Soy Sauce: 10 Things You May Not Know

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Unique in taste and full of aromas - soy sauce can't go unnoticed! He not only impresses, but makes us look for him, because the lack of character is always evident.

We know its taste and we know when we need it, but do we know everything about it? Here 10 facts about soy sauce that you may not have heard of:

It consists of four main products

Soy sauce is the result of natural fermentation process. It consists of four main products - soybeans, wheat, salt and water. Each of them is carefully selected. Soybeans are first soaked for some time in water before being boiled. Wheat is baked at a high temperature before being ground, which helps speed up the fermentation process. The salt dissolves in water.

Contains useful substances

Soybeans are the cause soy sauce to contain proteins. Wheat provides carbohydrates. However, it is also the ingredient that gives flavor and that famous sweetness that makes soy sauce so different.

Salt dissolved in water, or in other words - salted water, plays the role of rapid spread of bacteria during fermentation, which makes it a natural preservative. According to many studies, it is also useful with its vitamins K2, helps digestion and metabolism, has antioxidant properties.

He was born in China

The great-grandfather of soy sauce was born in ancient China and was called jiang. It is believed that the name soy and soy sauce originates from the name of this distant relative of canned food. Back then, people made different types of jiang - based on fish, seafood, vegetables or grains. But because cereals were easier to find and process, they became essential. In time, Japan and China's other neighbors also began making "jiang" from grain, which it yielded the beginning of the soy sauce, as we know it today.

But he grew up in Japan

After entering Japan, the jiang created in China has undergone many different transformations. Thus, it gradually evolved and became an important part of the Japanese food culture. And they thanked him properly. The process for the production of naturally fermented soy sauce was developed and settled there in the 17th century. This has led to its gradual spread throughout the country. Until then, soy sauce was made by hand.

There are different types of soy sauce

Sweet, gluten-free, for sushi, for salad, with the taste of orange, teriyaki, for barbecue and many more types can be found on the stands and in specialized sites. They are suitable for chefs with special tastes and needs. Kikkoman, for example, has a soy sauce with 43% less salt, suitable for those who do not like to be salty. There is also one that is designed as a marinade for those who want to taste roasted or fried meats with it.

The incredible color - Mayar's reaction

The incredible characteristic color of soy sauce is the result of what is commonly called a Mayar reaction. It is observed from two to three months after the start of fermentation. Glucose and other sugars bind to amino acids and this causes it to turn brown. The reason is melanoid, which actually gives a pleasant "tan" to soy sauce.

Soy sauce darkens as a result of oxidation, ie on contact with oxygen. Storing it at low temperature accelerates this reaction. That's why experts recommend keeping soy sauce in the refrigerator after opening.

Fermentation with 300 flavors

About 300 different flavors, including those reminiscent of flowers, fruits, even coffee and whiskey, are formed during the fermentation process, which lasts several months. Each of these 300 fragrances is contained in such a small amount that one really cannot feel it. But all together they make up the soy sauce and make it really irresistible and very appetizing. In the sauces of Kikkoman there is another unique aroma - roast, which is one of the reasons why it became famous in four parts of the world.

The taste of umami - the fifth taste of the world

One knows sweet, sour, salty and bitter, but umami is the fifth sensation, although not yet officially recognized. And unofficially it is already conquering the world with Kikkoman soy sauce. The harmonious combination of flavors sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami in it is one of the formulas for success.

Soy sauce is extremely rich in natural ingredients from umami, which are formed during fermentation. They consist of approximately 20 different amino acids obtained by the fermentation of proteins.

You can replace salt with soy sauce

If you want to reduce salt consumption in general, you can replace it with soy sauce, preferably naturally fermented. The five main tastes - salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami - react with each other. In fact, umami contributes to the feeling of salinity of dishes, and this taste is widespread in Kikkoman soy sauce. So you can easily get rid of salt when you use it and you will certainly not lose any of the taste of the dish, on the contrary.

10. Special bottle for special sauce

Did you know that the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle was specially invented by one of the most famous Japanese industrial designers, Kenji Ekuan. Today it is part of the exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a copy of which is part of the collection of the design center in Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, as well as the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna.

The carafe-shaped bottle is 150 ml and has proven its properties from 1961 until today. Apart from being an ideal decoration for the table, it also has amazing practical properties - its perfect spout allows the sauce to be dosed to a drop, and the material from which it is made allows it to be used long after the sauce has tasted our dishes to the last drop.

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