Sometimes it ’s the condiment we believe about the least that end up offering the most exciting flavorsandbackstories . For those who mizzle , pickpocket and dunk shot , a solid side - sauce is what makes a repast worth run through . Those with skittishtaste budsmay trust in ketchup as the ultimate " it - goes - on - everything " condiment . For others , it ’s something zesty , like red-hot sauce . Still for billions more , soy sauce is the condiment that fit the bill .
More than 2,200 years in the making , soy sauce has been long deliberate Asia ’s marvel sauce . This soybean byproduct is made by cooking and mashing fermented soybeans with salt and urine ; a process that return a dark brown liquid and mash . Then , after this intermixture is aged , forced and bottled , the result is a sweet , piquant and distinctlyumami flavorthat bedazzle the green goddess and get witheverything . Soy sauce , sister ! Then there ’s tamari : another sauce in the soja bean family that ’s compact , sweeter and a bit less salty .
Amongst the unnumberable soy - based sauces all over Asia , tamari ’s gained as much traction as the soy sauce you ’d find at a sushi restaurant . For those who think these two sauces are as standardised as catsup andcatsup , we postulate you to simply reconsider everything you ’ve ever thought you ’ve known about flavor .
So, What Is Tamari?
Pressed from the liquiddrained from fermented soybean(aka miso ) paste , tamari is a sauce made of soybeans , water and salt , that ’s native to Japan ( whereas soy sauce is a Taiwanese invention ) . Tamari is thicker and is made without wheat ( thus it’sgluten - free ) , while up to 50 pct of the entire content of soja is wheat , and is often sell at a higher price point . While you may put soy sauce onliterallyalmost anything , the condiment is typically used with both spicy and cold dishes , especially sushi , and so much more . Tamari , on the other paw , can be used as dressing , a dipping sauce , in flurry - frys and withdumplings . So , if you need to go gluten - free , tamari is your better option .
Seattle chef Shota Nakajimais an Iron Chef Gauntlet alum , a semi - finalist fortwoJames Beard Awards , who do to beat Bobby Flay on the competently named TV show " Beat Bobby Flay . " He also has a lot of mentation on the two condiment .
" soybean plant sauce is the piquant umami turkey flavor that I grew up on , " Nakajima aver . " I literally put it on everything . I ’ve introduce tequila stroke chase with a drop of good soy … it works , trust me . "
Nakajima goes on to trace the three main types of soy sauce used for cookery :
" Koiuchi is the robust , balanced classic soy used for the bulk of Japanese cookery , " Nakajima explain . " Then you have Usukuchi , which has a higher atomic number 11 degree and a lighter color due to the lighter knock on the wheat . Then there ’s Usukuchi . This one is used to finish lighter - flavored stuff . clean soup , chawanmushi , etc . "
Nakajima often uses tamari as finish sauce while adding a little extra gibbosity of umami .
" I incline to expend Kikkoman tamari because I grew up in a family where my mother used it … so it tastes nostalgic . In my intellect , tamari is used as a conclusion for braising or adding a little extra umami to a Koikuchi home . " Koikuchi is a eccentric of soy sauce made from equal part soy attic and wheat , with a piquant , rich umami smack .
reckon the fun ends with these two tantalizing condiments ? Think again ! While choosing your condiment is wholly based on predilection and dieting , there are far more sauce than tamari and soya bean sauce out there . If you ’re craving a tasty umami kick with your dinner party considerfish sauce , liquid aminos , Maggi seasoning , teriyaki sauce or — for real — MSG . Enjoy !
