Sauces and Pastes · FFET10372

Soy sauce (Chinese brewed soy sauce)

Soybeans undergo koji cultivation and brine fermentation; light soy sauce seasons food, while dark soy sauce adds color to braised dishes.

Brewed soy sauce is a salty, savory liquid extracted from soybeans after koji cultivation and fermentation in brine, often with wheat among the ingredients. Light soy sauce is used for everyday seasoning, while dark soy sauce commonly adds color to braised dishes. The Xianshi brewing craft of Hejiang, Sichuan, is distinctive for steaming whole beans, cultivating koji with naturally occurring strains, prolonged fermentation in the sun, natural leaching, and concentration in the sun.

What

Brewed soy sauce is a salty, savory seasoning liquid extracted from soybeans after koji cultivation and fermentation in brine, often with wheat included. Light soy sauce is used for seasoning, while dark soy sauce adds color to braised dishes.^1,2

When

Volume 8 of Qimin Yaoshu describes making bean paste and using doujiangqing, its liquid, as a seasoning. The book is dated to about AD 540, and use of the name jiangyou is placed in the Song dynasty. The book's date does not come from the primary text consulted, and no consulted primary text confirms the dating of the name, so neither establishes an origin date for soy sauce.^2,4

Where

Brewed soy sauce is made across China. Hejiang County, Sichuan, is the declaring area for the Xianshi brewing craft, which is also practiced in Gulin and Luxian. These are locations of a local brewing tradition, not an established birthplace for soy sauce as a whole.^1,3

How

The general method is to steam the beans, cultivate koji, ferment in brine, and extract the sauce. The Xianshi method uses whole soybeans and naturally occurring strains, usually ferments in the sun for more than 3 years, and then uses natural leaching and concentration in the sun. In the kitchen, light soy sauce provides everyday seasoning, while dark soy sauce colors braised dishes.^1,2,3

Why

Soy sauce serves as a seasoning for its salty, savory taste, with fermentation developing its savory flavor. The Xianshi craft has 5 distinctive features: steaming whole beans, cultivating koji with mixed naturally occurring strains, prolonged fermentation in the sun, natural leaching, and concentration in the sun.^2,3

Impact and influence

The Xianshi soy sauce brewing craft entered the 4th batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list as an extension project in 2014. This recognition applies to the local brewing craft.³

Sources (4)