Soy sauce is one of the most important culinary ingredients in Chinese food. Historical research shows that the origin of the seasoning can be traced back more than 3,000 years to ancient China. Today, the seasoning has become an essential element in East Asian cuisines. Japan, Korea and several countries in Southeast Asia have all developed the brew in accordance with their own tastes.
According to the Taiwan Fermenting Food Industry Association, in 2008 the island produced 140,000 tons of soy sauce, valued at around NT$4 billion (US$121.6 million). About 10 to 15 percent of the output was for exports. The organization currently has 60 members, though it estimated the number of breweries on the island to be several times more.
“The evolution of Taiwan’s soy sauce industry mirrors the different stages of the country’s political landscape,” said Brian Chuang, executive assistant to the chairman at Wuan Chuang Food Industrial Co. Ltd. “The change in the seasoning’s flavors also reflects the demographic shifts of the island’s population. As such, soy sauce is not only a manufacturing industry, it also has profound cultural implications,” he added.
The condiment was introduced to Taiwan in the 17th century by soldiers of the Ming dynasty (1368-1662). For the following three centuries, the method used by locals to brew soy sauce remained entirely the same. The only important change in technique was introduced by the Japanese, who ruled Taiwan as a colony between 1894 and 1945. Whereas the traditional Chinese method uses black beans asr primary ingredients, the Japanese one uses soybeans and wheat. The manufacturing technique of the two styles is also somewhat different as well.
“The Japanese colonial rule represented a watershed period in Taiwan’s soy sauce industry,” said Chuang, whose great-grandfather founded Wuan Chuang in 1909 in Xiluo Township, Yulin County in central Taiwan. But before then, the island’s first commercial brewery had already been established. It was founded in Hsinchu in 1901, by a Japanese national named Suzuki, and for the benefit of Japanese expatriates living in Taiwan.
The seasoning gradually developed into a commercial product with numerous small breweries springing up all over the island. The great majority of these family-run businesses were forced to shut down during the second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), when the Japanese practiced food rationing on the island, but most resumed operations after the war came to an end.
When the Chinese Communists took over the mainland in 1949, several mainland breweries moved their business to Taiwan and introduced their tastes into the island. As massive numbers of new immigrants settled down on the island, supply could hardly catch up with demand. But an increasing number of incidents involving soy sauce tainted with toxic industrial chemicals prompted the government to take action in 1955. Tons of contaminated soy sauce valued at NT$100,000 were confiscated and dumped into the Tamshui River in Taipei.
“This so-called ‘Black River Incident’ represented a milestone in the development of Taiwan’s food processing industry, as both the public and the private sectors became more aware of food product safety as a result,” said Chuang. The industry developed along healthier lines after the incident.
Along with the country’s economy, the sector shifted into full gear during the 1960s with more advanced equipment and automated process know-how from Japan. The government also sponsored technical seminars and workshops to help small breweries upgrade their operations, Chuang said. But as large manufacturers with cost advantages joined the race, fierce competition drove many small plants out of business. Today, the top seven manufacturers account for 75 percent of the country’s output, according to the TFFIA.
Water, climate, a special type of fungus known by its Japanese name as koji, and brewing craftsmanship are the four key factors that determine the quality and flavor of soy sauce, Chuang said. As soy sauce concocted according to the traditional method requires a six-month fermentation period in large pottery vats placed under the sun, “the abundant sunshine of Xiluo and the quality of its water supply have made the place the island’s production center of naturally brewed soy sauce,” he explained.
“Other than the difference in raw materials (black beans vs. soybeans and wheat) used, soy sauce can be made in three different ways,” Chuang noted. “You can have it brewed according to the traditional method,” he explained. Alternatively, the non-brewed method, which entails no craftsmanship, can mass-produce the flavoring agent with artificial compounds in just seven days. There is also the mixed brewing method that combines the two approaches. Of course, prices of different types of soy sauce can vary dramatically, he added.
Although Wuan Chuang produces both the soybean-wheat and the black bean types of soy sauce, “I personally believe the latter will help local breweries differentiate themselves from the pack in the global market,” Chuang said. “The Japanese may be the global leader, but we have a niche with this distinctive product and superior craftsmanship unique to Taiwan,” he said proudly.
The mainlanders, for example, are fascinated by the rich content of Taiwan’s soy sauce. “They never imagined something so mundane can make such a difference,” Chuang said from his personal observation. He believes that the sector is posed to benefit as the mainlanders begin to appreciate the quality of Taiwan’s food processing sector.
In a world where adulterated food products have run amok, “Taiwan’s image as a country that emphasizes product integrity is a great asset when local firms try to promote their goods and services in the world,” Chuang pointed out. He said his company and many other breweries are working together to market the island’s soy sauce in overseas markets. The government has also offered its support by sponsoring offshore trade shows and exhibitions on a regularly basis.
Other than extending their reach outside of the country’s boundaries, local firms are also finding ways to market their goods in conjunction with tourism. For example, both Wuan Chuang and Kimlan Foods Co. Ltd., the country’s leading soy sauce maker, have converted parts of their facilities into tourism factories.
“It is a pity that everybody seems to take soy sauce for granted,” Chuang said. To him and his associates in the business, soy sauce epitomizes the spirit of hard-working Taiwanese. “That is why my family gladly took on the responsibility to share with people how the seasoning is made,” he said.
Chuang is also the driving force behind “Essence of Black Bean,” an exhibition depicting the evolution of Taiwan’s soy sauce held at the National Taiwan Museum from July 7 to Aug. 30 in Taipei. “This is not a marketing campaign. This is about passing on the knowledge about one of the most important elements of Taiwan’s folk culture,” he stressed. “In the end, this is what has kept my family in the business for a century.”
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw