Yongping Fermented Black Beans

Yongping Fermented Black Beans

　　Fermented black beans are one of the traditional seasonings used earlier in cooking by the people of Yongping. Due to the influence of commercial culture, those made by folk producers in ShanYang and BoNan are particularly well-known.

　　The method of making fermented black beans involves first washing and soaking soybeans, then steaming them. After cooling, koji mold, a small amount of flour, and other ingredients are added to a vat for fermentation. At the same time, a certain amount of salt, chili, Sichuan pepper, and fennel powder are mixed in. The resulting product is called “water fermented black beans.” When dressed with rapeseed oil during fermentation, it becomes “oil fermented black beans.” In recent years, some have come up with the idea of adding wild matsutake mushrooms—native to ShanYang—to the oil fermented black beans during the curing process, yielding an even more distinctive flavor.

　　In cooking, fermented black beans are mainly used as a savory and salty seasoning, suitable for a variety of stir-fried, steamed, braised, or mixed dishes. Not only are they an excellent flavor enhancer, but they also offer medicinal benefits. It is said that regularly eating fermented black beans can aid digestion, slow aging, enhance brain function, improve liver detoxification, help prevent high blood pressure, relieve fatigue, prevent cancer, and reduce the severity of a hangover. They may also help alleviate certain other illnesses. In times of scarcity, a vat of fermented black beans held the same importance in rural households as a small grain storage bin. Even today, in many homes across Yongping, fermented black beans remain an essential and indispensable seasoning on the dining table.

　　Source: Dali Prefecture Tourism Development Management Committee