Soya Sauce

Also indexed as: Shoyu, Tamari

Preparation, uses, and tips

Soya sauce is a condiment, used sparingly to flavour dishes. Use it in stir-fried dishes, or to prepare marinades for meat or vegetables. It can also be used in place of salt in soups and stews.

Buying and storing tips

Commercial soya sauce is readily available in grocery stores in the condiment aisle or Asian food section. Tamari and shoyu are both sold in natural foods stores and in Asian markets, sometimes in bulk. Store any type of soya sauce at room temperature for up to a year.

Varieties

While true tamari or shoyu is an aged product, most of the commercial soya sauce sold in the United States is a nonfermented synthetic product made from defatted soybean meal and grains mixed with chemicals. Real aged tamari or shoyu has a different flavour than commercial, synthetic soya sauce. In Japan, synthetic soya sauce is not recognized by the government, which allows five different types of soya sauce to be labelled as shoyu. Among the synthetic brands, reduced-sodium soya sauce is available.

Nutrition Highlights

Soya sauce (made from soya and wheat), 1 Tbsp (15mL)
Calories: 9.4
Protein: 1.25g
Carbohydrate: 1.26g
Total Fat: 0.006g
Fiber: 0.13g

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.