FOOD NEWS
The Difference Between Maggi Seasoning And Soy Sauce
By Camryn Teder
Maggi seasoning, a close cousin of soy sauce, is best used in dishes like soups, sauces, pasta, and even in your Bloody Mary. Soy sauce and Maggi are two versatile flavor-enhancing condiments that share many similarities — like a rich umami flavor — but they differ in several other ways.
Maggi, which has a smoky, tangy umami flavor, originated in the late 1800s when Julius Maggi looked to create better food options for the working class and ended up selling the seasonings he used in his soups, calling it Maggi. On the other hand, soy sauce — the modern version of which has umami, salty, and bitter notes — was created around 500 B.C. to help preserve meats.
Maggi comes from a combination of wheat and glutamic acids — which gives it a hyper-concentrated flavor — whereas soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans, water, and salt. While the two share a similar look and flavor profile, Maggi has a much more complex taste and a meatier edge, compared to the sweeter notes of soy sauce, and is also a little thicker.