A salty fermented Asian condiment made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and koji — the most-used condiment in East Asian cooking and increasingly globalized as a savory base for dishes worldwide.
A 2,500-year-old technology
Soy sauce originated in China around 500 BCE — possibly as a method to extend scarce salt by fermenting soybeans into a salty liquid. The technique spread to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, with each region developing distinctive regional variations.
The traditional fermentation takes 6 months to 2+ years — soybeans, roasted wheat, and koji ferment together with salt water in cedar barrels, developing dozens of flavor compounds beyond simple saltiness.
Naturally brewed vs chemical
Most cheap soy sauce is chemically hydrolyzed — soy protein broken down with hydrochloric acid in a few days, producing a salty liquid that approximates real soy sauce but lacks complex flavors.
Naturally brewed soy sauce develops glutamates, peptides, organic acids, and over 200 flavor compounds during slow fermentation. The two products taste noticeably different to anyone who’s compared them. Look for “naturally brewed” or “traditionally brewed” on labels.
Regional variations
Each East Asian region has distinctive soy sauce traditions:
- Japanese shoyu — typically lighter, sweeter, with significant wheat content
- Chinese light soy sauce — saltier, used for seasoning
- Chinese dark soy sauce — molasses-aged, used for color and depth
- Korean ganjang — slightly different fermentation profile
- Indonesian kecap manis — sweetened with palm sugar, much thicker
- Thai/Vietnamese fish-soy sauces — incorporate fermented fish
Substituting one for another in a recipe produces unintended results.
Find more foods by letter
Soy Sauce starts with S and ends with E. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Soy Sauce":