Have you ever eaten shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)? Some of you are already familiar with this distinctive sauce. Shoyu is used to cook Japanese dishes, such as teriyaki, or as a dipping sauce.

Shoyu is also called teriyaki sauce or Japanese soy sauce. There are two types of this soy sauce: light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Unlike soy sauce, shoyu has a salty and slightly sweet taste. Of course, this offers a sensation not found in other soy sauces.

As the name suggests, this soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans. As is well known, the fermentation process usually produces by-products in the form of alcohol. How Halal is it?

Muti Arintawati, president and director of LPPOM MUI, said that if the shoyu is pure, then there is no critical point in the ingredients and process. In terms of raw materials, shoyu uses pure soybeans, which are on the list of non-critical ingredients (the positive list).

Meanwhile, during the production process, by-products with a low alcohol content may appear. Because the purpose of making it is not for drinking, this is still permitted by the MUI.

This is based on MUI Fatwa No. 10 of 2018 on food and beverages containing alcohol/ethanol, which stipulates that fermented food containing alcohol/ethanol is Halal food as long as the fermentation process does not use Haram ingredients and it is not medically dangerous. Even so, Muti stressed that shoyu can only be guaranteed Halal when the shoyu made is purely fermented, that is, without any mixtures.

"If it is mixed with other additional ingredients, those ingredients must be confirmed to be Halal," Muti explained. "It may be that the shoyu is already Halal, but then some ingredients are added that make the shoyu not Halal."

The fermentation process of soybeans or wheat usually takes a long time. This sometimes leads entrepreneurs to manipulate so that the shoyu turns out as expected, for example, by adding seasonings or colorings. These additional ingredients need to be verified as to whether they are Halal.

Other things also need to be considered. In Japanese cuisine, shoyu is usually used together with mirin and sake. Of course, if a dish mixes mirin and sake, its status becomes non-Halal. This is why Muslims need to remain critical about their own consumption.

FAQ

Is shoyu (Japanese soy sauce), which may contain alcohol, Halal?
According to LPPOM MUI, if shoyu is purely fermented (i.e., without any mixtures), it can be guaranteed Halal - its raw material, pure soybeans, is a non-critical ingredient (on the positive list), and although low-alcohol by-products may appear during production, because the purpose of making it is not for drinking, it is still permitted by the MUI (based on MUI Fatwa No. 10 of 2018 on food and beverages containing alcohol/ethanol: fermented food containing alcohol/ethanol is Halal as long as the fermentation uses no Haram ingredients and is not medically dangerous).
What Halal issues should be noted with Japanese dishes using shoyu?
Two things to note: first, if shoyu is mixed with other additional ingredients (such as seasonings or colorings), those ingredients must be confirmed Halal - the shoyu itself may be Halal, but added ingredients may make it non-Halal; second, in Japanese cuisine shoyu is often used together with mirin and sake, and if a dish mixes mirin and sake, its status becomes non-Halal. Therefore Muslims need to remain critical about their consumption.