Soybean Paste

Soybean Paste

　　Yunfu Soybean Paste, well-known across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, is a high-grade seasoning; it boasts a history of over 200 years and is made using unique traditional methods. Derived from the essence of soybean protein, it is rich in nutrients. Produced through several hours of high-heat cooking and completely free of preservatives, it is natural and wholesome. It suits all kinds of cooking, and is particularly well-suited for making soy sauce chicken, as well as for preparing pork, chicken, duck, goose, beef brisket, tofu, steamed fish, spare ribs, and other dishes.

　　Soybean Paste is a specialty of Yunfu County in Guangdong Province. It had already gained fame in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and the Yunfu area more than thirty years ago. Made from soybeans or black beans, it undergoes processes such as steaming, fermenting, extracting, salting, evaporating, and concentrating to create a paste-like substance with a taste similar to soy sauce (Cantonese people often refer to soy sauce as “豉油”). Yunfu has been producing Soybean Paste for over a hundred years, with its origins in the mountainous regions of Tuodong and Zhen’an in the western part of the county. Due to its similar color, aroma, and flavor to soy sauce, as well as its paste-like semi-solid form, it was especially suitable for the mountain dwellers of that time, who faced transportation challenges. Later, Soybean Paste gradually spread to Yuncheng (now the county seat of Yunfu) and areas such as Hekou and Liudu within the county. Long before the liberation, the production of Yunfu Soybean Paste was already quite popular.