The key to Japanese food! Soy sauce, a soybean product that Japanese people love
Soybean products are indispensable to the eating habits of Japanese people. They eat soybean dishes in various ways such as tofu, natto, miso and soy sauce. Even among such products, soy sauce is indispensable for Japanese food.
This time, I am going to present the long-established Torii Shoyu Soy Sauce Shop that has been making soy sauce in Nanao City, Ishikawa prefecture, since 1926. Using locally produced soybeans, wheat, and salt as raw materials, they make soy sauce by traditional and time-consuming methods.
It takes two years to mature. It is handmade soy sauce manufactured by believing in the power of the hands.
“When I was a child, my mother put her hand on my forehead when I caught a cold. The human hand has a mysterious power, such as if someone puts their palm on your stomach when you have a stomachache, the pain will go away.”
I want to make soy sauce by applying my hands as much as possible. With that in mind, at Torii Shoyu, the entire work process from washing soybeans to labeling the bottles is done by hand.
The way soy sauce is made at Torii Shoyu
Soybeans are washed, boiled in a cauldron, carefully decocted, and mixed with crushed wheat.
Koji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) is sprinkled to make seed malt and it is left to stand four days in order to grow koji.
It is mixed in a large tub containing salt and water to make unrefined soy sauce, aka moromi.
After slowly fermening and aging for two years, it is squeezed out little by little.
It is transferred to a cauldron, heated to about 85°C, cooled, and filtered.
It is finished by being put in bottles.
Do not waste the moromi! A trial set
【Torii Shoyu Handmade 3-piece set ￥1,720 (tax included)】
This is a trial set of soy sauce that has been aged for two years, moromi powder that is made by drying the moromi after squeezing soy sauce, and moromi salt that is a blend of moromi powder with salt from Noto.
The bottle fits into the palm, is easy to try, and is closed tightly with a screw cap. It is also perfect as a souvenir.
【Torii Shoyu soy sauce】
The only ingredients used are soybeans from Suzu, Ishikawa prefecture, wheat from Nakanoto, and salt.
The result is a rich soy sauce that has been aged for two years. It has a slight sweetness.
【Moromi powder and moromi salt】
It is said that moromi, which is generally thrown away in making soy sauce, contains many nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.
I used it as a seasoning by sprinkling it on various dishes!
【Moromi powder + salad】
Camembert cheese and moromi powder with a gentle scent are yummy. It seems that fermented foods go well with each other! It is difficult to convey the taste of moromi, but it has a nostalgic taste to me as a Japanese person, like miso and soybeans.
【Moromi salt + potato fries】
This is a surefire recipe. Even if you know that potato fries are high in calories but just want to eat them, you can make them healthier by sprinkling moromi salt. It will be appreciated at home parties, too.
A shop where you can feel the Japan of the good old days
So, how was it? The Torii Shoyu Soy Sauce Shop is conveniently located at a 5-minute walk from JR Nanao Station.
The building, which was built about 100 years ago, is also designated as a national cultural property. Why not enjoy soy sauce in a space where you can feel history?
Torii Shoyu Soy Sauce Shop
29 Ipponsugimachi, Nanao City, Ishikawa prefecture 926-0806
Phone: 0767-52-0368