The delicious taste of soy sauce produced by fermentation culture
"Soy sauce" is one of Japan's most popular seasonings with a long history.
The main ingredients are soybeans, wheat and salt. It is a liquid fermented seasoning produced by microbial fermentation, which can take from six months to two to three years to complete.
Soy sauce makers are located throughout Japan, each producing soy sauce with their own regional characteristics, and some produce sweet soy sauce, while others produce thick soy sauce.
The traditional techniques of creating umami through fermentation, such as soy sauce, miso, vinegar, and mirin, are the basis of Japan's rich and delicate food culture. The history of the Japanese food industry has been built up over the centuries. Soy sauce, for example, is made from soybeans and wheat, and is fermented by koji, yeast, and lactic acid bacteria. As fermentation progresses, the amino acids increase and the flavor improves, and the sweetness of glucose, acidity of lactic acid, and peptides also increase. The bitter taste of the soy sauce is a combination of the two, giving it a unique taste and flavor.
Introduction and Development of Soy Sauce
In the "Taiho Ritsuryo" (the law of the Taiho era), which is said to have been established in the Asuka period (701), it is written that "hishio" (soy sauce) was made and controlled. This "hishio" is thought to be the predecessor of soy sauce.
"Hishio" was a generic term for salted products of the time, and there were three types of hishio depending on the ingredients: kusabishio, shishibishio, and kokubishio. Kusabishio is thought to have been pickles, shishibishio was salted fish, and kokubishio was something like Kinzanji miso (soybean paste).
There is a record that during the Nara and Heian periods, four kinds of seasonings called "shikkuri" (four kinds of dishes) were placed on the table at banquets held at court. In this period, people used "salt, sake, vinegar, and soy sauce" as tabletop seasonings, and each person seasoned his or her own food.
In the Kamakura period (1254), Kakushin, a Zen monk from Shinshu, returned from the Song Dynasty in China and brought back with him the process of making Kinzanji-miso. It is said that the liquid that collected at the bottom of the vat during the process of making Kinzanji-miso was similar to the "tamari soy sauce" of today. The discovery that the taste of this liquid was delicious and suitable for making simmered dishes led to the use of soy sauce as a seasoning.
By the Muromachi period (1333-1573), soy sauce was being produced that was almost identical to today's soy sauce. It is said that the character for "soy sauce" was coined during the Muromachi period.
The industrialization of soy sauce brewing began in Kansai, the cultural center of the time. Then, as Edo became the political center and developed into the largest city in Japan, various unique cultures emerged, and "koikuchi soy sauce" was spread to suit the tastes of the Edo people.
Edo cuisine, such as soba, tempura, and kabayaki, all have flavors that could not have been created without soy sauce.
During the Meiji period (1868-1912), as exchange with foreign countries began, Western-style condiments such as sauces and ketchup were introduced and produced in Japan.
However, soy sauce took root as a daily necessity for the common people, and with the economic boom that came after World War I, production expanded dramatically. The transition to the modern system of mass production and the spread of soy sauce to ordinary households also progressed rapidly.
Nurtured by the climate and culture of Japan, soy sauce has expanded its field of activity and is now loved as a seasoning around the world.
Types of Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is classified into five types according to the ratio of ingredients.
The most common type is "koikuchi soy sauce," "usukuchi soy sauce" originated in the Kansai region, "tamari soy sauce" is mainly produced in the Tokai region, "re-finish soy sauce" is a specialty of the San-in and Kyushu regions, and "white soy sauce" originated in the Hekinan region of Aichi Prefecture.
Koikuchi
It is a versatile type, balancing umami and aroma. This type accounts for 80% of the total volume of distribution, and is produced in various regions from Hokkaido to Okinawa. It goes well with everything from dipping soy sauce to cooking soy sauce.
Good flavor, well-balanced in umami and texture, and easy to use.
When soy sauce is opened, it oxidizes, darkens in color, and deteriorates in flavor. Fresh soy sauce has a beautiful red color and rich flavor. Fresh one is a beautiful reddish brown color.
Saltiness
16-17% (with a maximum of 16%)
Usukuchi
This soy sauce is made by shortening the brewing period to reduce the color of the soy sauce. It has a salty impression when licked as it is, but the umami and aroma of the soy sauce can be felt. It is commonly used in western Japan for dishes such as simmered dishes and soups, where you want to bring out the color and broth of the ingredients, but it can also be used in place of salt or lemon.
Sweet sake and other ingredients are added to give it a sweet taste.
The flavor of the soy sauce is also moderate, as is the color.
The salt content is high and the aging period is short.
Salt content
18-19%
Tamari
Made almost exclusively from soybeans, it has a rich umami flavor and distinctive aroma.
Less water is used for brewing, and the aging period is longer. We often hear of three-year maturation. It is characterized by its dark color, thickening, and distinctive aroma, and the amount of umami in it is one of the highest among soy sauces. It is mainly produced in the Chubu region. It can be used as a dipping sauce as it is, but it also gives a beautiful shine when used for teriyaki.
When heated, it turns a beautiful red color, giving dishes a rich color and luster.
Salt content
16-17%
Saishikomi
This soy sauce is made by using soy sauce pressed once instead of brewing water, and requires twice as many ingredients and twice as long as dark soy sauce. It is a rich soy sauce with a long maturation period, but has a good balance of taste and aroma, making it an ideal soy sauce for sashimi.
Rich in color, taste, and aroma. Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine) and sugar are often added to sweeten the soy sauce, making it also known as kanro soy sauce.
The ingredients are the same as for koikuchi soy sauce, but it is called "re-finishing" soy sauce because it is made twice.
Salt content
12-14% (%)
Shiro(white）
This amber-colored soy sauce is characterized by its light color. The umami flavor is restrained and the saltiness is strong.
It has a sweet taste and a distinctive aroma.
In addition to having a shorter aging period than usukuchi soy sauce, most of the ingredients are wheat, and the color of this soy sauce is even lighter than that of usukuchi soy sauce.
Shiro(white) soy sauce does not color soy sauce when used for cooked rice, and it also makes soups and chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) more colorful. There are only a few manufacturers in Japan that specialize in white soy sauce, and Hekinan City in Aichi Prefecture is the main producer. White dashi is made by adding dashi to white soy sauce.
Salt content
17-18%
Effects of Soy Sauce
Soy sauce goes with everything, so much so that it is difficult to find a dish it does not go well with.
Physiologically, there are five tastes in the human sense of taste.
The five basic tastes are sweetness (such as sugar), acidity (such as vinegar), saltiness (such as salt), bitterness (such as green tea and coffee), and umami (such as kombu and bonito flakes).
Soy sauce is a seasoning that contains these five tastes in good balance.
Deodorizing effect: removes raw smell of meat and fish
Soy sauce is an indispensable seasoning for cooking mackerel, sardines, and other fish with a fishy odor.
Sashimi is dipped in soy sauce not only for flavor, but also because soy sauce has a major function of removing fishy smells. The "soy sauce wash" in the preparation of Japanese cuisine uses this effect to remove the smell of meat and fish.
Enhances sweetness
Adding a small amount of soy sauce to sweetened cooked beans enhances the sweetness. It has the same effect as adding a pinch of salt to the finish of oshiruko or anko (red bean paste).
Appetizing colors and aromas
Sukiyaki, teriyaki, rice crackers, grilled rice balls, etc., when soy sauce is heated, it gives off a good, appetizing aroma.
When soy sauce is combined with sugar or mirin and heated, the amino carbonyl reaction between the amino acids and sugars produces an appetizing aroma and beautiful shine. The color and aroma of kabayaki, yakitori, teriyaki, etc. are due to this effect.
Inhibits the growth of bacteria
Soy sauce contains salt and organic acids, which inhibit the growth of E. coli and other bacteria or kill them. This effect is the reason why traditional reserve dishes such as soy sauce pickles and tsukudani (food boiled in soy sauce) last for a long time.
Enhancing the taste of broth
When glutamic acid in soy sauce and inosinic acid in dried bonito flakes are tasted together, they produce a deep umami flavor. In this way, when multiple umami ingredients are mixed together, each flavor is strengthened, which is called a synergistic effect of taste. Examples of this are mentsuyu (noodle soup) and tempura sauce.
Storage of Soy Sauce
Soy sauce is susceptible to rapid loss of color and flavor when exposed to air, sunlight, and heat. Therefore, to prolong the flavor, it is best to refrigerate the bottle after opening. The color, taste, and aroma will last longer. It is also important to buy the right amount of product for the right amount of use in order to use it up quickly.
