Soy sauces explained

Soy sauce, made from fermented and distilled soybeans, wheat and water, comes in more variations than contained in that squat bottle on the restaurant table next to the paper napkins:

• Light - Though thin in color and texture, it's the saltiest. Useful in cooking and for dipping sauces.
• Dark - Used in meat glazes and general cooking, it contains molasses and other flavorings that make it more viscous.
• Kecap Manis (pronounced 'ketchup maneece') - An Indonesian soy sauce that contains palm sugar that makes it sweet as well as salty. Some varieties have an undertone of star anise and garlic.
• Black Soy - A Chinese kecap manis but without any extra flavorings.