Zhaotong Fermented Sauce 昭通酱

Zhaotong Fermented Sauce (昭通酱) is a fermented soybean condiment named after Zhaotong (昭通), Yunnan (云南). A China Brewing (中国酿造) study by researchers at Zhaotong University (昭通学院) describes a traditional process that starts with roasted soybeans rather than steamed or boiled ones.

Roasted beans and spices

The beans are roasted according to their size, hulled and ground into flour. Water is added to shape the flour into fermentation cakes. Roasted chillies, Sichuan pepper and other spices distinguish the sauce described in the study from a plain soybean paste.

Two stages of fermentation

The study separates starter fermentation from the later sauce-making stage. After the cakes ferment under straw, they are broken up and mixed with chilli, spices, salt, water and some white spirit. The resulting sauce develops through outdoor sun exposure and overnight dew, with periodic stirring. The paper describes the outdoor ageing stage as taking about six months.