Slick, salty and silky smooth, an Asian culinary mainstay and the perfect addition to wok-tossed noodles or well-rolled sushi. Yes, we’re talking soy sauce. Known for adding depth to a dish, soy sauce is an Asian staple. Its umami flavour elevates the simplest of dishes and its deep, dark hue makes it a natural food colouring, while adding a touch of earthiness to your meals.

Soy sauce was first made over 2,200 years ago, during the Western Han Dynasty in China. It drew influences from an older paste called jiang, which was used to preserve food. A combination of boiled soybeans, roasted wheat and a fermenting agent like yeast or mould, traditional soy sauce takes time to prepare — several months, if you’re counting. But, modern science has helped shorten this process to a few days. 

Over time, the sauce’s popularity spread throughout Asia, taking on regional variations in both colour and flavour. In Japan, it’s called shoyu—a sweeter variety that’s at home in marinades, dips, braises and stir-fries—while Korean soy sauce, known as gan-jang, is lighter and saltier than its Japanese or Chinese counterparts. Today, soy sauce is a global condiment, with supermarkets flaunting glossy displays of its light, dark, gluten-free and other avatars.

With soy sauce, a little goes a long way. Use it to balance out a smoky BBQ sauce, in a marinade for your Sunday roast, to glaze meat, fish and vegetables or even to add spunk to protein-filled lettuce cups.