Soy sauce

Soy sauce (US) or soya sauce is a fermented sauce made from soy beans (soya beans), roasted grain, water and salt. It is used in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine. It also appears in some Western cuisine dishes. Soy sauces are fermented with kōji (麹, the mold Aspergillus oryzae or A. sojae) and other related microorganisms. Almost all soy sauce has some alcohol added during bottling. This acts as a preservative to protect it from going bad. Soy sauce should be kept in the fridge to help preserve its taste. It should also not be put in direct light.

Although there are many types of soy sauce, all are salty and earthy-tasting brownish liquids. All are used to season food while cooking or at the table. What some Westerners describe as a kind of sweet taste is a distinct basic taste called "umami" by the Japanese and "xian-wei" (鲜味, lit. fresh taste) by the Chinese.

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