Xiluo Soy Sauce

Xiluo Soy Sauce

　　Xiluo soy sauce, with a history spanning over a century, owes its enduring popularity to being brewed purely from black beans. This sets it apart significantly from the more common soy sauces made from soybeans and wheat or quick-brewed (chemical) soy sauces. The combination of black beans with the natural environment—climate and water quality—has made Xiluo the hometown of soy sauce.

　　 　　The renowned heritage brand “Maruyasu” has opened a soy sauce factory tour workshop. Behind the factory premises stands a row of large fermentation jars reminiscent of those in the Korean drama “Dae Jang Geum.” Visitors can enjoy the hands-on experience of opening fermentation jars and smelling the aromas. In addition to displays of traditional soy sauce tools, the history of soy sauce, and major categories, visitors can also book a DIY fermented black bean making session. Factory tours are free, and the DIY session costs NT$200 per person.

　　 　　Rui Chun Soy Sauce, which also boasts nearly a century of history, was once the

　　 　　The well-established Datong Soy Sauce has innovated in flavor, making a name for Siluo with its “Orange Soy Sauce,” priced at NT$120 per bottle. It offers the delicate aroma and slight tang of oranges, with an excellent texture. The old bottles with new flavors also include Red Yeast Paste (NT$70) and the traditional Dragon’s Saliva (NT$300).

　　 　　In contrast, the much smaller, long-established Chen Yuanhe preserves the “old-fashioned grocery store” style. Though quaint, it has created the first organic soy sauce, named “Sauce Heart’s Exclusive Shade.” It took nearly two years to find suitable organic beans for the sauce, and production costs are three times higher. Though hard to come by, the price is very reasonable at NT$165 per bottle.

　　 　　The gold-award-winning Huatai Soy Sauce not only boasts a pure soy sauce flavor but also offers a variety of new-flavored pickles, including vegetarian ones. The most distinctive are the Chinese Toon Vegetarian Meat Sauce and Basil Mushroom Sauce, each priced at NT$80.

　　 　　Contact numbers: Marukan 05-586-3666, Rui Chun 05-586-1438, Datong 05-586-2047, Chen Yuanhe 05-587-8395, Huatai 05-586-5998