Worcestershire sauce is a low-sodium spice for food

Whenever my husband finds an entrée lacking in flavor, he adds Worcestershire sauce.

I watch him sprinkle it on and have never thought, “What is in that stuff?”

Now with more time on my hands, I picked up the bottle and read the label. Created in 1838 by two Englishmen named Lea and Perrins, this condiment has an interesting ingredient combination.

Worcestershire sauce is typically made from barley malt vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies, onion, garlic and spice. It can contain gluten and someone with a fish allergy could have a reaction.

It brings out the savory or umami in foods.

Another popular flavor-enhancing condiment is soy sauce. Popularized with Asian foods, it has moved on to other nationalities. Soy sauce comes from fermented soybeans and roasted grains. It contains gluten and obviously someone with a soy allergy would need to avoid it.

For a soy sauce lower in sodium, the label must say less or lower sodium. If it says light soy sauce, it might only be referring to color. As with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce brings out the umami.

A third umami-producing condiment that is moving from niche to mainstream is liquid aminos. They come from unfermented soybeans and are gluten free.

Although amino is in the name, this product would never be a significant source of protein. One teaspoon has .5 grams of protein. It is promoted as a soy substitute.

On the same shelf you can find coconut aminos produced from coconut sap. Coconut aminos also contain umami-enhancing glutamate.

All the above condiments are umami promoters but probably the question circling your brain is what about sodium. Here is the comparison:

SODIUM PER 1 TEASPOON

Worcestershire sauce 65 mg.

Soy sauce 293 mg. Low sodium soy sauce 177 mg.

Liquid aminos 320 mg.

Coconut aminos 90-130 mg.

The amount of condiment used depends on the food. A goal of lower sodium intake does not exclude a savory umami flavor.