Guangnan Soy Sauce

Guangnan Soy Sauce

　　Guangnan Soy Sauce is a specialty of Guangnan County in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is made from a blend of ingredients such as soybeans, glutinous rice, malt, brown sugar, honey, and wheat bran. The sauce has a deep chestnut color, with a dark black yet slightly red hue, and boasts a fragrant, sweet, rich, and refreshing taste that remains mold-free even when stored for long periods.

　　 Guangnan Soy Sauce, also known as Clear Sauce, is a traditional local condiment originally called “Yongfeng Brand” soy sauce. It has a history of over 100 years. During the Qing Dynasty’s Tongzhi era, the Cao and Meng families founded a soy sauce workshop, which became known as “Cao Clear Sauce” and “Meng Clear Sauce.” The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cao Wencai, began producing soy sauce in vats starting in the second year of the Tongzhi reign (1863). Their son, Cao Shaowu, inherited the business and expanded production, later passing down the secret recipe to his daughter-in-law, who maintained the product’s quality. In the 1930s, “Yongfeng Brand” also had a store selling the sauce on Dongsi Street in Kunming. After the public-private partnership era, the “Cao Clear Sauce” recipe was preserved. Starting in July 1957, state-owned cake shops, pickled vegetable factories, and the Lianfeng Grain Management Office each had a workshop producing Guangnan Soy Sauce.

　　One of the distinctive features of Guangnan Soy Sauce is its strong selectivity for the season of ingredient sourcing, with great emphasis placed on the optimal period for harvesting. Its fermentation cycle lasts one full year, allowing proteins in the ingredients to fully break down into amino acids, resulting in excellent esterification that yields a sweet, rich, and mellow flavor. Another feature is the use of natural microbial communities that encourage the mutual growth of various microorganisms during fermentation. An appropriate amount of honey and a high proportion of glutinous rice molasses are added during boiling. The sauce typically has a concentration of 34–36 degrees, with a deep chestnut color and a dark black yet slightly red hue. Its flavor is fragrant, sweet, rich, and refreshing, and it remains mold-free even when stored for extended periods. It serves as an excellent seasoning and additive for stir-fried and cold dishes. The ingredients—including soybeans, glutinous rice, malt, brown sugar, honey, and wheat bran—are combined to create a sauce that is vibrant in color and delicious in taste. After its brand was revived in the 1980s, the product not only sold well throughout the county’s urban and rural areas but was also exported to Guangxi, Kunming, Mengzi, and various counties in Wenshan Prefecture.