soy

Soy refers to the legume Glycine max, native to East Asia and domesticated in China over 3,000 years ago. The soybean is a small, round to oval bean with a smooth seed coat, typically tan, black, brown, or mottled in color. The beans contain approximately 40% protein and 20% oil by dry weight, making them nutritionally dense. When raw, soybeans have a mild, slightly sweet flavor; however, they are rarely consumed whole in their raw state. Instead, they are processed into numerous forms—fermented products (soy sauce, miso, tempeh), protein extracts (tofu, edamame), and oils—each with distinct flavor profiles ranging from umami-forward to neutral.

Soy is fundamental to Asian cuisines, particularly Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cooking. As soy sauce, it serves as a foundational seasoning across these traditions, adding umami depth to soups, stir-fries, marinades, and dipping sauces. Fermented soy products like miso, tempeh, and natto contribute complex, savory notes to broths, stews, and vegetable dishes. Tofu, the pressed curd of soy milk, is versatile in both savory and sweet applications. Edamame (young soybeans) are eaten as a snack or appetizer. In Western cuisines, soy has increasingly been adopted as a plant-based protein source in vegetarian and vegan cooking, from meat substitutes to nutritional supplements.