Spices, Sauces and Supplies - Soy Sauce ( Part 2 SE Asia & Europe)

Part 2 covers a little on soy sauces from different SE Asian countries, as well briefly touching on Maggi Sauce.

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INDONESIAN SOY SAUCES (KECAP)

Kecap manis, one of the 5 main sauces of Indonesia, is a Sweet Soy Sauce, made by cooking soy sauce with palm sugar and other herbs and spices. Supposedly this accounts for 90% of soy sauce produced in Indonesia, and is such a massive market that Heinz and Unilever recently (1999 & 2001) bought majority share in the two largest brands in Indonesia, ABC and Bango.

The five major sauces in Indonesia are Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce), Kecap Manis Sedang (Medium Sweet Soy Sauce), Kecap Asin (Salty Soy Sauce), Kecap Ikan (Fish sauce) and Kecap inggris (Worcestershire sauce)

A quick sidenote about the name- Kecap (pronounced KET-jap). It is likely that this word was adopted into Bahasa (a Malayan language spoken in the region) after cultural exchange with the Chinese, particularly those in the Fujian area. This likely began around the early 1400s when the mariner Zheng He lead several Treasure Ships expeditions, with many stops in SE Asia. This spurred trade with the Chinese, particularly those in the Eastern Coast of China.

The term for Fish Sauce, in ancient Fujian / Hokkien / Minnan dialect is 膎汁 or 鮭汁, pronounced kôe-chiap/kê-chiap, and has been adopted in English as Ketchup. The modern term for fish sauce in that dialect is 魚露 hî-lōo . The first western record of the word ketjap was in 1787, in the Dutch book Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap der Kunsten en Wetenschappen - Treatises of the Batavian (Jakarta) Society of Arts and Sciences on page 246.

It's likely that Kecap Manis originated around that time, when Chinese traders adapted their salty sauces to the local sweet tooth, by boiling it with palm sugar (and other spices*). It's reported that like in Japan and Korea, there were previously many local soy sauce artisans. Modern industry (and marketing) has put many of these out of business - not many local brands can match the marketing power of Heinz and Unilever.

*Indonesian sweet soy sauce is often enriched with spices, including star anise, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander and clove, there will be many variations. According to the Indonesian publication Pemimpin Pengoesaha Tanah (15 Jan. 1915) ingredients used in ketjap besides soybean were ground fish ( ikan pikak ), djamoer koeoping ( Auricularia sp.), aren sugar, salam leaves ( Eugenia polyantha ), pandan wangi leaves ( Pandanus odorus ), laos ( Alpina galanga ), ginger, sereh wangi , brambang abang , and an infusion of chicken flesh.

ABC Kecap Manis - Amazon

Bango Kecap manis - Amazon

Indofood Kecap manis - Amazon

ABC Kecap Manis Pedas (Spicy) - Amazon

Bango Kecap Manis Pedas (Spicy) - Amazon

Conimex Kecap Manis - Amazon - Dutch Brand

Adabi Kecap Manis - Amazon - Malaysian Brand

Kaki Tiga Ketjap Medja - Amazon - Malay version, made in Holland

Ayam Brand Sweet Soy - Amazon - Singaporean Brand

THAILAND SOY SAUCE (SEE EW / SI-IW)

Thai Soy sauce, See Ew seems very similar to Chinese Soy sauce, with Si-Iw-Khao / Light (Thin) soy sauce and Si-Iw-Dam-Kem / Dark Salty Soy Sauce (Same as Chinese Dark Soy Sauce). They also further sweeten their Dark Salty Soy Sauce into a semi sweet version, Si-Iw-Dam (Dark, Thick Soy Sauce), and a fully sweetened version, Si-Iw-Whan.

Dark Soy Sauce is similar in style to Indonesia's Kecap manis, but is usually less sweet. Sweet Soy Sauce is usually sweeter than Kecap Manis.

Most soy sauces are naturally fermented, but there are also Acid-hydrolyzed soybean sauces, called Sauce-prung-rot, or "seasoning sauces", which are usually used for cooking. Thai soy sauce doesn't account for much of the market, as nam pla / fish sauce is overarching popular condiment.

***Disclosure*** - I haven't had the chance to buy any types of these to sample and compare differences.

Healthy Boy Thin Soy Sauce - Amazon

Healthy Boy Mushroom Soy - Amazon - This seems like a "light" soy sauce, with mushroom extract

Thai Low Sodium Soy Sauce Amazon - 270mg sodium / 15ml, or 4.5% salinity - this is one of the lowest soy's I've seen.

PHILLIPINE SOY SAUCE (TO YU)

Soy sauce in the Phillipines is known as To Yu, from the Hokkien word 豆油 tāu-iû. (3% of Tagalog consists of loanwords from Hokkien). Studies have found many waves of migrations from China to Phillipines over the last several millennia, with the earliest wave being starting at around 3000 BCE. Most of these migrations have been from the eastern coast of China, from the Fujian area.

The earlier waves brought over rice, yam, taro and other food crops, as well as "Jar burial" culture from ancient Fujian people. Official commercial trade between the two countries was recorded in a Sung Dynasty document (CE 1343-1374) as starting from around CE 982, and King Kiling of Butuan was the first (in Chinese records anyway) to send a envoy with tribute to the Chinese Emperor in 1001 CE. The trade, and cultural heritage was purged after the Spanish invaded Philippines in 1521.

It is likely that soy sauce was first introduced to the Philippines by Hokkien merchants from Fujian province in China sometime during the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279), and adopted into use for various local dishes, such as Phillipine's national dish, adobo. The tagalog word "humba" (stew) likely comes from the Hokkien word "hong ba, or mandarin hóngshāoròu". It's also known as adobong Visaya (Visayan adobo). Adobo itself is virtually identical to a dish called 糖醋排骨Sweet Vinegar Ribs.

Traditionally, To yu is made in a similar manner to traditional soy sauce, however, modern techniques are also popular, as is the usage of wheat flour (as is used in Japanese shoyu), hence we get the same three generic types, fermented, hydrolyzed and a blend of the two. One article by kikkoman tested a few types of To Yu and shown that their total nitrogen was around 0.4-0.6%. Caramel also seems to be a popular additive.

As a dipping sauce, To Yu is usually mixed with some type of acid, either calamansi juice or some type of vinegar (Philippines has a rich indigenous vinegar tradition).

Datu Puti Soy Sauce - Amazon

Silver Swan Soy Sauce - Amazon

Marca Pina Soy Sauce - Amazon

***Disclosure*** - I haven't had the chance to buy any types of these to sample and compare differences.

VIETNAM - NUOC TUONG /Xì Dầu

Similar to Thailand, Soy Sauce is not the preferred sauce in Vietnam (with the exception of Buddhist/ vegetarian cuisine). There seems to be a culture of making it in the traditional manner, with small scale producers and regional specialities. Variations seem to include using roasted soy beans, and grinding up the beans before fermentation, which leads to a slightly thicker sauce.

Caramel from boiled coconut juice seem to be a popular additive, which seems like an interesting variation.

***Disclosure*** - I haven't had the chance to buy any types of these to sample and compare differences.

SWISS SOY SAUCE - MAGGI SAUCE

This is a hydrolysed soya protein based sauce, invented by in Switzerland by Julius Maggi in 1872, in an attempt to add flavor to a powdered pea soup he had developed.

It's a very strongly flavored sauce, and rich in umami, and is used sparingly to add a little extra richness to dishes.

The ingredients in the Swiss version are: Water, salt, hydrolysed soya protein, Sodium glutamate, Disodium inosinate (E631), Yeast extract, Citric acid, acetic acid, wheat and “aroma.” Disodium guanylate may be used in some blends of Maggi. Disodium guanylate is not safe for babies under twelve weeks, and should generally be avoided by asthmatics and people with gout

Maggi creates a different blend, depending on regional preferences. The Swiss version of the sauce is the original version (red cap)

There's a European version. Maggi-Würze Ingredients: Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Monosodium Glutamate, Sugar, Vinegar, Disodium Inosinate, Artificial Flavor.

In Spain and Mexico, where it’s called Jugo Maggi, there are several versions: plain and spicy (both are more concentrated and darker than European versions), a version called “Maggi Inglesa” (that tastes like Worcestershire sauce), a soy sauce version, and a version with lime in it.

The version made in Philippines has more garlic in it.

The Polish version is lighter in colour, with more acidity. IngredientsL Water, Monosodium glutamate

Disodium ribonucleotides, Vinegar, Lovage extract, Yeast extract, Aroma (Salt???)

Most North Americans see the Chinese-made version (yellow cap) in stores: Ingredients: Water, Salt, Wheat Gluten, Wheat, Wheat Bran, Sugar, Vinegar, Artificial Flavors, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Dextrose, Caramel Color.

Nestle bought Maggi after WW2, in 1947. There were allegations of Maggi using German Slave Labor, and in 2011, Nestle paid 25m Swiss francs into a settlement with Holocaust survivors and Jewish organizations

Maggi Wurze (EU Ver) - Amazon

Maggi (Imported from Germany) - Amazon

Maggi (Imported from France) - Amazon

Maggi Jugo (Spain/Mex) - Amazon

Maggi, Chinese Version - Amazon

Knorr Liquid Seasoning - Amazon

Bragg Liquid Aminos - Amazon

Further reading

History of Soy Sauce, Shoyu, and Tamari - Page 2

Soy Sauce Usage in the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam - Kikkoman

Every type of soy sauce around the world you need to try before you die

All About Kecap Manis, Indonesia’s Sweet and Syrupy Soy Sauce