Gen Z are responsible for cancelling many things that millennials and older generations hold sacred. Skinny jeans, side partings, the thumbs-up emoji. And now, it seems, it's curtains for ketchup.
According to research conducted by Vadasz Pickles and Ferments, much-loved table sauces like tomato sauce, brown sauce, English mustard and salad cream are ready for the scrapheap. Deemed old-fashioned and outdated, these inoffensive condiments (to anyone born before 1997, at least) are being shoved off the table to make way for a new wave of options in a sign of the nation's shifting tastes.
What's come out on top? Of the 2000 Brits surveyed, nearly half (48 per cent) said their favourite condiment was soy sauce, followed by the likes of peri peri sauce, Sriracha, kimchi, wasabi and chimichurri.
Where is soy sauce from?
Used both as a cooking ingredient as well as a condiment, it's no surprise that soy sauce has taken the crown as the UK's favourite, despite being around for some 2200 years (origin: China). Starting as a by-product of miso soup, Japan’s first soy sauce was bottled from the liquid that lingered at the bottom of miso tubs in Kishu Yuasa, Japan in the late 13th century. Richer, smoother and thicker, Tamari is a Japanese alternative to China’s soy sauce that's also gluten-free.
What is soy sauce made from?
Also going by shÅyu and soya sauce, soybeans are, naturally, a key ingredient, starring alongside wheat, water and salt. Salt is the overriding flavour that, along with an umami tang, makes it an addictive addition for many.
How much salt is in soy sauce exactly?
While traditional versions of the sauce are sodium-heavy, new versions keep an eye on salt content without impacting flavour. Still, it's something to note if you're using the sauce for seasoning purposes or planning to douse leftovers with the stuff.
According to the British Heart Foundation, soy sauce contains "around 2.75g per tablespoon, which is almost half the recommended 6g daily maximum." The organisation goes on to warn that even low-salt versions should be used sparingly, with "more than 2g of salt per tablespoon".
What can you use soy sauce on?
Most commonly associated with sushi and East Asian cuisine, soy sauce is a secret storecupboard weapon that can add magic to food in several ways. Try it as a marinade for meat and fish, bring savoury flavour to salads or roasted veggies, and enhance soups with a splash of it. It can add oomph to butter (just be sure to mix well), give gravy extra depth, and take homemade burger patties to the next level.
It even works on desserts. Stir a little into your next brownie mixture or swirl into vanilla ice cream to flummox diners.
What's the proper way to eat soy sauce with sushi?
You may have mastered eating with chopsticks, but if you're dunking an entire piece of nigiri into soy sauce - you're eating it wrong.
In Japan, only the fish is dipped into the sauce, either by rotating the sushi piece fish-side down into it or using a piece of pickled ginger to brush soy sauce onto fish-topped sushi. Submerging rice into sushi will make it excessively salty and ruin the dish’s delicate flavour (not to mention get you laughed out of the sushi bar).
Can you make soy sauce at home?
There are home recipes on the internet, but it's a time-consuming process that includes soaking and mashing soybeans and up to a year's fermentation. Not exactly speedy.
Alternatively, there are hacks to making a faux sauce with beef bouillon, balsamic vinegar, molasses and spices, but it doesn't hold a candle to the real thing.
Unless you’re more curious about making it than eating it, buying ready-made soy sauce is an infinitely more convenient option.
To that end, we’ve rounded up the best soy sauces to buy now and bring new levels of flavour to your dishes (or just revive leftovers).
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Yamasan Kyoto Uji Artisanal Soy Sauce
Looking for a drop of something really special, are you? Stop the search: Yamasan Kyoto Uji's bottle contains a product that's undergone 500 days of ageing to ensure you get the deepest, most flavourful sauce for your buck.
All ingredients are carefully calibrated to work in harmony, with sweet and sour notes coming from the wheat mingling with sun-dried sea salt and coveted umami flavours pulled from soybeans. The fermentation process is helped along by fungi, which the Japanese once believed to be 'invisible gods'. Comparable to a fine wine.
Buy now £16.99, Amazon
Poon's Premium First Extract soy sauce 250ml
Every larder staple has fancy, artisan versions of everyday produce, from olive oil and balsamic vinegar to soy sauce. Poon's, from the legendary Chinese bistro of the same name, is on the higher end of the scale but uses eggs, shellfish and milk in its making, which means vegans will have to sit this one out.
That said, each drop of the first extract sauce is a flavour bomb with fruit and sweet notes balanced by salt and subtle acidity. If you can eat it, you'll have trouble not making it rain with this award-winning soy sauce.
Buy now £18.99, Selfridges
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Kikkoman is the brand name that springs to mind when you're talking about soy sauce, and with good reason. It's been around since the 17th Century, honing and finessing the art of soy sauce production through natural brewing.
This 1L bottle is ideal for large households or those fretting about running out of supply any time soon. Shower it over stir-fries or use it in marinades and dressings in place of salt to unlock deep umami flavours.
Buy now £7.60, Ocado
Lee Kum Kee Premium Light Soy Sauce
From Chinese brand Lee Kum Kee comes a premium version of its light soy sauce, made naturally using non-GM soybeans. Best kept in a fridge shelf once opened, the 150ml bottle can be used for dipping, cooking and food prep.
Buy now £1.00, Ocado
Amoy Soy Sauce Reduced Salt 150ml
Cut the bad stuff out and enjoy flavour guilt-free with Amoy's reduced salt version of its soy sauce. This recipe contains 25 per cent less sodium than the brand's Dark variety, making it ideal for those watching their intake. Mix with sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic and chilli to make a dipping sauce that'll make gyoza sing.
Buy now £1.25, Ocado
The Wasabi Company Organic Soy Sauce and Yuzu Soy Sauce set
A pair of gourmet sauces will prove a welcome gift for foodie fans. The Wasabi Company pairs its organic bottle with one spiked with yuzu for extra flavour in an already-complex sauce. Beautifully packaged, get ready for new levels of umami goodness.
Buy now £19.99, Selfridges
Malay Taste Kicap Manis
East Asia is soaked in soy sauce, with the entire region offering its own version of the soybean-pressed favourite. In Malaysia, kicap manis is its cousin. Thicker than authentic soy sauce, it is nonetheless rich, sweet and syrup-like but can be used to dip, dunk and cook with food much like its Chinese counterpart.
Buy now £2.00, Ocado
Healthy Boy Brand Thin Soy Sauce
From Thailand comes Healthy Boy soy sauce, a thinner version that's more suited to cooking and drizzling over Thai food than dipping. It may be thin but it's high on salt, so one to be used sparingly as seasoning. On the bright side, it means the 700ml bottle will last absolutely yonks.
Buy now £2.75, Morrisons
Blue Dragon Dark Soy Sauce
Available as a light version as well as this dark one, Blue Dragon's sauce offers deeper levels of richness yet tastes less salty, making it perfect to sling into marinades and dressings. Keep it with your spices to add flavour while cooking.
Buy now £3.20, Ocado
Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy Sauce 500ml
Naturally brewed in southern China, it takes more than 100 days to cultivate Pearl River Bridge's soy sauce elixir. Offered in a half-litre size, the richness of the sauce can be intimated from the first whiff. Throw it in towards the end of a stir fry to add to spag bol to enhance the flavours of both dishes.
Buy now £5.75, Amazon
