Shio Koji - liquid koji salt, 500 ml

In Japan, shio-koji has been a popular food seasoning for centuries. It is largely unknown in Europe and America. Koji is rice fermented with a fungus (Aspergillus oryzae), which can be used as a seasoning alternative to salt or soy sauce. It is similar to the use of yeast and bacteria in the production of beer, wine, or cheese. Its production is quite simple. The spores of the fungus are mixed with the steamed rice and stored for a few days at 50°C. The starch in the rice is thus converted into sugar, releasing fatty acids, amino acids, and natural glutamate. This form of koji is called kome koji in Japan. If sea salt is added during production, you get shio-koji. The sugar and salt contained in shio koji bring out the natural flavor of the food even more. This flavor, which we Germans would say "savory," is called umami in Japan. Shio-koji can be used for all kinds of meat, fish, tofu, and vegetables.