Sauce in translation: in Asia, soy sauces are valued and cultivated much like the wines and cheeses in Europe. The ingredients and spices used to create them have purposes and functions that can augment cuisines on any side of the Pacific

Prepared Foods, Jan, 2005 by Marcia A. Wade

"Since there is no way to duplicate the slow fermentation flavor, a manufacturer must decide how close the sensory profile should match the slowly fermented sauce and how the finished product will be applied in the marketplace," suggests Stone.

Tsukeyaki Slide

In China, diners use both dark- and light-colored soy sauces. Interestingly, the lighter sauce tastes saltier than the darker sauce. Like Japanese tamari, Chinese soy sauces have different culinary uses. Dark soy sauce is more viscous, and has a much deeper, thicker flavor; it is used to braise and stew foods. The lighter sauce more often is used in soups and stir fries, or when lighter colors are desired.

Similarly, Japanese cooks use different intensities of soy sauces and a variety of what Becker describes as teriyaki sauces: however, they simply are called sauce or shoyu.

Shoyu is made with roasted wheat, while tamari contains all the same ingredients minus wheat. "The wheat is responsible for imparting the delicious flavors that shoyu has," Becker explains. "They use a different marinating sauce or basting sauce for red meats and dark heavy foods than they would for lighter foods."

The word teriyaki comes from the Japanese verb terimasu (to shine), and yaki (to cook over a fire or grill). Teriyaki is more a flavor profile in the U.S., but it is a grilling technique in Japan. "Just plain honey and soy sauce is teriyaki. You could use ketchup, and it would still be teriyaki," comments Becker.

When a filet of sole is "teriyakied," a very light, delicate sauce with a high concentration of sake, or Japanese rice wine, is preferred. It also will have ginger and maybe some citrus. Tsukeyaki is an example of such a sauce. A teriyakied piece of beef would require a much darker, more robust sauce with deeper flavor points and a good peppery or garlicky flavor profile.

Traditional tamari, the liquid collected from the top of fermented hacho (soybean) miso, usually is an expensive, rare commodity reserved for special occasions. Because it does not contain wheat, it has a very strong taste compared to shoyu. To brew a large quantity of tamari, more water is added to the hacho miso recipe, generating a sauce with similar flavor--for less cost and with less viscosity.

"Tamari, which is slightly more bitter and salty than sweet, is used more frequently in food processing. The flavor tends to mellow with longer cooking," says Esko. It is used in dishes that need to be cooked longer, such as beans. It is sprayed on crackers to create a salty flavor and a shiny appearance. Tamari is darker in color than shoyu, has a stronger flavor and is thicker. Tamari soy sauce implants its flavor in food, while shoyu soy sauce harmonizes and enhances flavors.

Someone's in the Kitchen with China

Most times, soy-based sauces are added because of their ability to complement the protein being used. "The deep, full-body flavor of slow-brewed sauce doesn't mask the natural flavors of the food but blends in, enhances and brings out natural flavors," says Esko. It is just as complementary when used to marinate meat, stir-fry noodles, roast vegetables and can be used to glaze candied yams.