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Soy milk Wikipedia

Soy milk or soya milk (Chinese_language|Chinese: 豆浆 or 豆奶, Japanese language|Japanese:豆乳) is the liquid extraction processed from soy beans after soaking, grinding, cooking and straining. Tofu is produced from soy milk by further steps of curdling and then draining.

In China, soy milk is a popular drink, now even available at Western fast food restaurants such as Dunkin Donuts. Soy milk is one of the canonical Chinese breakfast foods. There are great regional and personal variations in the preparation. Sweetened hot soy milk is perhaps most common, but soy milk can be found hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened, or even with added vinegar or chile oil.

In Japan, cow milk now far exceeds the popularity of soy milk. So much so that cafés that offer soy milk substitutes for milk tend to be foreign franchises rather than domestic ones. Soy milk is almost always available at tofu shops, and most supermarkets in Japan.

In the Western packaging, soy milk looks very similar to cow's milk. Its nutritional content is quite similar, except some vitamins are usually added artificially including Vitamin B12 and calcium. It naturally has about the same amount of protein as cow milk.

Soy milk has increased in popularity in the West, where it is seen as a substitute for cow's milk, because of perceived advantages over cow's milk in nutrition, palatability and environmental impact. Soy milk is low in saturated fat and contains no lactose, which is good for the many people who are Lactose intolerance|lactose intolerant. Soy milk also lacks casein, a milk protein which some studies have shown to release histamine and increase mucus production in the body.

Flavored soy milk can come in plain, vanilla, chocolate, or a variety of other flavors. Some have added vitamin B12 and calcium, and it can be sweetened with apple juice.

Soy milk can be used as a replacement for cow milk in most types of recipes. It is commonly found in many vegan and vegetarian food products.

Last Modified:   2005-04-13