- 06/22/2022
- 08/08/2022
Shōyu: Inside the Barrel
The Secrets of Soy Sauce Dark, lustrous and fragrant— shōyu (soy sauce) is another one of Japan’s most commonly used seasoning brewed with kōji mold. Like miso, soy sauce also originates from China. One theory speculates that it was discovered when someone scooped up some residual liquid on the bottom of a miso barrel to use as a flavoring for food. Although soy sauce and miso are produced with similar ingredients, the two seasonings have very different flavor profiles. Miso uses kōji mold grown on steamed rice; soy sauce is also fermented with the same magic mold but cultured on steamed soybeans and roasted wheat, which is what adds that unique aroma and sweetness. To make shōyu, soybeans, wheat, salt, water and kōji are mixed together […]