Soy Sauce

Made In: Japan   Capacity: 500 ml  Quantity Per A Package: 8  Kosher: Not Kosher

Catalog Number: 1-5040

One of the ingredients most commonly associated with East Asian cuisine. Soy sauce is made of pureed soybeans, fermented with additional grains such as wheat as well as salt and various kinds of yeast – which are responsible for the fermentation process (much like the wine-making process). As fermentation is finished the resulting pulp is pressed, yielding the liquid that is soy sauce. Other ingredients are sometimes added to the soybeans – such as molasses, mushrooms, sugar, shrimps and various flavorings – resulting in unique flavors, textures and scents. Soy sauce is used as the prominent flavoring sauce in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine, and has an important role in Northeast Asian cuisine (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and others) as well. Each country where this sauce is made produces a slightly different flavor – a result of production methods and the type of yeast that is used. In Japan, for example, more than twenty different varieties of soy sauce exist. Soy sauce is used as an ingredient in cooking, as a dipping sauce for prepared food and as a dominant ingredient in sauce, soups and various marinades. The sauce’s color is dark brown and its texture is usually fairly thin (although thicker versions do exist). It boasts a strong umami flavor (the fifth flavor, common in ripe cheeses, fermented sausages, seaweed and more) as well as saltiness. The level of saltiness varies between the different varieties of this sauce, depending on the production process.