Soy Sauce, Mirin and Cooking Sake: Wheat and Alcohol

What soy sauce is made from

According to the Japan Soy Sauce Brewers' Association, soy sauce is made mainly from soybeans, wheat and salt. Soybeans give umami, and wheat gives aroma and sweetness. One liter of soy sauce takes about 180 grams each of soybeans and wheat.

Japan's Agricultural Standard (JAS) for soy sauce defines five types, each with set ingredients for the koji.

In the JAS standard, "grain" (麦) covers wheat, barley and naked barley.

Tamari is not automatically wheat-free. Look for a "no wheat" statement such as 小麦不使用, and check that 小麦 (wheat) is not in the ingredients list.

Allergen labels also show wheat

Wheat is one of Japan's mandatory allergens. When packaged food contains soy sauce, the end of the ingredients list says something like "(一部に小麦・大豆を含む)" (contains wheat and soybean). The Consumer Affairs Agency's own example label for soy-sauce pickles uses this wording.

Restaurants, however, are not required to label allergens. For any dish with soy-sauce-based sauce or broth, ask the staff. Even if they can switch to tamari or similar, ask whether wheat could get into the dish in the kitchen.

Soy sauce and alcohol

The Japan Soy Sauce Brewers' Association explains that alcohol or preservatives are sometimes added to soy sauce to prevent white mold, and must then be listed in the ingredients. The JAS standard also allows alcohol, shochu, sake and mirin as soy sauce ingredients.

The Japan Tourism Agency's guide notes that some Muslims avoid even the small amounts of alcohol in seasonings such as soy sauce. It also says opinions differ on whether trace alcohol in seasonings needs to be avoided. How strict to be is your own decision.

Mirin and cooking sake

Japan's National Tax Agency explains how stores that shelve mirin and cooking sake sold as alcoholic beverages in the seasoning aisle can mark them with signs such as "This is alcohol." The Japan Tourism Agency lists mirin as a mixed alcoholic beverage that needs care, and says many Muslims do not consume alcohol, including mirin.

Mirin goes into simmered dishes, noodle broth and tendon sauce. MAFF gives 8:1:1 (dashi, soy sauce, mirin) as a guide for simmered dishes and 12:1:1 for noodle broth. In the Japan Tourism Agency's Muslim menu examples, mirin is replaced with sugar such as beet sugar.

JNTO also notes that Japanese cooking uses cooking sake and mirin in many dishes, and that some miso contains alcohol.

There are also similarly named products such as "mirin-style seasoning" (みりん風調味料). Check each product's ingredients list for alcohol.