"To make age-old Chinese soy sauce,
Luan opens soybeans.
Inside is everyone's key ingredient:
shiny, pearly seeds!
Haru cooks with Japanese flavors,
adding toasty wheat ...
while Yoo-mi mixes in jujubes and chilis,
making Korean soy sauce spicy-sweet."
I came away from reading this book knowing far more about soy sauce than I ever dreamed possible. Except for using it in certain favorite dishes or as a condiment when dining out, I had never considered how it is made, or that there is variety in types ... except for perhaps choosing low sodium.
Laura Lee has changed all that with her story of three East-Asian children who teach readers different ways of making this favored condiment. Each one thinks that soy sauce makes life delicious. They describe it in savory terms and with great gusto. It is an age-old tradition, and is made in unique ways. Family recipes determine its ingredients and methods.
Soybeans are rinsed, cooked, and make the base for it. Fungi blooms called koji are added to get the process started.
"Shhhh, can you hear it?
Crack, buzz, sputter, fizz!
As koji dines on soybeans, the mixture
breathes and lives!"
It is a time-consuming process, requiring a great deal of patience, before it is ready to be sealed in a bottle. Only then is it ready for the table. HUZZAH!
Back matter offers readers quick notes on its history and the differences in production in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Ms. Lee explains that some soy sauces have 'been brewing for more than 350 years!' A visual glossary provides contextual images and short explanations for the ingredients and processes. The watercolor artwork is a real celebration for the children involved and provides useful information, as well as engaging young readers in all that is being shared.
Now, we know!
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