Soy Sauce Usage in the Philippines

Soy sauce is a very flavorful ingredient prepared from fermented soybeans and wheat.
In the Philippines, it has so much importance as you may hardly see a Philippine
dish without soya sauce. The Philippine’s traditional dishes are incomplete without
adding this ingredient. In the Philippines, soy sauce is known as toyò, derived from
tau-yu in Philippine Hokkien. Philippine soy sauce is typically a combination of
soybeans, salt, wheat, and caramel color. It is thinner in texture, saltier in taste than
Southeast Asian varieties.

Here in this article, we will discuss the usage of soya sauce in detail. Moreover,
we will give you the recipe of traditional Philippine food in which the main ingredient
is soya sauce.

Soy Sauce Usage in the Philippines02
Soya Sauce in Different Philippine Foods

The most popular in restaurants of Philippine cuisine is pork or chicken cooked with
soy sauce called toyò. Toyo is found not only in Adobo but also in different home-style
simmered dishes. Patatim, another Philippine dish, is prepared from pork simmered
in toyo.
Soy Sauce Usage in the Philippines03
                                                          Patatim

Tapa, a famous Philippine breakfast dish is also incomplete without soya sauce.
Fresh beef or pork is marinated in spices and cooked in a combination of toyo and
sugar, then served with a fried egg and steamed rice.

Soy Sauce Consumption and Varieties
in the Philippines

The 2008 Philippines National Nutrition Survey highlights that the daily consumption
frequency of soy sauce and 3 different kinds of fermented fish items is particularly the
same. But, the percentage of various families that use soy sauce is over 40 %.
From this survey, you can take a note that soy sauce is more topically utilized in-home
cooking than fish sauce in the Philippines. The soy sauce shelves in markets are lined
with a no of varieties from 50 mL small plastic packages to one gallon (3.75L)
containers, prepared by the three biggest makers – Datu Puti, Silver Swan, and
Marca Piña –also products from 3 to 4 other brands. The shelves store a larger
selection than those of fermented fish products in local areas.
According to the Philippine National Standards (PNS) from the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI) Bureau of Product Standards (BPS), soy sauce is classified into
3 major types;
√Fermented
√Hydrolyzed
√Blend
Although soy sauce in the Philippines was once made in pots, in the old or traditional
Chinese style. But in recent years, the Philippines have observed the introduction of
Japanese shoyu-making methods and industrialization of the formation procedure.

Philippine Food Recipe with Soya Sauce

Chicken Adobo is the most famous dish in the Philippines. You can easily make
Filipino chicken adobo at home with soya sauce and some other common ingredients.

Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions >> Chicken Adobo
Conclusion

Soya sauce is the first love for Filipinos because their famous foods have no value
without it. Popular dishes like lechón (whole roasted pig), tapa (cured beef), adobo
(chicken or pork braised in soy sauce, garlic, and vinegar, or cooked until dry), and
kaldereta (meat stewed in tomato sauce and soya sauce) are some traditional foods
in which soya sauce is the main ingredient. You can also try them at home as they
are quite easy.