How to choose the right soy sauce. How to choose soy sauce? How to choose soy sauce

Soy sauce. The benefits and harms of soy sauce. How to choose a sauce

Soy sauces, which appeared in Russia just a few years ago, have become very popular. They came to us from the countries of Southeast Asia. For their cuisine, soy sauce is the main ingredient in almost all dishes. We have also learned to generously pour sauce over meat, poultry, fish, and even vegetables and cereals. But most of these bottled sauces have nothing in common with the seasoning that has been used there for thousands of years. And the current product, unfortunately, is inferior to the traditional one not only in quality, but also in safety.

Classic soy sauce
The history of such sauces begins approximately 2500 years ago in China. They were made not only from soybeans, but also from small fish, shrimp and other seafood products, very rich in protein. From there, the seasoning spread throughout Indochina and came to Japan. And in our time, soy sauce has conquered the whole world.
The method of producing this seasoning is quite unusual for us. In modern scientific language it is called enzymatic hydrolysis, but in everyday language this process is simply called rotting. When it occurs, proteins break down to their original components.
According to the typical technology for preparing soy sauces, the initial ingredients, including soy and seafood, are crushed and mixed, adding water and salt. The resulting mixture is placed in large containers and left to hydrolyze for several months, usually six to a year or more. At first, all this smells of hydrogen sulfide, then the smell becomes less and disappears completely and a light brown liquid with a small sediment is formed. This is the sauce. It just needs to be filtered. All solid components break down to the smallest fragments - amino acids, which make up proteins, polypeptides and a host of other substances, including alcohols, acids, esters, salts. In total, there are about 600 such components. Many of them affect the taste, but the most important taste component, which provides the very taste that many people like so much, is glutamic acid. It is widely used in the food industry as an additive E621 - monosodium glutamate. This additive is present in a large number of products, from bouillon cubes, seasonings, canned food, sausages, semi-finished products, instant soups to low-quality meat products, the taste of which needs to be improved.
In the East, sauces were often made in clay containers buried in the ground, and technological progress helped hide all this action away from human eyes and noses in metal vats and pipes - this is how fermentation is carried out now, in our country this process is more often called fermentation.
Benefits of soy sauce
Dark soy sauce may be more effective than red wine and vitamins in protecting damaged cells in the human body. Scientists have found that the sauce made from fermented soybeans contains antioxidants 10 times more effective than red wine, and 150 times greater than those of vitamin C. Antioxidants contained in many types of dry red wines, vegetables and fruits reduce the harmful effects free radicals that attack human cells and tissues. It is in the excess of free radicals in the tissues of the body that scientists see the cause of aging and the occurrence of such currently incurable ailments as Parkinson’s disease, cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
As a result of research conducted by scientists at the National University of Singapore, it was found that consuming dark soy sauce improves blood circulation by 50% just a few hours after consumption. This sauce has a preventative effect and can slow down the development of heart and blood vessel diseases, as well as some neurodegenerative diseases.

Chemicalization of sauce production
As soon as sauces became a product for big business, and not just for residents of Asian regions, they began to change according to the laws of the market. Chemical engineers were involved in the production of sauces, and the result was discouraging. They curtailed the production of sauces, which lasted from 6 months to 2 years, into 2-3 days. It is clear that no bacteria or fungi with enzymes can achieve such speeds. This technology was made possible by hydrochloric acid and the chemical decomposition of proteins into amino acids, which is well known to chemists as acid hydrolysis. Soybeans are heated with hydrochloric acid solution for 15-20 hours so that the proteins break down into amino acids. Then the mixture is cooled, this stops the reaction, and the acid is neutralized with alkali. The mixture is passed through a filter and the so-called hydrolyzed vegetable protein is obtained. A dye is added to the protein solution, most often caramel, sugar, starch, acids, salt, a preservative, etc.
Unlike natural decay, hydrolysis is almost sterile - the acid kills all living things. But the most surprising thing is that sauces obtained in the old traditional way are much safer than their artificial counterparts. Of course, such chemical sauces become much cheaper, but they very often form a powerful carcinogen - chloropropanol.
Why is chlorpropanol dangerous?
Chloropropanol, or, as experts also call it, 3-MCPD, causes cancer in laboratory animals. European Union experts have defined its safe level as a daily intake of 0.002 mg of this substance per kilogram of body weight, which corresponds to 0.1 mg for a person weighing 50 kg over the course of a lifetime. Consumption of many of the sauces tested in Europe easily and quickly exceeded this safe limit. There were even seasonings, a single dose of which provided the body with an amount of chlorpropanol that exceeded its safe lifetime dose.
Chloropropanol is formed due to the presence of chlorine in hydrochloric acid -HCl. Therefore, in the traditional production of sauces, in which this chemical is absent, chloropropanol cannot be formed. Chemical hydrolysis also leads to other by-products - furfural, formic acid, hydrogen sulfide and other undesirable and often harmful substances.
Chloropropanol is a big problem for civilized countries, where such carcinogenic seasonings are constantly being caught, recommending that customers choose sauces that have undergone natural fermentation. Unlike Europe, our consumers are not given any advice on choosing soy sauces. And as experience shows, people most often buy from us what is cheaper and what is on sale more often. It is clear that simplification of the process and reduction of production time by 50-200 times due to acid hydrolysis led to large savings. This means that the price of such sauces is lower.
Scary statistics
The European Union published an official report on the study of more than two thousand soy sauces and products containing them. An increased content of chloropropanol was found in 35% of samples, and a very high content, more than 10 mg/kg, in 14%. Other studies conducted by the British government's Food Standards Agency showed similar results - the carcinogen was found in 22% of sauces. According to the EU, the most carcinogen was contained in products from Vietnam; almost all sauces from this country tested in the EU contained high doses of chloropropanol. Large amounts of the carcinogen were found in products from Tajikistan, China, Taiwan and the Philippines. But carcinogenic sauces were also found in products of Western countries - England, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, USA, etc.

How to choose carcinogen-free soy sauce
It is best to buy soy sauce made the traditional way. You can recognize it by labels such as “naturally brewed”, “produced by natural fermentation and aging for many months”, “produced by fermentation”. But there are exceptions to this rule.
It happens that on imported sauces this information from the foreign label is not translated into Russian. Therefore, you need to know another important feature of traditional sauces - a short composition of ingredients. This is what it typically looks like: “water, soy, wheat, salt” or “water, soybeans, wheat, salt, sugar.” Wheat is commonly added to soy before fermentation, even in Asia, and is a completely legal addition. This product may also contain a preservative, usually sodium benzoate.
Mention of fermentation and fermentation may be on combined sauces, to which either acid hydrolyzate or other components, sometimes completely natural, are added.
Here are examples of two of the latter type of seasonings that can be found on sale.
Japanese dark soy sauce that is “made from fermented soybeans.” It seems to be a natural product, but here is the composition: “water, sugar, salt, soy extract (water, soybeans, wheat flour, salt) (9%), caramel coloring, acidity regulator citric acid, preservative potassium sorbate.” Why is it so long and where do the dyes and acids come from? There is only 9% of natural traditional sauce here, this is what is called soy extract, the composition of which is listed in parentheses.
Premium soy sauce, which, as stated on the label, is “naturally fermented.” It would seem that such a product should only be absolutely traditional. But here is its very long composition: “water, soybeans, wheat flour, caramel coloring dye, salt, sugar, flavor enhancers (monosodium glutamate, calcium 5-ribonucleotide), food alcohol, citric acid.” It turns out that the last components, starting with flavor enhancers, make this seasoning not completely natural. Essentially, this type of product is called a mixture of traditional sauce and seasoning obtained by acid hydrolysis. It may often contain hydrolyzed soy protein.
On sauces made only by acid hydrolysis, indications of fermentation and fermentation are prohibited. Here is a typical composition of such a seasoning: “hydrolyzed vegetable protein, corn syrup, salt, caramel coloring, water and preservative.” Often the composition can be even longer. Here is the composition of “Classic Soy Sauce”, which contains nothing traditional or classic: “soy, peanuts, sugar, salt, modified starch, stabilizer E415, flavor and aroma enhancer E627, monosodium glutamate, preservative E211, E202, citric acid, natural dyes E110, E150a, water.”

How to make soy sauce and the correct methods
choice will be discussed in this article fromHouse of Soviets.

Read also articles on the topic of Seasonings:Benefits of turmeric

How to prepare soybean
sauce?

Which ones exist?
How to make soy sauce?

Real and best
Soy sauce is considered to be one that has been prepared naturally. How
is this process happening? The soybeans are evaporated first, and the wheat
the grains are fried, then everything is mixed, salt is added and poured
water. The resulting mass must undergo a long fermentation process, ideally
time for this is allocated at least a year, fermentation occurs in special
containers. After the allotted time has passed, the fermented, ready-made liquid
Be sure to filter and bottle it.

Unfortunately,
not all soy sauce producers keep up with the growth of its consumer
demand. In order to significantly reduce the time of natural fermentation, they find
new ways of its production. So when making soy sauce into the mixture
wheat and soybeans add Aspergillius bacteria, which makes it possible to speed up the
fermentation process. Thanks to such tricks, it is expected by many buyers
Soy sauce is produced within a month, without waiting the required year for production.
But it cannot be said that producing sauce in this way is harmful to
health, bacteria, on the contrary, contribute to better functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and the entire body in
in general. But the ingenuity and imagination of manufacturers knows no barriers, and the desire
get the desired quick profit. Makes you turn a blind eye to the poison being sold
in bottles. Properly made soy sauce is often expensive,
which not everyone can afford.

Therefore people are mistaken
to the detriment of health, they choose cheaper imitations prepared according to completely
other technology. So, in hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, soybeans are boiled, after
then the resulting decoction is quenched with alkali. Just a little time and cheap soy
the sauce is ready. In such industries, workers seriously expose their
health hazard, let alone those who may be using this
chemical invention.

Another simple and
A common way to produce cheap soy sauce is by diluting
water soy concentrate, but this method is more humane compared to
the above.

How to choose soy sauce?

Getting into
supermarket, it’s simply “eye-opening” from the variety of brands of soy sauce. How
for an ordinary person to recognize the naturalness of this product, wanting to receive
it provides maximum health benefits. If you are faced with the question of how to choose
quality soy sauce, House of Soviets recommends taking notesome
simple rules.

Advicenever buy soy sauce
markets, bottling. In a store, the likelihood of having a certified product is much higher
higher and more choice. in order not to harm your body, choose
soy sauce among reputable and time-tested brands.

pay attention to
a bottle into which the sauce is poured, a quality product goes on sale
exclusively in glass, transparent bottles. Plastic bottles, no
are able to preserve the taste and aroma qualities of soy sauce, and the price
Such a product will tell you that such soy sauce will cost much less.

Information on
the label will also tell you a lot, respectable manufacturers will be happy to
indicate on it that their soy sauce is based on natural
fermentation. Unfair producers will modestly and in small print indicate that the sauce
artificial (and only if they indicate!). There are labels on which, in addition to
The “soy sauce” label no longer contains any clear information at all. This means
Here is a soy product that does not fit this description in any way, other than harmful
it won't bring you anything more acids.

What should be in natural soy sauce?

Comprise
soy sauce should only include: soybeans, wheat, sugar, vinegar and salt. For
lovers of spicy food, soy sauce with the addition of garlic is also found
is the norm. In such a sauce, the protein content should be at least 7-8
%. The presence of flavors and dyes in it is not permissible. Soy sauce produced
using real technology and can be easily stored for several years and does not need
in preservatives. If you read on the label that soy sauce contains
peanuts, then its quality is questioned.

Choosing glass
bottle with sauce, look at it in the light. Soy sauce is a must
be transparent, without sediment and turbidity. Quality soy sauce will have a light
- Brown color. Light-colored soy sauce has a less cloying taste and is more
salty. This sauce goes well with almost any dish.

Darker sauce
the color (dark brown) is a little thicker, it has a tart taste, it is appropriate for
cooking meat dishes. The dark color of the sauce, as opposed to light, may
turn out to be artificial or produced with the help of acid. So be
Be careful and read the label carefully before purchasing.

It is difficult to imagine Japanese cuisine without classic soy sauce. For residents of our country, this is a regular gas station only for certain products. In Japan, the sauce is used instead of salt. Fried and boiled food, meat, soups, vegetables - everything is brought to the ideal taste with just such a dressing. Test Purchase conducted its research and compiled a rating of gas stations. But first, it’s worth understanding how soy sauce is prepared and what types of this product there are.

What it is

To understand what the best soy sauce is, you need to understand how it is made. To prepare this dressing you do not need many ingredients. The sauce is made from wheat and soybeans. These components are filled with water, and then salt, brine, and a specific koji fungus are added. The last ingredient is the starter. All components are thoroughly mixed. The resulting moromi wort is left in this form until fermentation. The finished mass must be filtered and then boiled. This is necessary in order to kill all bacteria in the product.

Types of soy sauce

What is soy sauce? The best manufacturers of this gas station are trying to constantly increase their range. However, there are only three main types of soy sauce:

1. Tamarin. The dressing contains a high concentration of soybeans and a minimal amount of salt.
2. Koi-kuti. This is the darkest soy sauce, with a high level of salinity and a bright, expressive taste. This type of dressing is very popular in Japan.
3. Usu-kuti. This sauce is much lighter than the previous one and not as salty. It is usually not used for coloring dishes.

Soy sauce is used to prepare many dishes in our country. There is plenty of this gas station on store shelves from various manufacturers. You can easily find classic soy sauce, spicy and even mushroom. The popularity of the gas station is increasing every day. But what is the best soy sauce you can buy at an affordable price?

Kikkoman from the Netherlands

This sauce occupies a leading position in the market of our country. This dressing is made according to a recipe created about 300 years ago. It contains only natural ingredients. Kikkoman soy sauce is made in compliance with all proportions. To prepare the dressing, water, wheat, salt and soybeans are used. At the same time, the product does not contain any food additives.

The manufacturer indicated the entire list of components on the label. Only natural ingredients are listed here. In addition, the color of soy sauce is also natural. Now you know what the best soy sauce is. At the moment, the Kikkoman product is available in two types: sweet and classic. The choice of dressing depends on the dish. for example, sweet is perfect for vegetable salads, as well as for preparing marinades for meat. As for classic soy sauce, it is universal. In other words, the product can be used to prepare any dishes.

American Heinz product

So how to choose the right soy sauce? Which one is the best? Reviews show that the American Heinz gas station has good taste. This company is a fairly reliable and at the same time universal manufacturer. The range of its products is quite large. The Heinz company produces various mayonnaises and sauces. Among them there is soybean. According to the manufacturer, this product is prepared in accordance with all technologies and only according to the original recipe. Soy contains only natural ingredients. The confirmation is the label. The only food additive listed here is coloring. Its role is played by natural caramel. It is this that gives Heinz soy sauce such a rich color, as well as an enveloping and unusually delicate aftertaste.

Soy sauce from England

So what is the best soy sauce? Of course, one that does not contain any synthetic components and Blue Dragon soy sauce fits this category. In this case, the dressing does not contain questionable components, and the only additive is lactic acid, which is an excellent acidity regulator.

At the moment, several varieties of Blue Dragon soy sauce are produced: light and dark. This, in turn, is more like the manufacturer’s desire to meet Japanese taste standards.

Thailand soy sauce Maxchup

Since choosing a good soy sauce is not so easy, you should carefully study the label on the package. After all, many manufacturers make their own changes to the recipe and add some synthetic components that can improve the taste of the product, but reduce its benefits. Maxchup mainly produces sauces and ketchups. The recipes for many products were developed by local chefs and differ significantly from the classic ones. The products of this company are ideal for those who want to try something spicy and unusual. But if you are concerned about your health, then you should refuse such experiments.

Maxchup soy sauce is ideal for meat, roasts, kebabs, and extravagant Latin American dishes. However, the composition of the product is far from ideal.

Composition of Maxchup soy sauce

Maxchup soy sauce has a vibrant flavor that is not easy to forget. However, after carefully examining the packaging, it becomes clear why. The product contains, in addition to natural components, those that were obtained synthetically. It is the interaction of such ingredients that makes this brand of soy sauce very tasty. First of all, it is worth highlighting additives such as E627 and E631. These are flavor enhancers that can cause intestinal upset. In addition, the product contains E440 and E415 - stabilizers, as well as E211 - a preservative that negatively affects human health, and

This list of components is impressive. If you are concerned about your health, then Maxchup soy sauce is definitely not for you.

Mivimex soy sauce

This product can be found in almost any grocery store. However, many will not like Mivimex. The label says nothing about the type of dressing. However, the manufacturer indicated the exact composition. There are also all kinds of synthetic additives, including: E621 - monosodium glutamate, which has a negative effect on the body, causing depression, nausea and headaches, E201 and E211 - preservatives that cause allergic reactions. This is not the best product. Although its cost attracts many.

Scandalous CHIN-Su

This is not exactly ordinary soy sauce. How to choose the best one of all? It is enough to delve into the history of many brands. Probably, many people know about the bright event that was associated with CHIN-Su soy sauce. A few years ago, this product attracted everyone's attention.

The Belgian Association, which has great authority, conducted research. As a result, the substance 3-MCPD was discovered in the CHIN-Su product. This component is hazardous to health. However, the company got off with only a warning. As for the remaining components of the product, in addition to the classic ingredients, there are synthetic additives. These are E201 and E211, as well as the average flavor.

Three soy sauces from different manufacturers - pure "Chinese", local importer, well-known brand. Which one do you think is the best quality?

The fact is that both the plot and the articles on the Internet focus on everything except the choice of soy sauce itself. There they will tell you about bottles, and about corks, and about labels, and about production. But none of this really matters.

Just ask yourself a question - what prevents an unscrupulous manufacturer from packing the worst soy sauce in a glass bottle (which is usually positioned as a sign of the quality of the sauce), putting on the correct cap, and writing “Naturally fermented” on the label?

Never mind! For him, as a businessman, if the cost of a bottle of sauce is 30 rubles, it makes no difference whether the bottle costs 20 rubles and the sauce 10, or vice versa.

It’s the same with the inscriptions on the label - who’s stopping you from writing about naturalness without reason? Therefore, everything that is voiced in the plot of the “Test Purchase” program and most Internet articles, at best, has nothing to do with the quality of soy sauce, and at worst, is hidden advertising of manufacturers producing soy sauce in a certain container, with labels, designed to lull the consumer's vigilance.

But how do you choose soy sauce?
First of all, without paying attention to the packaging and labels, we look at the price. We should be interested in the average price range. The cheapest one clearly saved not only on packaging, but also on sauce. And the most expensive ones usually include the cost of a promoted brand, advertising, “fildepers” packaging, and similar things that are not related to the quality of soy sauce.

We have more or less decided on the price. Now all that remains is to choose by quality. But you can’t taste it in a store. Therefore, we look at the sauce itself. I will say right away that its thickness and color practically do not matter.

There is both natural “white”, or rather, slightly colored, soy sauce, and natural, dark, almost black, color. In the same way, there are liquid and thick types of this product made using natural fermentation.

Create a meme in the public consciousness - “the real soy sauce is green and thick” and manufacturing companies will quickly adjust and, with the help of dyes and thickeners, produce a sauce a la green ketchup.

But, since soy sauce, like any other product, is adjusted to some kind of unification, then in ordinary stores there are only varieties for sale that fit the average description of this product. And this is a dark brown, closer to black, color and moderate density. You most likely will not find types of soy sauce with a different consistency and color in supermarkets.

From this we will have to choose. Alas, we cannot do without paying attention to the container. We immediately sweep aside darkened bottles, no matter whether they are plastic or glass. If the manufacturer used colored material for the container, it means that he almost completely diluted the soy sauce with water.

Next, we need to determine not the thickness of the sauce, but the richness. Thickness can be easily imitated by adding thickeners. But saturation is difficult to fake. And it’s the richness that’s most important in soy sauce. It can be either liquid or thick, but in any case it should be rich.

This can be determined simply - tilt the bottle and if the sauce is of high quality, you will see a long-lasting “tinting” of the transparent container. That is, the part of the neck that was washed by the sauce turns light brown for a few minutes. Manufacturers are of course aware of this property of high-quality soy sauce.

And the unscrupulous resort to various tricks. Some people simply don’t make it possible to see the saturation in the factory container, or the glue on the neck, right up to the cork, label, or pouring the sauce “to the brim.” Others “tint” the bottle, making a smooth transition of the color of the neck from translucent brown to completely transparent, imitating coloring during natural splashing in the container.

Therefore, be wary of packaging that is either filled up to the neck or sealed, or, as I already wrote, not completely transparent. There is a very high probability that the manufacturer has something to hide with all these tricks.

Alas, this is all that can be determined in the store. The most important thing is to try, we can only do it at home. Yes, this method is as old as time - we try it and choose the best one to taste, which is still the most reliable. Although not the fastest or cheapest.

On my own behalf, I can only say that, firstly, whenever possible, I buy soy sauce in Chinese shops, where the Chinese usually sell their Chinese food products for their compatriots. This is some sign of quality - it is more difficult to deceive a citizen of the Celestial Empire by selling him dehydrated soy sauce, so Chinese traders bring good products for their own.

Secondly, I chose soy sauce from one local manufacturer, whom I trust, and who did not disappoint this time, selling high-quality soy sauce ordered from China under its own brand.

So, a quick summary of this long article on choosing soy sauce:
1) We look at saturation (see details above).
2) By sampling, we select the brand and manufacturer of the sauce.

I would be glad if someone in the comments suggests other ways to choose high-quality soy sauce.

Until relatively recently, the only available seasonings for dishes were salt and pepper. Today the abundance of options is simply amazing. And soy sauce is becoming increasingly popular. This is one of the most important products of Asian cuisine, which allows you to place accents and highlight the merits of the dish. The product is obtained through fermentation, and the base is soybeans. For this purpose, special fungi are used. It looks like a dark liquid with a pungent odor. When you buy it for the first time, you may be somewhat discouraged by the taste of the product. However, this is only until you get to know the sauce better.

From time immemorial

It is truly the king of Japanese cuisine, where it is used everywhere. Thanks to him, almost any appetizer acquires a special piquancy and sophistication. You can make any sauces based on it. Add your favorite spices and get new tastes every time. All housewives note how different the taste of the finished product is if you add just a little sauce. It is also an excellent base for marinating meat, vegetables and seafood.

Main advantages

This is an ideal product that allows you to make a dish spicy, tasty and healthy at the same time. All nutritionists unanimously recommend it. Just one spoon of this amazing sauce replaces salt and many other seasonings at the same time. In addition, it does not contain cholesterol, and the calorie content is only 55 kcal per 100 g. But there is one difficulty, how to choose the highest quality, tasty and healthy product. Today we want to talk about which soy sauce is the best.

Industrial production

In fact, the technology is very simple, and therefore there are many manufacturers who want to make money by producing soy sauce. Initially it was done like this. The soybeans were evaporated, roasted wheat and salt were added to it, after which the mixture was distributed into bags or vessels and left in the sun to allow the natural fermentation process to occur. As you understand, such production took a lot of time.

Today, market demands are increasing every day, and the manufacturer must keep up with them in order to remain in demand. Therefore, they will come up with ways to speed up the process. To do this, bacteria were added to the mixture of wheat and soybeans, making it possible to prepare the fermentation product within a month.

Modern production

However, speaking about which soy sauce is the best, it should be noted that there are manufacturers for whom there is no other truth than profit. Therefore, they actively use the achievements of the chemical industry. And this is done very simply. In the first case, soy concentrate is diluted with water, supplemented with dyes and flavors, and the finished product is poured into bottles. In the second case, soybeans are boiled with hydrochloric acid. During the cooking process, harmful alkalis are formed that cannot be removed from the finished product.

How to keep your family safe

If you love Japanese cuisine, then you should definitely know which soy sauce is the best. With the abundance of offers on the market today, it’s easy to get confused, so always adhere to the following rules:

Main types

Judging by the assortment in stores, it may seem that there are dozens of them. Sweet and salty, spicy, with herbs and honey, with meat and vegetables. There are actually only three types, and it's up to you to find out which soy sauce is the best. We will now make life easier for the buyer by talking about these types.

• The most popular is koi-kuti. It has a rich dark color and is perfect for meat sauces and thick gravies. Therefore, if you are wondering which soy sauce is best for meat, then choose this variety. It has a high salt content, but it has an excellent, bright and expressive taste and the darkest color.
• Tamarin is an ideal choice for those who are on a low-salt diet but love the taste of soy sauce. When choosing which soy sauce was the best, control purchase tested many samples and customer reviews. As a result, this particular type was recognized as the best for its high concentration of soybeans and minimal salt content.
• Usu-kuti. If you do not want the dish to change its color, then it is best to choose this variety. It is lighter, with less pronounced taste properties, but nevertheless ideal if you need to emphasize the delicate taste of fish or seafood. Therefore, if you are looking for which soy sauce is the best for sushi, then pay attention to this mark on the package.

Soy sauce from Maxchup

This product is produced in Thailand. In our ranking it takes fifth place, since its popularity among consumers is quite high. The assortment is simply incredible: for shish kebab, barbecue, roast, Mexican, salads and marinades and many others. All sauces are packaged in 200 ml glass bottles. The price is quite affordable, about 400 rubles per bottle. But the composition is simply scary. Flavor enhancers, which can cause intestinal disorders, coexist with stabilizers and preservatives, among which there are active allergens. There is also no data about the naturalness of flavoring additives; most likely, the taste of garlic, mushrooms and other dishes is the result of chemical reactions.

Trademark UMI

This product is produced in Vietnam, but it is not much different from the traditional Japanese one. Two varieties of this brand are very popular on the market: mushroom and classic. Contains sugar, salt, water, soybean extract. Mushrooms are characterized by appropriate additives. No dyes, preservatives or stabilizers. Consumers emphasize the familiar, salty taste, normal consistency, as well as a very affordable price. In our rating it takes fourth place, since it has quite acceptable quality, but does not fully correspond to the original recipe. You don’t have to look any further for a good and inexpensive soy sauce; feel free to buy products from this brand.

"Blue Dragon"

Country of origin: Great Britain. A very interesting and high-quality product, but it did not gain much popularity in Russia. You can only find this sauce in large shopping centers. No chemical additives, stabilizers or other chemical “delights” were found in the composition. The only thing in which it differs from the original is the acidity regulator. When choosing which soy sauce is best for salad, pay attention to the products of this brand. Today there are both dark and light Blue Dragon. That is, the manufacturer is trying to meet the true Japanese taste standard.

Heinz brand

This product is produced in the Netherlands. This is a well-known company that markets various ketchups and mayonnaises, as well as other sauces of all stripes and shades. The manufacturer could not resist starting to produce soy sauce. The company claims that the product does not contain dyes or preservatives and is made according to the original recipe.

Just look at the label and it becomes clear that these words are true. The only additive is caramel as a coloring agent. That is why if you are looking for the best soy sauce for marinade, then pay attention to this product. It is caramel that gives the unique dark color and delicate, enveloping taste. This sauce is presented in one flavor and packaged in 200 ml glass bottles. Its price is about 9,000 rubles. The cost is quite high, however, the consumption of soy sauce is relatively small and one bottle will last you for a long time.

According to ancient traditions

This is how Kikkoman brand soy sauce is made, using the same Japanese recipe for 300 years. The manufacturer maintains all proportions of soybeans, water, salt and wheat. There are no preservatives or flavor enhancers in the composition. We have reached number one in our ranking and can safely name the ideal soy sauce. Which is the best, the reviews tell you best. Kikkoman is the optimal balance of taste, color and consistency.

Products under this brand are divided into two subcategories: the first, in turn, is divided into sweet and classic. The taste of both can become the basis for the preparation of marinades and sauces. The sweeter one is most often used for dressing salads, but the classic taste is a universal additive for any dish.

The second category divides sauces according to the amount of salt. That is, you can choose more or less salty, depending on your taste preferences. The cost of a small 100 ml bottle is about 2000 rubles. If you want to appreciate the taste of Japanese cuisine, then try this unique product. It will definitely take root in your kitchen.