The difference between Nama Shoyu and Shoyu (common soy sauce)
A kind of Japanese soy sauce called Nama Shoyu (生醤油) became a big hit a few years ago in Japan.
As you may know, the Japanese word, ‘Shoyu (醤油)’, means ‘soy sauce’.On the other hand, ‘Nama (生)’ means ‘raw’, or ‘uncooked’ in Japanese.
So what is the difference between Nama Shoyu and Shoyu, or common soy sauce?
The difference between Nama Shoyu and Shoyu, or common soy sauce
The reason why Nama Shoyu (Amazon.com) includes the word, ‘Nama (生)’ that means ‘raw’, or ‘uncooked’, is because it isn’t heat-treated in the final process in order to keep its umami and enzymes alive.
Instead, the unheated soy sauce is filtered by a special filter many times to remove germs like yeast.
On the other hand, general soy sauce is made carrying out heat sterilization treatment, but that causes the stop of the action of its enzymes and the loss of its umami.
The features of Nama Shoyu
Generally, Nama Shoyu is smooth because it isn’t heat-treated.In addition, compared with ordinary soy sauce, the unheated soy sauce is gentle and mild in aroma and flavor.
But if Nama Shoyu is heated, that makes it more aromatic.
How to keep Nama Shoyu fresh (preservation method)
You need to preserve Nama Shoyu as well as common soy sauce in the refrigerator so as not to be oxidized.
If soy sauce is exposed to the air, it is easily-oxidizable and that causes the loss of its taste, flavor and aroma.
(Reference pages of this article : s-shoyu.com, Kikkoman Blog)
