Soy sauce is one of Japan's best-known seasonings, but outside Japan, it is often understood mainly as the dark sauce served with sushi. In Japan, its role is much broader. Japanese soy sauce, or shoyu, is used in simmered dishes, grilled foods, noodle broths, rice dishes, sauces, and everyday home cooking. Sometimes its flavor is easy to recognize. At other times, it blends with dashi, mirin, sake, sugar, or vinegar and becomes one part of a larger balance. Soy sauce does more than add saltiness. Fermentation, aging, and heating develop its characteristic aroma, savory depth, and reddish-brown color. This article ...
