Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a condiment produced from a fermented paste of boiled soybeans, roasted grain, brine and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds. After fermentation, the paste is pressed, producing a liquid, which is the soy sauce, and a cake of soy and cereal residue, which is usually reused as animal feed. Most commonly, a grain, often roasted, is used together with the soybeans in the fermentation process. Soy sauce is a traditional ingredient in East and Southeast Asian cuisines, where it is used in cooking and as a condiment. It originated in China in the 2nd century BCE and spread throughout Asia. In recent times, it is used in Western cuisine and prepared foods.

Almost all varieties of soy sauce are salty, earthy, brownish liquids intended to season food while cooking or at the table, with exception of Indonesian sweet soy sauce. There are numerous variations of soy sauce being produced in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Burma and other countries. Variations usually achieved as the result of different method and duration of fermentation, different on ratio of water, salt and fermented soy, different thickness or viscosity, as well as addition of other ingredients.