Real Soy Sauce

When I was growing up, I thought soy sauce was salty water with dark coloring and some secret soy and wheat stuff mixed in. That's because my parents did not know any better than to buy LaChoy brand.

Some of the cheapy stuff from China is not any better.

Oriental friends introduced me to real home cooked delights that one never finds in a typical Chinese or Japanese restaurant in my country. They even introduced me to authentic ethnic restaurants.

I gradually learned that there is a tremendous variety in Soy Sauce, whether made with added wheat (Shoyu) or without (Tamari). Some connoisseurs spend as much time studying the character of soy sauces as others do on wines.

Real soy sauce requires many months of fermentation and aging to make, not a few minutes on an automated factory. Some excellent choices are now available in the USA, whether made here or in the Orient. Some are deliberately un pasteurized, for health benefits.

My suggestion is to seek out good brands, then see if they have reduced salt versions.

While you are at it, take a look at Miso as well, preferably not pasteurized.

Bon appetite.