Food Manufacturers > Soy Sauce Basics
Soy Sauce Basics
Characterizing Soy Sauce
Kikkoman is naturally brewed and aged for full flavor, just like a great wine. We start with the finest soybeans and wheat. We blend them with a starter culture, water and salt. And then we add the most important ingredient of all: time. Despite the advances of technology, our fermentation process simply can't be hurried. It takes several months for the rich, mellow flavor and the complex bouquet of Kikkoman Soy Sauce to develop.
Umami
While taste physiologists have traditionally pointed to four basic flavors - sweet, salty, sour and bitter - Japanese culture has long held the notion of a fifth flavor, umami. Today, umami is rapidly gaining acceptance in Western culture, thanks in no small part to the increasing popularity of Asian cuisine.
Natural Brewing
Kikkoman is naturally brewed and aged for full flavor, just like a great wine. We start with the finest soybeans and wheat. We blend them with a starter culture, water and salt.
Flavor Enhancer
Besides contributing directly to flavor and functionality, the composition of naturally brewed soy sauce also makes it useful as a flavor enhancer. To understand how, let's begin with an overview of the mechanism of taste perception.
