53. Heisei 100ml

The sweetness of Kumamoto Prefecture's soy sauce lies in its blending technique

Fundodai Goyo, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2019, was founded in 1869. It is a soy sauce manufacturer known to many people in Kumamoto Prefecture. Kyushu sweet soy sauce is a traditional taste that has been handed down since ancient times as a mixed soy sauce that adds sweetness and umami to dark soy sauce, and is seasoned with the base namaage soy sauce.

"First, we heat the soy sauce to dissolve the amino acid liquid and sugar, and then we add the seasonings and sweeteners. The amount of seasoning required here depends on the technique of each company, but if we work backwards from the final product, I think a light soy sauce is best," says Sakamoto, head of the quality assurance department.

Starting with making the koji, the company carefully ferments and matures the namaage soy sauce in its moromi brewery, which has inherited the microbial community that has been at work since the company's founding, resulting in a traditional soy sauce that only Fundodai could make.

Making sweet, additive-free soy sauce

As the Heisei era drew to a close in 2019, marking the 150th anniversary of the company's founding, the company embarked on the creation of an additive-free, sweet soy sauce. "The sweetness of soy sauce varies from region to region, even within Kumamoto Prefecture. We went through a lot of trial and error to create a flavor that would express the sweetness of Kumamoto, but would also be well received by people who are not accustomed to the sweetness of Kyushu," says Hayata of the product development department.

The additive-free Kyushu soy sauce "Heisei" is made by adding "Wasanbon" from Kagawa Prefecture, known as a high-quality sugar, and "Akazake", a traditional local sake made by adding charcoal and aging it for two years, to the soy sauce made from Kyushu-grown soybeans and wheat. It has a clean taste with a rich flavor and a gentle sweetness.

First, the food

Many people may not know how to use sweet soy sauce. If you are one of those people, try using it in cooking first. The alcoholic taste of the red sake disappears when it is cooked, resulting in a refreshing taste with a gentle sweetness. We recommend inari sushi. This is an elegant inari sushi that brings out the deliciousness of the fried tofu, with a good balance of soy sauce and sweetness. For the rice filling, simply use vinegared rice and roasted sesame seeds.

Of course, you can also use it as soy sauce.

If you want to experience the taste of the Heisei era directly, the best way is to simply pour it over or dip it in various dishes such as sashimi, roast beef, or rice with raw egg on top. The moderately gentle sweetness of Wasanbon and red sake brings out the flavor of the ingredients even more.