[Sca-cooks] Soy Sauce is like Wine...

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

One thing to remember is that different countries that use soy sauce
have different standards of taste. What is considered delicious in
one country is considered weak and wimpy in another and overpowering
in a third.

Kikkoman is actually a decent quality *Japanese* soy sauce, suitable
for Japanese food.

My limited experience with Chinese soy sauces (there are so many
different kinds - and i don't mean brands) is that they tend to be
stronger in flavor and saltier than Japanese soy sauces.

I cannot speak for Korean soy sauces, although my experience with
some of their other soy products seems to point to an enjoyment of a
strong fermented flavor.

Thai tends to be more delicate than Chinese, but stronger than Japanese.

Indonesian soy sauce is often sweet and syrupy - even salty
Indonesian soy sauce is thick...

Fish sauce, commonly used in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines,
is another similar situation - very very different ideas in each
country about what it should taste like and what sort of texture it
should have... (i don't like bagoong).

Same goes for shrimp paste, used in Thai, Malay, Indonesian, and
Singaporean cooking - all very different. My personal preference is
Thai.

I often have several different kinds of soy sauce in my cupboard for
different cuisines.

Anahita