Why does Soy Sauce used for Sushi taste better than that used on chinese food?

Question

The soy sauce used with sushi tastes alot better and it actually has flavor unlike the stuff you get for regular chinese food, that stuff just tastes like salt water!! Why?

Answer 1

chinese soy sauce is made with fermented beans, salt and water. japanese soy sauce tastes better 'cos of the added fish-base, some may use a pork-base, sake (japanese rice wine), mirin (sweet rice vinegar) to give it the unique flavor.

Answer 2

It's probably the supplier.  If you're using the soy sauce that comes in little packets from takeout Chinese food, that's not actually soy sauce -- it's mainly salt, caramel coloring, and flavoring agents.  It's more likely that you're getting authentic soy sauce when you order sushi.

(I recommend a book called "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles" -- it's a great book about the history of Chinese food in the West.)

Answer 3

maybe it is of a different quality

try bringing your own soy sauce with you next time...

Answer 4

Sushi soy sauce are made from real soy beans(Kikkoman), while chinese soy sauce are merely flavorings and caramel.

Answer 5

one thing for sure is soy sauce used for sushi is japanese version.of course it will taste differently than the soy sauce which came with chinese food lol

Answer 6

Actually, regardless of what country the soy sauce came from (Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Malaysia, and so on), ALL are fermented form real soybeans.  According to the ingredients labels, Chinese soy sauces don't have "caramels" or "flavorings."  Maggie Sauce (commonly used in Thailand, not technically considered as a "Chinese" soy sauce because the Chinese don't even use it) is the a type that has "flavorings" added.  I have never tried Indonesian or Malaysian soy sauce, so I don't know the taste comparison or what their ingredient ratios are.  

The only reason Japanese soy sauces tastes "sweeter" than Chinese soy sauce is because they contain a higher amount of Wheat ingredient.  Japanese soy sauces use a soybean-wheat ratio of 60-40, while the soybean-wheat ratio for Chinese soy sauces is 70-30.  There are 5 main "types" of Japanese soy sauce (they call it Shoyu instead of See-Yow in Chinese):

1.  KOIKUCHI (dark): The most commonly used soy sauce in Japanese cooking, made with roughly equal proportions of soybeans and wheat.

2.  USUKUCHI (light): Saltier and lighter than Koikuchi, an all-purpose soy sauce used for dishes where the dark color of regular shoyu would make them look unappetizing.

3.  TAMARI: Typically darker and richer-tasting than Koikuchi, made with soybeans and little or no wheat.

4.  SHIRO (literally translates as “white”): Mostly wheat, little soybeans, used to add flavor without altering the color of a dish.

5.  SAISHIKOMI: Twice-brewed, very dark and very flavorful, used with sushi and sashimi.

None of Japanese Shoyu contain fish, vinegar, wine, or pork or any other meat ingredients.  I like Japanese soy sauce more than Chinese soy sauce, too.  But they are not interchangeable:  if Japanese soy sauce is used for Chinese cooking, the food doesn't taste right, and vice versa.

Answer 7

they use the same soy sauce!