Is Soy Sauce Halal or Haram In Islam? 

Like many religions, the Islamic religion is one of those that defines a sequence of dietary procedures for its supporters who will follow them; but at times things are not as simple as we would want them to be, as there is some confusion, certain food may seem to be allowed, but when you dig a bit deeper, then you learn that specific food is haram, for example, because of the way it was made, or some hidden ingredient that is present there.

Of course, this is the case, where is the food you are buying does not have any halal certificate, which is usually the clear sight that you could consume that food.

It is noticeable that these specific religious rules, find in Quaran and interpreted by various Islamic scholars may seem a bit confusing to foreigners.

But these rules are simply present in the world of Islamic beliefs and they aid in the process of binding devotees together as a component of a cohesive group and establishing their distinctive individualism.

For Muslim believers, the dietary regulations are fairly straightforward when it comes to some food that is halal or allowed, and haram that is forbidden.

It is fairly complicated when rules regarding how the animals were slaughtered; as there are also rules that need to be followed vigorously.

Did you know one more interesting aspect here – Islamic religion, in this sense, when it comes to regulations of the food that its believers consume, has so much in common with Judaism.

Have in mind that Quran law is focused on establishing differences between Jews and Muslims and that what connects the two lies in the past.

Here we tried to find out which soy sauce is halal, and of course is naturally brewed soy sauce halal, as it seems that it is.

Could people who belong to the Islamic faith consume it, as nowadays it is part of numerous recipes, and it is really good in taste?

It may seem that Soy sauce is safe for them to be consumed, but things are not as simple as they seem, and the may problem may be alcohol.

Is Soy Sauce Halal or Haram In Islam? 

As we have said, alcohol or intoxicating drinks are seen as a great sin in the Islamic community.

And, you will be surprised to know that for them, this rule even encloses sauces or food preparation fluids that may contain alcohol, such as soy sauce.

So, right away we can say that Soy sauce falls under the category of forbidden food items for Islamic believers as it may contain some percentage of alcohol.

But, we need to take a look at the list of ingredients or the way this sauce is produced – of course, it is made out of vegetables, or in this case, we are talking about soybeans.

There is nothing wrong with it, and just by looking at this, soy sauce is halal, but the fact that in this sauce there is alcohol, which is strictly forbidden, among Islamic believers.

It does have a certain amount of alcohol, but is the amount so great that this sauce is seen as haram?

Even if the amount of alcohol here is so small, if you take it too much, you would not be drunk, so some say that soy sauce is allowed, as the amount of alcohol found in it, is not the type that can make you drunk, and this is one of the biggest sins in the Islamic religion.

Also, have in mind that the technology for making natural and pure soy sauce is clean and simple.

But, on the waste market, and in restaurants where the soy sauce is simply poured in front of you and you do not know where it comes from, there are many different versions of it, and here lies the problem.

It goes like this – soybean and wheat grains are combined, poured with salt water, and left to ferment for a couple of months.

It is necessary to note that no artificial flavor enhancers or preservatives are added to real soy sauce – and the amount of alcohol that is found during the fermentation process is not problematic, for people of the Muslim faith, as it is said by some Islamic scholars, who claim that the true believer must be moderate.

The color, sweetness, and glutamate in real soy sauce come naturally from the breakdown of protein and starch; and there is nothing problematic in it, as it is completely natural.

Just pay attention that you buy a real deal on the market that has numerous options, is cheap, and with a bunch of artificial ingredients.

Is kikkoman soy sauce halal?

When it comes to this specific sauce, and here the question is Kikkoman says sauce halal, the answer is that it is; as it is branded as halal soy sauce.

The secret lies in the fact that this particular soy sauce is created by a special production method to stop alcohol from being made, while the process of fermentation is in its place.

This is the reason why this product has gained the much-needed Halal certificate.

If you are in some kind of doubt, you should opt for this soy sauce, and then you can be certain that in it, there is not a shred of alcohol that may be problematic for some Muslim believers.

Is alcohol in soy sauce halal?

But, what happens in case you cannot find this specific kind of Soy sauce, does that mean that you cannot eat any other soy sauce as it is questionable, and has alcohol in its composition?

We have said that in soy sauce there are salt, wheat, water, and of course, soybeans.

When the process of fermentation is active, the starches from wheat are broken down into alcohol, or before that into sugar.

So, it is a natural process, and this is not alcohol that can make you drunk, and it is something that is making this sauce so tasty.

Just for the record, in soy sauce, there is around 1,5 percent to two alcohol, which is not too much.

But those who have a problem with it should opt for the Kikkoman kind, which has a halal certificate.

More about Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is now present in all parts of the world, even if we know that it is a classic food that arrives from East Asia, where it originated.

There is no doubt that soy sauce is extremely popular in Asian cuisine, but there is no doubt that it has become increasingly widespread here in recent years.

Looking into the historical traces, we say that the history of soy sauce dates back to China, and we are not talking about hundreds of years, but we are talking about a thousand years ago.

Here, soy sauce was presented because of religious reasons, where Chinese monks substituted meat and milk with soy derivatives, including soy sauce.

Other derivates that are made out of soy are vegetarian milk, tofu (cheese), and soy sauce, of course, is one of the most popular.

From China, and this was also a long time ago like 2000 years ago, the technology for making soy sauce was repositioned in Japan.

Soybeans are traditionally produced in Asia, in its southeastern part.

From this place, it reached Russia and then Europe.

Soybeans are cultivated from fibrous soy, which is an annual plant, 25 – 200 cm tall.

4 subspecies of fibrous soybeans are grown – Manchurian, Japanese – Korean, Indian, and Chinese.

The most widespread is the Manchurian soybean, but some additional kinds are also popular.

Always, when you buy soy sauce have in mind this – the real thing does not have in its composition any cholesterol and is a soup substitute for salt, butter, spices, and mayonnaise.

If you buy the real thing, you can substitute many food items that are ot as healthy as you think.

The real soy sauce is low-calorie – 100 g of sauce has 70 calories, and you are putting just a tablespoon on your dish for example, or use it for dipping.

There are large amounts of proteins in soybean seeds, which are very close to milk proteins in the composition.

As far it goes to its composition, we know that soy sauce has, instead of legumes, glycine.

It is very important for our diet, as it has much more significant because it includes organically bound sulfur, which is required for blood building.

High-quality soy sauce also contains potassium and phosphorus salts, enzymes, provitamin A, and vitamins B1, B2, C, and K.

Soybean seeds are the first among legumes in terms of the amount of fat and protein.

The amino acids of soy are very comparable to those seen in meat.

Conclusion

The answer to the question is Soy sauce halal, which is that it is, but you need to be careful what you buy.

First of all, look for the kind that has a Halal certificate, like the Kikkoman kind, but if you are not able to do so, you should look for the list of ingredients for sure.

If you look on the market, and you find a soy sauce that has a low price, then this may be a warning sign, as this is proof that you are also buying a low-quality product.

In most cases, when it comes to frugal soy sauce that can be purchased in plastic containers or bottles, it contains various preservatives and all kinds of emulsifiers.

This is not just a health problem, this may be a problem for people who are choosing what will they eat, like people of the Muslim faith, as here there may be some haram ingredients.

Choose soy sauce only in dark glass bottles!

In plastic containers, the sauce yields its taste and unique aroma.

Pay awareness to the ranges of the bottle – there should be no color enhancers and artificial flavors, only natural ingredients.

An indicator of high-quality soy sauce is the amount of protein, which should be around 8%.

If you like quality soy sauce, the statement should say “produced by natural fermentation”.

Otherwise, every other product has additional chemicals from some of them may be the problem and haram.

Another standard for choosing a quality soy sauce is its color.

If you put the bottle in the light, the color of the soy sauce should be light brown, and the sauce itself should be transparent, which means that it is natural.

Very dark sauces usually convey fake sauces.

In the end, we could say that the natural soy sauce is created out of soybeans that are in fact, simply vegetables.

But during the process of fermentation, there is a certain amount of alcohol which may be a problem for some believers of the Islamic faith, as they do not want it.

It is true that you cannot get drunk from alcohol found in soy sauce, and there are those sauces that have just around two percent of alcohol in their composition, and it is not haram, as this alcohol cannot make you drunk.

Some Muslim believers and Islamic scholars say that if the alcohol utilized for the process of creating soy sauce comes from dates or grapes, then it is not allowed to be consumed, as these products or alcohol that comes from them is seen as haram.

Soy sauce that is natural, and created by the process of fermentation of soybeans has a bit of alcohol in itself, but still, it can be a problem for some Muslim believers.

Just for the record, in soy sauce, there is around 1,5 percent to two alcohol, which is not too much.

But those who have a problem with it should opt for the Kikkoman kind, which has a halal certificate, it is made in a way that the alcohol has been removed during the process of production and it is then completed, and without a doubt safe to consume.

Be careful what you are buying in any other case, and what you are receiving when you are in some restaurant, as this may be the problem; the real soy sauce, as we have said has that distinctive dark brown color, and it has a certain amount of sweetness.

Also, and this is truly important to speak of, is that the glutamate in real soy sauce comes inherently from the breakdown of protein and starch; and there is nothing problematic in it, as it is completely natural.

Whatever you choose, always inform yourself what you are buying.

Read also: Is Caviar Halal? / Is Salmon Halal?

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