Yes, sweet soy sauce is sweet.
Sweet soy sauce, also known as kecap manis, derives its distinctive sweet flavor primarily from the generous addition of palm sugar. In fact, palm sugar, often referred to as gula merah or gula jawa (palm sugar jaggery), can constitute up to 50% of the sauce's total composition. This high concentration of palm sugar is what imparts the characteristic sweetness to the condiment, setting it apart from other types of soy sauce. It offers a caramel-like sweetness unlike regular soy sauce.
Therefore, the defining characteristic of sweet soy sauce is indeed its sweetness.
