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A staple of Japanese and Asian cuisine, soy sauce, or shōyu (醤油 or しょうゆ) in Japanese, is produced from the natural fermentation of soybeans and a grain (often wheat). Soy sauce is used in many ways, as a marinade, seasoning or during cooking. Soy sauce is of course suitable for Asian cuisine, but it can also be adapted to Western cooking.
Everyday Japanese soy sauces fall into 3 main categories:
This variety accounts for around 80% of production, and is the classic soy sauce that goes with everything. It has a salty flavour that can be quite pronounced. It is usually made with equal parts soy and wheat. Suitable for red fish and red meat.
Darker and generally a little thicker, this soy sauce offers a stronger flavour and is suitable for fish, sashimi and more generally as a seasoning in place of salt. Tamari is generally gluten-free as it is produced solely from soya, although beware that some tamari may contain a small amount of wheat.
Also often called light soy sauce outside Japan, this shoyu which is found a lot in Kansai is fermented for a shorter time. Rather salty and lighter in colour, this soy sauce goes well with white fish and white meats.
Other varieties of shoyu also exist, such as saishikomi shoyu, which is darker and stronger, shiro soyu, a bleached soy sauce, or genen shoyu, with a reduced salt content.
