Soy Sauce

Soy sauce, or “shoyu” (醤油 しょうゆ) is the most important ingredient condiment in Japanese cuisine. Extracted from a fermented paste made from soybeans, wheat, salt and yeast, there are several types of soy sauce used.

Koikuchi (濃口, こいくち) is dark soy sauce and is most commonly available type. It’s the standard go to soy sauce, and the one you should use if you’re not sure which to use.

Usukuchi (薄口, うすくち) is light soy sauce made with the addition of mirin. It has a lighter color and flavor and is a little more salty than dark soy sauce. The mirin brings a sweeter taste to the soy sauce,

Tamari (溜まり, たまり) is soy sauce more similar to Chinese soy sauce. It’s made with little to no wheat and a much higher soybean content, so it has a stronger, more assertive flavor. If you are gluten intolerant, tamari is a good soy sauce to use, so check the ingredients on a bottle of tamari soy sauce to find a brand with no wheat!

Shiro (白, しろ) is soy sauce is the opposite of tamari, being made with more wheat. It has a lighter color and flavor. It’s made with little to no wheat and a much higher soybean content, so it has a stronger, more assertive flavor. If you are gluten intolerant, tamari is a good soy sauce to use, so check the ingredients on a bottle of tamari soy sauce to find a brand with no wheat!

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