Dark soy sauce facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dark soy sauce

Type	Soy sauce
Place of origin	China
Associated national cuisine	Chinese cuisine Taiwanese cuisine

Dark soy sauce is a special kind of soy sauce used in Chinese cooking. It has a deep, dark color. Chefs use it to make dishes look rich and appealing. It also adds a unique flavor.

This sauce is a bit thicker than other soy sauces. It is also less salty. This means you can use more of it for color without making your food too salty. Dark soy sauce is aged for a longer time. Sometimes, a little molasses or other sweet things are added to it. This gives it a slightly sweet taste. You will often find dark soy sauce in stews, stir-fries, and various sauces. It is great for dishes that need a beautiful dark color, like "red cooked" foods.

What's in a Name?

In Chinese, dark soy sauce is called lăo chōu (Chinese: 老抽). This name means "old extract." It comes from a longer name, lăo tóu chōu (simplified Chinese: 老头抽; traditional Chinese: 老頭抽), which means "old man extract."

This name helps us understand the difference between dark soy sauce and other types. For example, "light soy sauce" is often called shēng chōu (Chinese: 生抽). This means "raw extract." So, "old extract" (dark soy sauce) is aged longer, while "raw extract" (light soy sauce) is not aged as much.