Shoyu is the Japanese word for soy sauce, which comes in different forms depending on ingredients and fermentation techniques. Soy sauce is complex, with different flavors and qualities, and can be compared to wine.
Shoyu is actually the Japanese word for “soy sauce.” In Japan there are different forms of shoyu, which differ according to the ingredients and the fermentation technique. In the West, there is some confusion about what shoyu is, exacerbated by the use of “Shoyu” in the branding of several soy sauce companies, including the Aloha Shoya Company in Hawaii.
All soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans. Depending on how they are handled and how long they are fermented, soy sauce can be light in color and texture or inky black. Different soy sauces are designed to be paired with different foods; in Japan, some famous types are tamari shoyu, made by pressing soybeans used to make miso, and saishikomi, a double-fermented shoyu that is extremely strong.
The Japanese inherited the soy sauce manufacturing tradition from China, a nation that has been producing soy sauce for thousands of years. Japanese techniques for making soy sauce date back to around 1600, and many other Asian nations developed their own soy sauces and other fermented sauces such as fish sauce. Fermenting the soybeans creates a rich, complex flavor and helps preserve the sauce, ensuring it doesn’t deteriorate in unrefrigerated conditions.
When soybeans are fermented to make shoyu, they are packed with sea salt, which acts as a preservative, and koji, a type of mold. Wheat or other grains are often added to mitigate the flavor; most Japanese shoyu include the grain, which lends a sweet, slightly alcoholic note to the finished soy sauce. When Japanese-style soy sauce was first introduced to the West, it was sometimes incorrectly labeled as “tamari,” which caused general confusion when actual tamari was introduced.
Many Western consumers think of soy sauce as a watery, extremely salty brownish liquid that accompanies sushi and Chinese food. In fact, soy sauce is incredibly complex, and just like wines, soy sauces come in a range of flavors and qualities. Really good soy sauce is comparable to good wine for connoisseurs of Asian foods and can fetch a steep price tag. Just like wine, shoyu’s flavor varies depending on the vintage, how it’s handled, and how long it can age.
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