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.

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