Soy milk

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About Soy milk
Wikipedia Article About Soy milk on Wikipedia

Soy milk (also called soymilk, soya milk, soybean milk, soy bean milk, soy drink, or soy beverage) is a milk-like product made from soybeans.

Soy milk originated in Eastern Asia, China, a region where the soybean was native and used as food long before the existence of written records. Later on, the soybean and soybean foods were transplanted to Japan. Soybean or "vegetable" milk is reputed to have been discovered and developed by Liu An of the Han Dynasty in China about 164 B.C. Liu An is also credited with the development of "doufu"(soybean curd) in China which 900 years later spread to Japan where it is known as tofu.

Soy milk is cholesterol free and low in sodium, fat and calcium, but high in protein and rich in iron. Check the label, since brands may vary on the amount of nutrients added to their product. This milk is available in a liquid or powder form and as a low fat or whole milk beverage. Soy milk has a tendency to curdle when combined with acidic foods, unlike cow's milk, which does not. It can be substituted for cow's milk in many recipes, working well for baked desserts, dips, sauces, soups, and stews. However, since it contains very little saturated fat, it will not set up as well as a dairy milk and therfore, does not work well for some sweet fillings for pies, pastries, baked goods, puddings, and yogurt.

Soybean's oil and protein is to the germinating soy seedling as casein, milk protein, and milk fat is to a baby mammal: food-nutrients for growth.

Traditional soy milk, a stable emulsion of oil, water and protein, is simply an aqueous extract of whole soybeans. Soy milk contains about the same proportion of protein as cow's milk~ around 3.5%; also 2% fat, 2.9% carbohydrate and 0.5% ash.

The Mandarin Chinese term for what English speakers call soy milk is dòu jiāng (豆漿; literally "soy liquid"). In western nations, soy milk is more commonly sold under the term dòu nǎi (豆奶; lit. "soy milk") than dòu jiāng (豆漿), although the two terms are often used interchangeably. However, there is a product in China that is called dòu nǎi (豆奶) which is a dry miscible powder made of both cow and soy milk.

The Japanese term for soy milk is tounyū (豆乳).

Flavored soy milk
Soy milk is also sold in flavored versions, like vanilla and carob, among others. Unless a recipes specifically calls for a flavored soy milk, do not substitute flavored soy milk for regular soy milk.