Soy Sauce History

3000 years

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  3,000 Years Ago

  
  

  The Early Days
  
  First known as sauce juice, soy sauce originally started more than three thousand years ago. The first occurrence of the term soy sauce was seen in the book Zun Sheng Ben Jian during the Ming Dynasty.

   

A.D. 753

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  A.D. 753

  
  

  From China to Japan
  
  Jian Zhen, a well-renowned bonze during the Tang Dynasty, brought the fermentation techniques for making soy sauce to Japan on his visit. This knowledge was enhanced when a Japanese bonze Kong Hai went to China for studies.

   

Around 1200

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  Around 1200

  
  

  Expanding Soy Sauce Brewing Westward
  
  After mastering the traditional sauce-making technology in his trip to China, Japanese bonze Jue Xin founded the Xing Guo Temple in Ji Zhou You. He then educated his neighbors on the proper sauce brewing process, which started the spread of soy sauce to Mexico.

   

1980s

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  1980s

  
  

  Continuous Global Exposure
  
  As part of the new Chinese government’s initiative to make soy sauce a more integral part of home-style cooking, workshops and factories were invested in brewing. Adapting traditional techniques with innovative technology, large quantities of soy sauce were produced and started its global appeal.

   

Now

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  Now

  
  

  Celebrating Chinese Culinary Culture
  
  With the global culinary scene changes, soy sauce has also adapted well to accommodate the distinct crowd. From offering low-salt and organic variants to updating product packaging, soy sauce still stands as a forerunner in the Chinese culinary culture.