Soya Sauce

Also indexed as: Shoyu, Tamari

Soy_Sauce.jpg

Soya sauce is often used in stir-fried dishes, or to prepare marinades for meat or vegetables.

Soya sauce, usually called tamari or shoyu in Asian countries, is a salty condiment made by fermenting soya beans mixed with grains in a salty brine.

Varieties

While true tamari or shoyu is an aged product, most of the commercial soya sauce sold in the United States is a nonfermented synthetic product made from defatted soybean meal and grains mixed with chemicals. Real aged tamari or shoyu has a different flavour than commercial, synthetic soya sauce. In Japan, synthetic soya sauce is not recognized by the government, which allows five different types of soya sauce to be labelled as shoyu. Among the synthetic brands, reduced-sodium soya sauce is available.

Buying and storing tips

Commercial soya sauce is readily available in grocery stores in the condiment aisle or Asian food section. Tamari and shoyu are both sold in natural foods stores and in Asian markets, sometimes in bulk. Store any type of soya sauce at room temperature for up to a year.

Availability

Soya sauce is available year-round.

Preparation, uses, and tips

Soya sauce is a condiment, used sparingly to flavour dishes. Use it in stir-fried dishes, or to prepare marinades for meat or vegetables. It can also be used in place of salt in soups and stews.

Nutritional Highlights

Soya sauce (made from soya and wheat), 1 Tbsp (15mL)
Calories: 9.4
Protein: 1.25g
Carbohydrate: 1.26g
Total Fat: 0.006g
Fiber: 0.13g

Health benefits and concerns

Soya sauce is not a good source of isoflavones (phytroestrogens). Isoflavones are compounds thought to be largely responsible for many of the health benefits associated with eating soya. Therefore, eating soya sauce should not be expected to contribute to the potential health benefits derived from eating other soya foods, such as miso, tofu, and tempeh, which contain higher levels of these compounds.