Tamari characteristics, cooking method, calorie content and chemical composition. Useful and harmful effects on the body. Application in cooking, recipes.
Tamari is a gluten-free soy sauce, the national product of Japan. The second name is Iso Damar. It is a by-product of making miso paste, obtained through the natural fermentation of soybeans. Consistency - thick, viscous; structure - homogeneous; color - dark, with a tinge of old buckwheat honey; the taste is salty; aroma - sour yeast. It can serve as a substitute for soy sauce in traditional dishes of the Land of the Rising Sun and can be used as a flavor enhancer in European cuisine.
How is tamari soy sauce made?
The literal translation of the name of the sauce "tamari" is "puddle", that is, the liquid that remained in the barrels during the fermentation of the beans for miso. But nowadays, the condiment is in demand among people with gluten allergies and vegans, so it began to be made as a separate product.
Tamari is made like soy sauce, but without the addition of cereals (wheat or barley). However, the accelerated method - heat treatment in a hydrolysis unit (cooking in hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, and then quenching with alkali to stop the acid reaction) - is not used. National traditions are preferred.
How tamari sauce is made:
- Soybeans are soaked in vats for 18 hours, periodically rinsing to avoid souring and mold;
- Heat to a boil and leave to simmer until soft (this requires at least 6 hours);
- The liquid usually does not remain, but if it is, it is drained;
- The koji fungi are pounded and mixed in, salted.
- Soy puree is placed under pressure and left for a long time. The duration of fermentation is from 12 months to 3 years. During this time, the fungus breaks down protein structures, starch is converted into free carbohydrates, sugars into lactic acid, and yeast produces ethanol.
- The liquid is drained, sterilized in a vacuum unit, and then packaged in bottles.
Comparative characteristics of soy sauce and tamari:
| Tamari | Soy sauce |
| Gluten free | With gluten |
| Contains soy, koji, a small amount of salt | Contains soy and cereal seeds - 1: 1, salt, koji, sugar, water |
| Thick | Liquid |
| Often a byproduct of fermented soybeans | A byproduct is not |
In the villages, when preparing tamari sauce, grated soy paste with salt and koji fungi is placed in bags and put on trays under the hot sun. When the sour smell of rye bread appears, the bags are hung up, piercing holes in them. The flowing liquid is collected, pasteurized by direct heating or in a water bath, and filtered. The end product is the soybean seasoning.
Now tamari can be bought not only in Japan - it is supplied all over the world. In Ukraine, the cost of 500 ml - from 250 hryvnia, in Russia - from 350 rubles for the same volume. Just before purchasing the sauce, you must carefully read the packaging: there should be no mention of additional ingredients - barley or wheat, if they are indicated, then, despite the name, the seasoning has nothing to do with the original product, it is soy sauce.
The composition and calorie content of tamari
Pictured is tamari sauce
The seasoning is classified as a healthy product, but you should not expect that there are no genetically modified products in the composition. If the sauce was made under industrial conditions, then the initial product is varietal soybeans. To increase the yield, the treated seed is planted, with increased resistance to insect pests and diseases.
Calorie content of tamari - 60 kcal per 100 g, of which
- Protein - 10 g;
- Fat - 0.1 g;
- Carbohydrates - 5.3 g.
Vitamins per 100 g
- Vitamin B1, thiamine - 0.1 mg;
- Vitamin B2, riboflavin - 0.2 mg;
- Vitamin B4, choline - 38 mg;
- Vitamin B5, pantothenic acid - 0.4 mg;
- Vitamin B6, pyridoxine - 0.2 mg;
- Vitamin B9, folate - 18 mcg.
Macronutrients per 100 g
- Potassium, K - 209 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 20 mg;
- Magnesium, Mg - 40 mg;
- Sodium, Na - 5586 mg;
- Phosphorus, P - 130 mg.
Microelements per 100 g
- Iron, Fe - 2.3 mg;
- Manganese, Mn - 0.5 mg;
- Copper, Cu - 0.1 μg;
- Selenium, Se - 0.8 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 0.4 mg.
Tamari soy sauce contains a high amount of nonessential and essential amino acids with a predominance of leucine, lysine, proline, glutamic and aspartic acid.
The seasoning can be added not only to the diet of people suffering from celiac disease, but also to the diet of people who are recovering from gastrointestinal diseases or abdominal surgery. For production, only natural fermentation is used.
Useful properties of tamari
This seasoning is much healthier than the usual soy sauce. It has much less sugar (no sweetener is added when making homemade tamari). During prolonged fermentation, phytates are destroyed - anti-nutritional substances that block the absorption of the vitamin-mineral complex from the product itself and the food that is seasoned. If the label says "Organic Sauce", there are no carcinogens in the composition.
The benefits of tamari
- Strengthens bone tissue and tooth enamel, prevents the development of osteoporosis and caries.
- Accelerates the epithelialization of the skin and muscle recovery after injuries or active training, during which breaks of individual fibers occurred. Accelerates the utilization of lactic acid.
- It has a fat burning effect.
- Accelerates metabolism at the cellular level, stimulates the removal of toxins and toxins.
- It improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system, strengthens the walls of blood vessels and increases tone, improves peripheral blood supply, and normalizes memory function.
- Increases blood clotting.
- It has an antioxidant effect, suppresses the production of atypical cells, and reduces the risk of neoplasm formation in the intestine.
Thanks to the B complex of vitamins, regular consumption of tamari sauce strengthens memory, improves coordination, improves visual function and stops hearing system degeneration.
For normal life, creatine is necessary - a nitrogen-containing carboxylic acid, which is involved in energy metabolism, increases endurance and resistance to physical activity, normalizes blood composition and helps to get rid of muscle fatigue. It is synthesized by the body independently from amino acids - methionine, glycine and arginine. There are so many of these substances in the composition of tamari that you do not have to "whip up" the production with the help of special sports nutrition. It is enough to introduce the sauce into the diet 4 times a week, so that the body begins to synthesize this substance on its own in the amount necessary for professional activity and active training.
