What is soy sauce made from?
Traditional soy sauce is made from soybeans, wheat, salt and water, fermented with a mold called koji. The mixture is aged for months, then pressed to release the dark, salty liquid.
To make soy sauce, cooked soybeans and roasted wheat are mixed and inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae, the koji mold. After a few days, the mold-covered mixture is combined with salty water to make a mash called moromi. This ferments for several months to a few years, as enzymes, yeast and bacteria develop flavor.
The mash is then pressed to extract the liquid, which is filtered, pasteurized and bottled. Soy sauce is rich in umami, the savory taste. Some cheaper soy sauces are made quickly with chemicals rather than natural fermentation, which affects their flavor.
Types of soy sauce
Soy sauce originated in China more than 2,000 years ago and spread to Japan and other parts of Asia. Japanese styles include koikuchi, the common dark type, and lighter usukuchi. Tamari is made with little or no wheat, making it an option for some people avoiding gluten. Chinese cooking uses both light and dark soy sauce.
Did You Know?
Kikkoman, one of the world's best-known soy sauce makers, traces its roots in Noda, Japan, back to the 1600s.