Tamari comes from the word “tamaru” in Japanese that means “collect or gather” as it is a byproduct of miso production. Tamari is almost always a gluten-free soy sauce, made from fermented soybeans without wheat and thus appropriate for celiacs and gluten-free diets (check the labels as brands do vary). In comparison with regular Chinese soy sauce, tamari is slightly sweeter, less salty, thicker in consistency and overall more balanced without the harsh bite of the former. Choose tamari made from organic, non-GMO soybeans.
In the Asian soy sauce family there is also shoyu, fermented from equal quantities of soybeans and wheat. Shoyu is not gluten-free, much more salty than tamari and best used sparingly.
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