Soy sauce is not only delicious, but also healthy. True, this statement applies to soy sauce prepared by natural fermentation, which requires a long aging (from several months to several years). Some modern manufacturers use chemical methods to speed up this process. Can you tell the difference between real soy sauce and diluted soy concentrate?
You can tell the difference between real and chemical soy sauce if you devote enough time to this process. If you glimpse through a supermarket showcase, where liquid seasoning from different manufacturers is presented, you will hardly be able to immediately identify a wholesome and tasty product among them. The first thing to look out for is the packaging. Real soy sauce will never be sold in plastic bottles, as it loses the unique and inimitable taste of this product.
Pay attention to the composition, it must contain only natural ingredients (wheat, soybeans, water, salt). If the list of ingredients includes flavors, artificial additives, colors, flavor enhancers and other chemicals, then you should not expect good taste and some useful properties from this sauce. High quality soy sauce should contain approximately 8% protein.
Another sign that can tell a lot about the quality of a product is its price tag. Real soy sauce cannot be too cheap, while a product obtained by artificial hydrolysis will be in the low price range.
Also on the packaging you can find information about what type of preparation the soy sauce belongs to - whether it is obtained by artificial fermentation or is a diluted soy concentrate (in this case, the word “artificial” is added to the name of the sauce).
Even if an unscrupulous manufacturer concealed information about the chemical origin of his product, then this fact can be determined using tasting. Artificial soy sauce does not taste very good - too salty, harsh and bitter. When artificial soy sauce is added to dishes, it will overshadow the flavor of staple foods. After using such a surrogate, you will be overcome with thirst, and an unpleasant chemical taste will remain in your mouth.
Natural soy sauce tastes completely different. It has a soft, slightly sweetish, sophisticated, multifaceted taste. Despite its rich taste, the natural sauce does not interfere with the natural characteristics of the dishes.
The color of the liquid seasoning also matters. Natural soy sauce has a translucent reddish-brown hue, while a product with added chemicals has a cloudy, dark (almost black) color. If the product has a sweet, pungent taste and mouth-watering aroma, then you can be sure - this is a quality sauce. An unnatural product will have a strong chemical odor.
