Sui Ning Yuan Sweet Soy Sauce

Sui Ning Yuan Sweet Soy Sauce

　　Sui Ning Yuan Sweet Soy Sauce is a specialty of Suining County, Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province. This sweet soy sauce is an essential condiment in the kitchens of Suining locals—indispensable for stir-frying, seasoning, stewing, and braising. It boasts a delicious taste and pure color, and is deeply loved by the local people.

　　Yuan Sweet Soy Sauce is a specialty of Suining, featuring an amber color and a savory-sweet taste with a unique flavor, classifying it as a high-end condiment. Legend has it that when Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, he stayed in Zaohe, Xiapi, while journeying along the Grand Canal. Local officials presented him with delicacies and fine wines. Xiapi had suffered from a major land collapse since the Kangxi era, and the entire county had not yet recovered even by the time of Qianlong’s visit. With no fine offerings at hand, the local officials presented sweet soy sauce brewed by the local “San Yi” Sauce Workshop. After tasting dishes dressed with the sweet soy sauce, Emperor Qianlong was delighted and remarked, “I’ve had soybean oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce, but I’ve never tried sweet soy sauce. I never expected it to taste so delicious.” He then bestowed upon it the title “Imperial Sweet Soy Sauce.” The Imperial Sweet Soy Sauce quickly gained popularity among the people and even won the Provincial New Product Development “Golden Ox Award.” Today, Imperial Sweet Soy Sauce is produced on a large scale by a group, yielding around 800,000 kilograms per year, and is sold both domestically and internationally.

　　The production method of Yuan Sweet Soy Sauce is as follows: In spring, wheat dough blocks are fermented in the dark under high temperature until they develop pale yellow, thread-like fungal growths. These are then removed from the room and dried in a ventilated area before being placed in large open vats and soaked in water. They are exposed to sunlight during the day and dew and moonlight at night. After the beginning of autumn, the amber-yellow liquid extracted from the filtration tubes in the vats is called sweet soy sauce. This sauce is rich in umami, has a clear color, a delicious and refreshing taste, a thick consistency, and combines the flavors of savory, sweet, rich, and aromatic. It can be added to stir-fries, braised dishes, soups, and cold salads according to individual taste preferences.