Soy Sauce – Is It Healthy?

Soy sauce is one of the basic ingredients of Asian cuisine. Its original recipe comes from China, where it has been produced for centuries. What should you look for when buying it?

Soy sauce is one of the oldest spices. It was used to preserve meat and was used as a base for broth. Eventually, a recipe was developed whose basic ingredient was fermented soy.

Due to the popularity of this spice, it was mass-produced. New brewing techniques were also developed. In China, it became a real art!

Types of soy sauces

Soy sauce has many varieties that differ not only in taste but also in composition.

The most popular are:

• shoyu – very popular in Poland, most often made from a combination of soy, wheat and salt, has a lighter color and is sweet,
• tamari – a Japanese recipe that does not contain wheat, so it is an ideal variety for people on a gluten-free diet; it has an intense flavor and a dark color,
• koikuchi – the most popular type of soy sauce, very popular in Japan; it is made from equal amounts of soybeans and wheat.

How is soy sauce made?

First, the soybeans are soaked and cooked in pressure cookers. If shoyu sauce is being produced, ground wheat is added at this stage. The next step is to add the koji mushroom so that the fermentation process can take place.

The soybeans prepared in this way are mixed with water and salt, which results in the creation of moromi paste. After squeezing it, we obtain a liquid spice.

What is soy sauce used for?

In Asian cuisine, the cook always has it on hand and adds it to many dishes, including meat (especially poultry) and fish (including seafood).

Soy sauce is also popular in vegan cuisine. It enhances the flavor of many vegetables, including carrots, cauliflower, and asparagus.

Dark soy sauce is also the base for marinades for pork and beef. It is an addition to spring rolls. It can be added to noodles and various types of soups, not only oriental ones. It goes well with other spices, including rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.

Which soy sauce should I choose?

Today, soy sauce has become so common that you can buy it in almost every store. This has been helped by, among other things, our openness to Asian cuisine, as well as the popularity of a plant-based diet, in which this spice is often used.

The problem, however, is the quality of soy sauce available on a large scale. It contains not only the basic ingredients, i.e. soy, water, salt and alcohol resulting from natural fermentation, but also dyes (e.g. caramel), wheat flour and thickening agents (e.g. xanthan gum).

To be sure that we will be adding the highest quality product to our dishes, it is worth reaching for, for example , BIO Tamari Soy Sauce from ekogram. In a 250 ml bottle we will find only the necessary ingredients: soy from non-GMO crops, water and salt. There are no artificial colors or preservatives.

Tamari soy sauce is stored in special barrels for at least 6 months before it reaches customers. This gives it a deep flavor and aroma.

Soy sauce and health

If we use good quality soy sauce (organic, without unnecessary ingredients) we will provide the body with not only interesting taste sensations, but also many valuable nutrients. This Asian liquid spice is a good source of B vitamins and probiotics. It has a positive effect on digestion and the secretion of gastric juices.

However, only the highest quality product will have high nutritional value. The more unnecessary ingredients and additives in it, the smaller the health-promoting effect will be.

If we are just starting our adventure with Asian cuisine and learning to use it in the kitchen, remember that it should be added only at the end of cooking, as it can dominate the flavour of the entire dish.