63. Igeta Thick Soy Sauce

A perfect balance of umami and mellowness

Inoue Honten in Nara Prefecture is also known for its "Igeta Soy Sauce." It uses domestically grown soybeans, wheat, and sun-dried salt and is aged for three years. It has a rich yet sharp flavor. It's delicious when made into dry curry.

Ingredients: Wheat (domestically produced), soybeans (domestically produced), salt

Carrying on tradition from a scientific perspective

"We strive to make something that we ourselves find delicious, and to use domestically produced ingredients. We make improvements every day based on this philosophy," says President Yoshikawa Osamu. "My predecessor was concerned about soy sauce and machinery right up until his death. He sowed the seeds through trial and error alone. We are now at the stage where we are revising and verifying each step with a scientific eye, rather than simply following each step because it's been done that way for a long time." Inoue Honten handles all brewing processes in-house, from processing ingredients to koji making, preparation, fermentation, aging, and pressing, as well as filling and analysis. It is rare for a small brewery to perform testing and analysis in-house, which is usually outsourced. The proprietress, a former researcher at a major sake brewery, manages the brewery.

"One time, there was a bacteria that we just couldn't identify, so I ended up spending the whole summer in a research facility. After verifying every possible process, we were finally able to identify the cause, but that summer was really tough... But that experience is now useful in making soy sauce, so maybe it was a good thing in the end?!"

Attention to detail in facilities

The NK cans used to steam soybeans. They apparently introduced large cans so that they could mix wheat and koji mold in an airtight container and prevent contamination as much as possible.

There are also facilities that can handle straight tsuyu. While large manufacturers can do it, there are many things that are difficult for small manufacturers, and I think straight tsuyu is one of them. Straight tsuyu has a low salt content, so it is prone to contamination by bacteria. To prevent the inclusion of invisible bacteria, it requires careful attention, appropriate equipment, and a deep knowledge of microorganisms.

Soy sauce oil as fuel

Whole soybeans are called whole soybeans because they are whole soybeans, and they contain oil. The oil that comes out when they are pressed is treated as industrial waste. This oil is not tasty at all. The oil in whole soybeans is broken down into glycerin and becomes part of soy sauce, but the oil separated during pressing is oxidized, thick, and difficult to handle... it's a real headache for soy sauce makers.

This oil would normally be thrown away, but at Inoue Honten it is used as fuel for the machine that roasts wheat. However, oil contains salt, so it cannot be used as is. "We mix water into the oil, which causes the salt to dissolve in the water, so we repeat this process and then heat it at the end to evaporate the water," he said.

Adding richness to a simple dry curry

This is a dry curry that doesn't involve frying rice. When it comes to curry, you might want to add various secret ingredients, but this one is simple and seasoned with only salt, pepper, curry powder, and soy sauce. The richness and mellow flavor of Igeta Rich Soy Sauce brings the whole dish together. It's also important to use curry powder with a nice aroma!

It adds an accent to the dish

Using re-brewed soy sauce as a secret ingredient in Italian dishes and sweets adds a complex, deep flavor. The aroma of the soy sauce also brings the dish together and adds an accent.

This tomato sauce, which uses Igeta Rich Soy Sauce as a secret ingredient, is an essential dish for BBQs with friends. It can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, such as dipping skewered vegetables or baguettes, or as a sauce for hamburgers.