Soy sauce is a traditional Chinese liquid condiment. It is made by brewing soybeans, defatted soybeans, black beans, wheat or wheat bran, with water and salt. It has a reddish-brown color, a unique soy aroma, and a delicious flavor that stimulates the appetite. The core step in the traditional soy sauce production process is open-air sun-drying, a crucial process for developing its unique flavor.
Soy sauce evolved from fermented bean paste. Records of fermented bean paste production in China date back to the Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. The invention of soy sauce brewing by the ancient Chinese working people was purely accidental. The earliest soy sauce, a condiment used by ancient Chinese emperors, was made by marinating fresh meat, similar to the process of making fish sauce today. Because of its excellent flavor, it gradually spread to the common people. Later, it was discovered that soybeans could be used to make a similar flavor at a lower price, leading to its widespread consumption. In its early stages, it spread throughout the world, including Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, with the help of Buddhist monks.
In the early days, the production of Chinese soy sauce was a family art and a secret. Its brewing was mostly controlled by a master craftsman, and the techniques were often passed down from generation to generation or taught by a particular school of masters, forming a certain brewing method.
