Soy Sauce

Traditional Japanese soy sauce comes in five types: Shiro (white soy sauce), Usukuchi (light soy sauce), Koikuchi (dark soy sauce), Saishikomi (double brewed soy sauce), and Tamari. They range from pale golden and runny to deep dark brown and viscous. Making a traditional soy sauce takes years (as opposed to months or days for most modern, industrially-produced soy sauces). All that time allows for a remarkable development of flavor: the sauce is salty, yes, but it can also be fruity, woodsy, deeply savory, even a touch sweet. You really can taste the difference.