Editing Soy sauce (section)

=== Japanese ===<!-- This section is linked from [[Sushi]]. -->
[[File:Soy sauce in supermarket.JPG|thumb|Japanese supermarket soy sauce corner]]

{{lang|ja-Latn|Shōyu}} is officially divided into five main types by the JAS ([[Japanese Agricultural Standard]])<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=((Japanese Agricultural Standard)) |author-link=Japanese Agricultural Standard |date=December 3, 2015 |title=しょうゆの日本農林規格 |trans-title=JAS Standard for Soy Sauce |url=https://www.maff.go.jp/j/jas/jas_kikaku/pdf/kikaku_syoyu_151203.pdf |access-date=May 31, 2024 |website=maff.go.jp |language=ja |edition=2015}}</ref> depending on differences in their ingredients and method of production. These types are {{lang|ja-Latn|koikuchi}}, {{lang|ja-Latn|usukuchi}}, {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}}, {{lang|ja-Latn|saishikomi}}, and {{lang|ja-Latn|shiro}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soysauce.or.jp/en/types-and-how-to-use-them|title=Types and how to use them|website=Soy Sauce Information Center|access-date=25 June 2022}}</ref>

Most, but not all, Japanese soy sauces include wheat as a primary ingredient, which tends to give them a slightly sweeter taste than their Chinese counterparts.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} They also tend towards an alcoholic [[sherry]]-like flavor, sometimes enhanced by the addition of small amounts of alcohol as a natural [[preservative]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} The widely varying flavors of these soy sauces are not always interchangeable, so some recipes only call for one type or the other, much as a white wine cannot replace a red's flavor or beef stock does not make the same results as chicken stock.

Some soy sauces made in the Japanese way or styled after them contain about 50% wheat.

==== Varieties ====
* {{nihongo|''Koikuchi''|濃口||'thick taste'}}: Originating in the [[Kantō region]], its usage eventually spread all over Japan. Over 80% of the Japanese domestic soy sauce production is of {{lang|ja-Latn|koikuchi}}, and can be considered the typical Japanese soy sauce. It is made from roughly equal quantities of soybean and wheat.<ref name=":25"/><ref name=":13"/> This variety is also called {{nihongo|''kijōyu''|生醤油}} or {{nihongo|namashōyu|生しょうゆ}} when it is not [[pasteurized]].
* {{nihongo|''Usukuchi''|薄口||'thin taste'}}: Almost 14% of soy sauce production is {{lang|ja-Latn|usukuchi shoyu}}.<ref name=":25" /> It is particularly popular in the [[Kansai]] region of Japan. It matures for less time than {{lang|ja-Latn|koichuchi}}<ref name=":13" /> and is both saltier and lighter in color. It is paler due to the use in its production of {{lang|ja-Latn|[[amazake]]}}, a sweet liquid made from fermented rice. {{lang|ja-Latn|Usukuchi}} is commonly used in cooking as it does not alter the color and taste of the ingredients.<ref name=":25" />
* {{nihongo|''Tamari''|たまり}}: Made mainly in the [[Chūbu region]] of Japan, {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}} is darker in appearance and richer in flavor than {{lang|ja-Latn|koikuchi}}. It contains little or no wheat. Wheat-free {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}} can be used by people with [[gluten intolerance]]. Tamari is more viscous than {{lang|ja-Latn|koikuchi shoyu}}.<ref name=":25" /> Of soy sauce produced in Japan, 1.5% is {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}}.<ref name=":25" /> It is the "original" Japanese soy sauce, as its recipe is closest to the soy sauce originally introduced to Japan from China. Technically, this variety is known as {{nihongo|''miso-damari''|味噌溜り}}, as this is the liquid that runs off [[miso]] (a soybean-based seasoning and soup base) as it [[Aging barrel|matures]]. The Japanese word {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}} is derived from the verb {{nihongo|''tamaru''|溜る||'to accumulate'}}, referring to the fact that {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}} was traditionally a liquid byproduct made during the fermentation of miso. Japan remains the leading producer of {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}},{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} though it has also become popular in the United States. {{lang|ja-Latn|Tamari shoyu}} is often used for sashimi.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":25" /> Oftentimes, other varieties of soy sauce for sashimi are inaccurately referred to as tamari shoyu.<ref name=":13" /> The back label in Japan, by law, will clarify whether or not it is actually tamari.<ref name=":13" />
* {{nihongo|''Shiro''|白||'white'}}: In contrast to {{lang|ja-Latn|tamari}} soy sauce, {{lang|ja-Latn|shiro}} uses mostly wheat and very little soybean, lending it a light appearance and sweet taste. It is more commonly used in the Kansai region to highlight the appearances of food, for example [[sashimi]]. {{lang|ja-Latn|Shiro shoyu}} used to be used a lot in high-class cookery and is generally not available abroad.<ref name=":13" /> Its main use is for pickles.<ref name=":25" /> Of soy sauce production in Japan, 0.7% is {{lang|ja-Latn|shiro}}.<ref name=":25" />
* {{nihongo|''Saishikomi''|再仕込||'twice-brewed'}}: This variety substitutes previously made ''koikuchi'' for the brine normally used in the process. Consequently, it is much darker and more strongly flavored. This type is also known as {{nihongo|''kanro shōyu''|甘露醤油||'sweet soy sauce'}}. Of soy sauce production in Japan, 0.8% is {{lang|ja-Latn|saishikomi}}.<ref name=":25" />
* {{lang|ja-Latn|Kanro shoyu}} is a variety of soy sauce made exclusively in [[Yanai, Yamaguchi|Yanai]], a city in [[Yamaguchi Prefecture]].<ref name=":13" /> It is handmade and is less salty and less sweet than {{lang|ja-Latn|saishikomi shoyu}}.<ref name=":13" />
* ''Amakuchi'' (甘口, 'sweet taste'): It is similar to ''koikuchi'' soy sauce, but with sweetener added. It is the most popular type of soy sauce in [[Kyushu region]] of Japan, which is famous for sweet foods. In some cases, it is more common to find ''amakuchi shoyu'' than ''koikuchi shoyu'' in Kyushu.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=What is Shoyu? Definitive Guide to Japanese Soy Sauce |url=https://thechefdojo.com/what-is-shoyu/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=The Chef Dojo |date= 19 July 2020|language=en-US}}</ref>

Newer varieties of Japanese soy sauce include:<ref name="Steinkraus">{{cite book |title=Industrialization of indigenous fermented foods |editor-first=Keith H. |editor-last=Steinkraus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WfjPq9dfTuMC&q=genen%20usujio&pg=PA22 |page=22|date=2004|isbn=978-0-8247-4784-8|publisher=Marcel Dekker |edition= Second}}</ref>

* {{nihongo|''Gen'en''|{{linktext|減|塩}}||'reduced salt'}}: This version contains 50% less salt than regular soy sauce for consumers concerned about heart disease.
* {{nihongo|''Usujio''|{{linktext|薄|塩}}||'light salt'}}: This version contains 20% less salt than regular soy sauce.

All of these varieties are sold in three different grades according to how they were made:<ref name=":1" />

* {{nihongo|''Honjōzō''|本醸造||'genuine fermented'}}: Contains 100% genuine fermented product
* {{nihongo|''Kongō-jōzō''|混合醸造||'mixed fermented'}}: Contains genuine fermented {{lang|ja-Latn|shōyu}} mash mixed with 30–50% of chemical or [[enzymatic]] hydrolysate of plant protein
* {{nihongo|''Kongō''|混合||'mixed'}}: Contains {{lang|ja-Latn|honjōzō}} or {{lang|ja-Latn|Kongō-jōzō shōyu}} mixed with 30–50% of chemical or enzymatic hydrolysate of plant protein

All the varieties and grades may be sold according to three official levels of quality:<ref>{{cite book|title=Microbiology of fermented foods |editor-first=Brian J. B. |editor-last=Wood |page=364 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKfpPwm5ceEC&pg=PA364
|volume=1 |edition= Second |publisher=Blackie Academic & Professional |isbn=978-0-7514-0216-2 |date=1998}}</ref>

* {{nihongo|''Hyōjun''|標準}}: standard grade, contains more than 1.2% total nitrogen
* {{nihongo|''Jōkyū''|上級 }}: upper grade, contains more than 1.35% of total nitrogen
* {{nihongo|''Tokkyū ''|特級}}: special grade, contains more than 1.5% of total nitrogen