Soy products which are a dietary staple in Asia, have gained great popularity in the West in recent years and include such diverse products as soy sauce, tofu, miso, natto, tempeh, edamame and soy milk.

Soy sauce is not only one of the world's most popular condiments, but one of the oldest. Soybeans were first farmed in China in the 11th century B.C. but it was not until the 3rd century B.C. when an early form of soy sauce was developed. This early form of soy sauce called douchi in Chinese and hamanatto in Japanese, is a salty paste of fermented beans much like miso (fermented soy curds), and was used both as a flavoring and a preservative. Other soy products evident in China during this time include soy milk (the white liquid made by soaking soy beans in water) and tofu (soy curd).

Since Buddhists are vegetarians, as Buddhism spread throughout the 6th century, so did soy products which were free of animal protein. In fact, it is believed that hamanatto was first introduced to Japan by a Buddhist priest who had studied in China. During the last half of the first millennium, the Japanese nobility began to embrace Chinese culture including the tenants of Buddhism and soy products, accordingly. The farming of soy beans and the production of soy products was done almost exclusively by Buddhist priests. Gradually the fermentation process became more refined yielding two distinct products: miso, and shoyu or soy sauce. By the 18th century, large scale production of miso by the samurai class was well established.

There is evidence that the Japanese word for soy sauce, shoyu was already in use by the year 1520. Shoyu as we know it today is actually made from equal parts of soybeans and wheat which according to popular taste is a better compliment to most foods. Tamari sauce is more like the original soy sauce in that it is made exclusively from soy beans. The taste is somewhat more robust and because it is "wheat free" it is generally preferred by natural food devotees.

How Soy Sauce is Made

It is important to distinguish between soy sauce which is naturally brewed or "fermented" and the non-brewed version. Naturally brewed soy sauce is light in color and flavor while non-brewed soy sauce is opaque and has a heavier almost chemical-like taste. The way naturally brewed soy sauce is made is first by combining soybeans, wheat, water, salt and a starter culture and allowing it to sit for several days. The resulting culture, called koji is then transferred to a fermentation vat to which saltwater is added creating what is called, moromi. Fermenting agents are added to the moromi which matures into a mash over a period of several months. The result is raw soy sauce and a thick substance made up of soy bean roughage. The raw soy sauce is then filtered, refined, pasteurized and bottled. Non-brewed soy sauce is a much simpler and shorter process involving chemical additives.

Popular Soy Products

daizu - soy beans
shoyu - soy sauce made from soy beans and wheat
tamari - soy sauce made from soy beans
tofu - soy curd
miso - fermented soy curds
natto - soy cheese
hamanatto - salty paste of fermented beans
tempeh - an Indonesian form of natto
edamame - soy beans steamed in their pods
kinako - soy powder made from roasting and grinding soy beans
okara - the roughage remaining after making tofu which is used in cooking
koji - the culture made in the first step of brewing natural soy sauce
moromi - the mash which is fermented to create soy sauce
soy milk - the white liquid made from soaking soy beans in water