Soy sauce (tamari)

The well-balanced, smooth rich flavor of tamari goes beyond its saltiness and blends so well with so many spices that the salt shaker won't even be missed; low sodium varieties are also available. Tamari can be found in your local health food stores and supermarkets year-round.

Tamari is dark brown in color and usually slightly thicker than regular soy sauce. The salty fermented paste derived from soy beans, called miso, actually served as the basis for development of tamari. This development occurred during the Edo period (1603-1867) in Asia, when extra water was added to the miso paste to create a thick, dark sauce. The flavor of this sauce was called tamari. Later, changes in the process added wheat to the paste's ingredients, and today, tamari can be purchased as either wheat-containing or wheat-free.

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Soy sauce (tamari) provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Soy sauce (tamari) can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Soy sauce (tamari), featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Individual Concerns
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

Most people have heard by now that too much salt in the diet can be bad for your health. Eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. In fact, societies with diets that are high in sodium and low in potassium typically have a much higher rate of heart disease than societies with diets that are low in sodium.

So does this mean that you have to sacrifice taste for health? Of course not. Soy sauce, while still high in sodium, has a flavor that goes beyond its saltiness. This means that you can use less soy sauce than you would salt to get the same level of enjoyment from your foods. And soy sauce blends so well with many spices - garlic, ginger, onions, etc. - that you won't even miss your salt shaker. Some brands even have low sodium varieties of soy sauce available. So, rather than dousing your food with salt, try just a touch of soy sauce instead.

Our food ranking system, based on nutrient density, qualified tamari as a good source of niacin (vitamin B3), manganese, and protein. Of course, it would take far too much tamari to provide any substantial amount of a person's daily vitamin, mineral or protein needs. Nevertheless, for the calories it costs, tamari, unlike salt, delivers an unusual amount of nutrients to the person who uses it.

NOTE: If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and told by your doctor to limit your salt intake, you may want to limit your intake of soy sauce as well or try a low-sodium variety instead.

Description

The salty fermented paste derived from soy beans, called miso, actually served as the basis for development of tamari. This development occurred during the Edo period (1603-1867) in Asia, when extra water was added to the miso paste to create a thick, dark sauce. The flavor of this sauce was called tamari. Later, changes in the process added wheat to the paste's ingredients, and today, tamari can be purchased as either wheat-containing or wheat-free.

Tamari is dark brown in color and usually slightly thicker than regular soy sauce. It has a well-balanced smooth flavor that is rich and salty.

The soybean that serves as the basis for tamari has the scientific name Glycine max.

History

Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years. In the 7th century, Buddhist monks introduced soy sauce into Japan where it is known as shoyu. The Japanese word "tamari" is derived from the verb "tamaru" that signifies "to accumulate," referring to the fact that tamari was traditionally produced as the liquid byproduct that was produced during the fermentation of miso. Japan is the leading producer of tamari.

How to Select and Store

Tamari is generally sold in sealed glass bottles. Some stores also sell it in bulk containers. Check the label to make sure that no additives, such as MSG, have been added.

Unopened tamari can be kept in a cool, dark place. Once the bottle is opened, tamari should be stored in the refrigerator.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Use tamari as a seasoning when healthy sautéing vegetables.

Combine tamari, garlic and ginger and use as a marinade for baked tofu, tempeh or chicken.

Keep a container of tamari on the dinner table and use instead of table salt for seasoning foods.

Serve brown rice with a Japanese flair by sprinkling some tamari, sesame seeds and nori strips on top.

Individual Concerns

Allergic Reactions to Tamari

Although allergic reactions can occur to virtually any food, research studies on food allergy consistently report more problems with some foods than with others. For example, according to a recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 90% of food allergies are associated with 8 food types: soy foods (such as tamari and soy sauce), fish, wheat, cow's milk, hen's eggs, peanuts, crustacean shellfish, and tree nuts. (Crustacean shellfish include shrimp, prawns, lobster, and crab. Tree nuts include almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and chestnuts.)

These foods do not need to be eaten in their pure, isolated form in order to trigger an adverse reaction. For example, yogurt made from cow's milk is also a common allergenic food, even though the cow's milk has been processed and fermented in order to make the yogurt. Ice cream made from cow's milk would be an equally good example.

Food allergy symptoms may sometimes be immediate and specific, and can include skin rash, hives, itching, and eczema; swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat; tingling in the mouth; wheezing or nasal congestion; trouble breathing; and dizziness or lightheadedness. But food allergy symptoms may also be much more general and delayed, and can include fatigue, depression, chronic headache, chronic bowel problems (such as diarrhea or constipation), and insomnia. Because most food allergy symptoms can be caused by a variety of other health problems, it is good practice to seek the help of a healthcare provider when evaluating the role of food allergies in your health.

Nutritional Profile

Tamari is a good source of niacin, manganese and protein.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Tamari.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth nutritional profile for Soy sauce (tamari) is also available. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

In order to better help you identify foods that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Food Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the foods that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good, or good source (below the chart you will find a table that explains these qualifications). If a nutrient is not listed in the chart, it does not necessarily mean that the food doesn't contain it. It simply means that the nutrient is not provided in a sufficient amount or concentration to meet our rating criteria. (To view this food's in-depth nutritional profile that includes values for dozens of nutrients - not just the ones rated as excellent, very good, or good - please use the link below the chart.) To read this chart accurately, you'll need to glance up in the top left corner where you will find the name of the food and the serving size we used to calculate the food's nutrient composition. This serving size will tell you how much of the food you need to eat to obtain the amount of nutrients found in the chart. Now, returning to the chart itself, you can look next to the nutrient name in order to find the nutrient amount it offers, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this food and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more background information and details of our rating system.

Tamari (Soy Sauce) 1.00 tbs 18.00 grams 10.80 calories Nutrient Amount DV (%) Nutrient Density World's Healthiest Foods Rating tryptophan 0.03 g 9.4 15.6 very good manganese 0.09 mg 4.5 7.5 good protein 1.89 g 3.8 6.3 good vitamin B3 (niacin) 0.72 mg 3.6 6.0 good World's Healthiest Foods Rating Rule excellent DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10% very good DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5% good DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DV>=2.5%

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Soy sauce (tamari)

References

• Ensminger AH, Esminger M. K. J. e. al. Food for Health: A Nutrition Encyclopedia. Clovis, California: Pegus Press; 1986 1986. PMID:15210.
• Fortin, Francois, Editorial Director. The Visual Foods Encyclopedia. Macmillan, New York 1996.
• Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988 1988. PMID:15220.

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