Soy Sauce Vs. Worcestershire Sauce

Soy sauce vs. Worcestershire sauce, how different are they? The sauce is always the soul in each dish that makes the distinction. Each recipe needs its distinct sauce to create the signature profile.

These two types of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce are indispensable condiments in every kitchen. However, they are too similar and often confuse many people.

So how can the first-time users of these two sauce types easily distinguish them? Let this article show all the differences between soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce for you.

Soy Sauce 101 – An Overview Of Soy Sauce

Fermented Soybeans — Soy sauce results from fermented soybeans and stems from Asian cuisine.

Soy sauce is a liquid condiment made from a fermented mixture. The mixture includes soybeans, brine, roasted grains, and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds.

This sauce originated in China around 2,200 years ago (during the Western Han Dynasty) and has a strong umami flavor. In American English, people call it soy. Meanwhile, British English uses the word soya sauce to refer to soy sauce.

This sauce/condiment is widely used by people in East and Southeast Asian countries. ⁽¹⁾

What Is Worcestershire Sauce?

Worcestershire sauce (referred to as Worcester sauce) is a fermented liquid condiment. It is a thin brown sauce that is similar to soy sauce. People often pair Worcestershire sauec with beef because of its savory, spiced, and tangy.

Worcestershire sauce is a mixture using various ingredients such as onions, vinegar, anchovies, and molasses. Molasses is a sticky refiner that has drawn all the sugar out of the canes or sugar beets. It also has a strong umami flavor.

Today, except for beefsteak, it is also served with burgers, seafood, Caesar salad, and even cocktails like Bloody Mary.

Soy Sauce Vs. Worcestershire Sauce – Things You May Not Know

As for the definition, perhaps there are too many similarities between soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. As a result, many people have a hard time distinguishing them. Scroll down to see what makes these two unique.

Differences	Soy Sauce	Worcestershire Sauce
Origin	Around 2,200 years ago in China	In 1835, India
How its made	Fermented from soybeans, grains, salt, and koji mold for about 6 months.	Fermented from anchovies, salt, vinegar, molasses, garlic, chili, tamarind juice, and onions for about 18 months.
Taste	Mainly salty with a slight sweetness and a slightly bitter aftertaste	A mix of savory, sweet, sour, and spicy
Uses	Served with sushi, sashimi Marinate dishes such as roasting, frying, stir-frying, soups	Use in stews, soups, and salads A sauce for frying, baking, and even cocktails like bloody mary
Shelf life	About 3 years if unopened A month at room temperature or half a year in the fridge if opened	About 1.5-3 years if unopened A year at room temperature or about 3 years in the fridge if opened

Origin

Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce both originate from Asian countries. They have completely different histories.

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce dates back to around 2,200 years ago. Its long history originated in China during the Western Han Dynasty.

In ancient Chinese, people called this sauce jan and later jiángyóu. Soy sauce is one of the earliest condiments in the world. It started gaining popularity when introduced to Japan. In the 1800s, America started importing soy sauce.

Worcestershire Sauce

The origin of Worcestershire sauce came from India but was recreated in England. A man who lived in the town of Worcester, England, in 1835, fell in love with this sauce.

After returning from Bengal (India), he collaborated with John Wheeley Lea and William Perrins – owners of Lea & Perrins, which was the company that produced the first Worcestershire sauce.

However, its taste was so strong and unpleasant at first. So John and William decided not to invest in this sauce anymore and forgot about it for two years.

Thanks to all of these random events, Worcestershire sauce was born and became a bestseller at this time. ⁽²⁾

The origin of Worcestershire sauce began with a combination of coincidences.

Watch this video: The Origins Of Worcestershire Sauce

How People Create Soy Sauce And Worcestershire Sauces

The main difference between soy sauce and Worcestershire sauces is their making method and ingredients. Although both are products of fermentation and quite similar in color and texture, they are not the same recipe.

Soy Sauce

The Fermentation Time — Soy sauce takes less than half the fermentation time of Worcestershire sauce.

Soy sauce is a sauce and condiment made from soybeans, grains (usually wheat), and salt. People ferment it with a special mold called koji for about 6 months.

The overall result is salty and sweet soy sauce. The soy sauce ingredients are simpler than Worcestershire sauce, which is suitable for many dishes.

Learn more about the intricate craft of making soy sauce according to Japan’s long tradition in this video.

Watch this video: Japan's Soy Sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

Worcestershire sauce introduces more exotic ingredients than soy sauce. The main ones include anchovies, salt, onions, vinegar, molasses, garlic, chili, and tamarind juice.

Moreover, the unique sour and sweet flavors are enhanced by the acidic ingredients. Many people think Worcestershire sauce combines some other secret ingredients such as soybeans, cloves, lime juice, and pickles.

People usually ferment Worcestershire sauce for at least 18 months. This is also why it has a stronger and more distinctive flavor.

Check out how people nowadays make Worcestershire sauce in England.

Watch this video: How Is Worcestershire Sauce Made

Taste

When you try these two condiments, you will feel their uniqueness. Both soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce create a distinct taste because of the different ingredients.

Soy Sauce

Mild Flavor — The mild flavor of soy sauce is suitable for creating a slight saltiness for rice dishes in Asian cuisine.

The main taste of soy sauce is salty. This is also something that people should consider when using soy sauce in recipes.

Thanks to the fermentation process, it enhances the soy sauce flavor and also has a slightly acidic note. Moreover, it has an umami taste, a slight sweetness, and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall, when you use soy sauce with other dishes, it creates a wonderful harmony and balance.

Worcestershire Sauce

As mentioned, with the sophistication in ingredients and long fermentation period, Worcestershire sauce has a more complex flavor.

It has many layers that stand out as you enjoy it. The lime and tamarind bring out the sourness, while the sugar and molasses offer the sweetness to pair with the hot peppers to create the Worcestershire sauce’s taste.

Uses

From the ingredients and flavors of these two soy sauces and Worcestershire sauces, you can easily guess that their uses are different. Each type of application for distinctive dishes and cooking styles.

Soy Sauce

With its origins in China, soy sauce is clearly suited to Asian palates. In cuisine, people use soy sauce while it’s cold (as a dipping sauce) or heated (as a condiment in a dish).

The best combination is between soy sauce and sushi, sashimi. Moreover, soy sauce may improve dishes that need a more salty or less fishy taste. In addition, it is also a seasoning used to marinate dishes such as roasting, frying, stir-frying, soups, etc.

When marinated or seasoned with soy sauce, the dish has a richer taste and gorgeous color.

For the ultimate taste experience with sushi, you’ll need to rework the soy sauce mix to match.

Watch this video: Soy Sauce For Sushi

Worcestershire Sauce

Ingredient Of A Cocktail — It sounds strange, but Worcestershire sauce is the ingredient of a cocktail like the Bloody Mary.

In the beginning, people created Worcestershire to combine it with beef, and now this is also the most popular duo.

However, with its versatility, Worcestershire sauce can also play a role in stews, soups, salads, sauces for frying, baking, and even cocktails like bloody marys.

In some places, people adopt Worcestershire sauce with a few modifications, like adding fruit flavors or tonkatsu sauce (in Japan), for a new experience.

Shelf Life

Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce have different shelf lives. In addition, both can retain their profiles longer than other sauces.

Soy Sauce

Fermentation Process — Thanks to the fermentation process, soy sauce has a rather long shelf life.

An unopened bottle of soy sauce can last for 3 years. Of course, once opened, you should use it within a month at room temperature to enjoy the best flavor. Moreover, to be safe, you can store soy sauce in the fridge and keep it for half a year.

Worcestershire Sauce

Typically, Worcestershire sauce has a shelf life of 1.5-3 years when unopened. However, its shelf life drops to about a year once you open the bottle and store it in a pantry at room temperature.

If you want to extend the expiration, keep Worcestershire sauce in the refrigerator for about 3 years.

Can You Use Soy Sauce In Place Of Worcestershire Sauce Or Vice Versa?

Enjoy The Dish — You can substitute to enjoy the dish with Worcestershire sauce instead of soy sauce.

You can use soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce in recipes. However, you should only apply this in cooking for the best result.

When using Worcestershire sauce in place of soy sauce to serve as a dipping sauce, the richness of Worcestershire overwhelms the flavor of the dish.

The amount of substitution I recommend for you is 1:1, which is one tablespoon of soy sauce for one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Some Tasty Recipes With Soy Sauce & Worcestershire Sauce

Both soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce work well in a variety of dishes. Check out some delicious recipes below to refresh your menu.

Soy Sauce And Brown Sugar Grilled Salmon

Total time: 20 minutes

The salty taste of soy sauce is neutral by the sweetness of brown sugar, creating a balance for this dish.
Soaking the salmon in this sauce mixture when grilled creates a fragrant aroma and eye-catching brown color. You can use more lemon pepper to create a slight acidity to avoid boredom.

Steamed Silken Tofu With Soy Garlic Sauce

Total time: 15 minutes

A dish cannot be faster and simpler when you only need tofu as the main ingredient to pair with soy sauce and garlic. The characteristic flavor of garlic, when combined with soy sauce, creates a wonderful mixture. This dish is suitable for a healthy vegetarian day.

Tofu with soy garlic sauce is a typical Asian dish that you can have with rice or as a snack.

Watch this video: Silken Tofu With Soy Sauce

Worcestershire Burgers

Total time: 30 minutes

This full Worcestershire-flavored burger garnished with melted gouda cheese and mushrooms is your favorite dinner.

The salty taste of Worcestershire sauce combined with the ingredients helps to create the dish’s uniqueness. Of course, the beef filling makes this recipe perfect.

Easy Sloppy Joes

Total time: 30 minutes

With just 30 minutes and basic ingredients, you have Sloppy Joes for a full meal. You can add apple cider vinegar to balance the taste of the dish.

Sauce from a mixture of Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and ketchup is suitable for this recipe.

FAQs

I have compiled some common questions about this. You can refer to this section below for more information about soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

1. Is it possible to marinate beef with soy sauce?

Yes, of course. Try a sauce recipe with soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, ginger, and honey. It’s not only perfect for steak but also for other varieties like chicken and seafood.

2. Is it possible to tenderize steak with Worchester sauce?

Worcestershire sauce is the perfect pairing with beef. It enhances the flavor and makes the beef reach perfect tenderness because Worcestershire sauce contains vinegar, which breaks down the meat’s fibers.

3. Can fish sauce replace Worcestershire sauce?

Worcestershire sauce is like fish sauce and soy sauce to add saltiness to the dish. So, you can replace Worcestershire with fish sauce.

Since fish sauce doesn’t taste as sweet as Worcestershire sauce, you can add soy sauce, molasses, and tamarind paste to perfectly replicate Worcestershire sauce.

4. What should I replace soy sauce with?

The perfect condiments to replace soy sauce include Worcestershire sauce and fish sauce. Alternatively, you can try using miso, tamari, oyster sauce, and coconut aminos.

5. Can vegetarians use Worcestershire sauce?

Vegan or vegetarian diets cannot introduce Worcestershire sauce because its main ingredient is anchovies, which doesn’t fit the criteria of a vegetarian diet.

All About Soy Sauce & Worcestershire Sauce

Condiments are indispensable in every kitchen. Indeed, you’ve probably always encountered the presence of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce in many household pantries.

At first glance, they look very similar and are often mistaken. However, each type of sauce has a unique flavor that is hard to replace.

The article gives you details on all the differences between soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. At the same time, I also suggest a few quick, simple, and sure-to-be delicious dishes that go well with them.
Hope you can share more experiences when using these two sauces in the comments section below.