties of soy sauce, which can be used to improve the taste of food. Some national varieties of this sauce are considered "fresh" because they are thinner and are made using the double fermentation. These varieties are often used to season meat, and are served with vegetables and for dipping bread, as they have a rather rich taste. The roots of soy sauce are lost in history. However, there is evidence that:

A basic mixture of soybeans, roasted grains and salt has been used for at least 2,000 years.

The earliest recorded recipes are associated with China, although varieties have been found covering all sorts of Asian cuisines. There is also some evidence to suggest that in the 7th century, Buddhist monks first brought the sauce's methodology to Japan, where chefs put their stamp on the condiment. In fact, some people argue that fermentation process developed in Japan produces the most best sauce in the world.

Dark varieties of soy sauce are slightly thicker than fresh varieties and are usually made through a single fermentation process. This means that fermentation continues for a longer period of time. Another important ingredient in dark soy sauce is molasses, which gives the sauce a sweet taste and makes it less salty than the fresh variety. These types of sauce are used in the cooking process, both for their complex flavor and because they can add color to almost any dish. They are not usually served as they are considered unsuitable for dipping.

In addition to being used as a stand-alone seasoning to flavor meats and vegetables, soy sauce is also used as a main ingredient in other seasonings. It is included in many salad dressings, especially those that have high content fat Many people are surprised to learn that this the sauce is also a key ingredient in another popular bottled sauce: Worcestershire. Besides the fact that soy sauce is an important ingredient in a number of seasonings, there are some interesting alcoholic drinks, which require a touch of adding this sauce to give them some piquancy.

Some purists insist that real soy sauce should be made using time-honored methods, not modern shortcuts. In fact, in modern methods Only the speed of the fermentation process changes, making mass production of soy sauce possible. In most cases, ordinary consumers can rarely tell whether a sauce was prepared using old methods or modern technologies.