In Thailand, soy sauce is
called sii-íu, soy sauce comes in a number varieties, including, White,
(Sii-íu kǎao), Black(sii-íu dam), and Sweet (sii-íu wǎan). Dark soy is used for
colour, whilst sweet is used for Dipping and usually in Thai cooking the White
version is mostly used.
Soy Sauce is the by-product of Soy paste
it is made by fermentation of the soybean, if made in the traditional way soy
sauce would take months to make, so todays Soy sauce is mass produced using
special products to speed up the process, the Flavour, colour, and
aroma develops during the production are from
a non-enzymatic reaction (a chemical
reaction between the amino
acids and sugars) this is also
what gives the distinctive flavour of soy sauce., there are
variations because of the different
methods & durations of production and the different ratios of
water, salt, and fermented soy used as well the addition of other
ingredients. Traditional soy sauces are made by mixing soybeans and
grain with microorganisms and yeasts,
historically, the mixture was then
fermented naturally in large urns and under the sun, which was believed to
contribute extra flavours, today, the mixture is placed in a temperature
and controlled incubation chamber speeding up the process to only about 3
days. Like many other condiments that have been invented,
soy sauce was originally a substitute for salt which was historically an
expensive luxury, whilst there are some possible health benefits,
for example Dark soy sauce contains 10 times
the antioxidants of red wine, and can help
prevent cardiovascular diseases & unpasteurized soy sauce is rich
in lactic acid bacteria and has anti-allergic properties,
but these are pushed aside when you consider the amount of salt in soy sauce.
Ingredients: Water, Salt, Soya
bean, white sugar, wheat flour, preservatives E211, Flavour Enhancer E631, E627
Fun Fact: Soy sauce considered
almost as old as soy paste—a type of fermented paste obtained from
soybeans—which had appeared during the Western Han dynasty around 206
BC – 220 AD and was listed in the bamboo slips found in the archaeological
site Mawangdui
