"Peter Dy" > wrote in message
om...
>
>
>
> I dunno. I'm with Ian on this one. Refrigerators are overrated. When my
> sis lived in Beijing, which is not some backwater town, but an immense
city,
> her apartment didn't have a refrigerator. Thus, from the Xia Dynasty
> starting in the 21st century BC to the 21st century AD, China has been
> refrigerator-free. All its food culture has been geared towards that
fact,
> which is why we have all those wonderful fermented and dried products.
>

I would think that in China, because products like soy sauce are used very
frequently, they are probably used up before any significant deterioration
occurs. The same would hold true in Japan, where my friends kept their
daily use soy sauces in cupboards, while premium soys were kept in the
fridge (by premium soys, I mean the ones that cost a minimum of Y1500/litre
which they used less often). Keeping the same bottle for 3 years is not
likely to occur in these countries (I assume) so there is not as much need
to preserve the flavour through refrigeration.

Personally, I don't use soy sauce that often right now so I don't even have
any in the house. However, in the past I have noticed that "old" fish sauce
does have a much different flavour from when first purchased. It may have
to do with evaporation, resulting in a stronger, more concentrated-flavoured
product, but it is different and a little unpleasant when used directly on
food, though the difference is not as noticeable as when used as an
ingredient in a dish.

> I don't know exactly why Kikkoman would reply as they did, but maybe it is
> to appeal to American sensibilities or to show how Japanese are
"advanced".
>
> Peter
>
>

I think (though I may be mistaken) that Kikkoman made and sold in Japan has
the same "refrigerate after opening" label on it so it wouldn't be in order
to appeal to American sensibilities. To me, Japanese soy sauce is usually
much lighter in flavour so I would imagine changes in flavour would be more
noticeable. Perhaps that is why they suggest refrigeration while Chinese
soy sauce don't (assuming they don't, I don't have any on hand to check).

rona

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