Aspiring to pass on the long-established taste

Yamasaki Jyozou has been producing traditional Japanese seasonings such as soy sauce and ”miso” for 70 years. ”Awayuki,” Yamasaki Jyozou’s premium light colored soy sauce have won Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award (first place) two years in a row in 2010 and 2011. They put their heart into producing soy sauce and ”miso,” as well as actively challenging themselves in developing new seasonings to meet the consumers’ current demands.

Delicate, rich taste produced by microorganisms

Soy sauce and ”miso” are produced from the combination of rich ingredients and activities of microorganisms. Enzymes are produced through the manufacturing process and these enzymes break down the protein in the soybeans, which turn into delicious amino acids. ”It takes six months of thermal management to produce soy sauce and ”miso,” during which period several types of yeast, lactic acid bacterium, and other types of bacterium are involved to make the taste complex. If it is just a matter of making protein taste better, the whole lot may be converted into the glutamic acid, but the taste would be one dimensional. We break down the protein into many kinds of amino acid to give the taste more depth,” explained Hiroi of Yamasaki Jyozou.

Preserving tradition and pursuing quality

Press filtration of ”moromi” is done by machine nowadays but the overall process has not changed much since the days when everything was done manually. Layers and layers of cloth, over 400 layers are placed in between the ”moromi” in the compressor so that soy sauce is filtered through naturally by the weight of the cloth. The freshly squeezed soy sauce without any additives tastes smooth and fresh, like fresh juice. Adjustments are made after the press filtration as the taste varies depending on the time of year and the barrel it is made. Lastly, for consistent taste, aroma and quality, soy sauce goes through a pasteurizing process called ”hiire.” Freshly pressed soy sauce do not have a very strong aroma but the ”hiire” process brings out the clear strong aroma unique to soy sauce.

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