Curious Cook: A saucy tale, Part 2

Artisanally produced shoyu from Yagisawa Shoten Co take pride of place in Mamoru Araki’s restaurant in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Japanese soy sauces have more official grades or types – five in total. — AP

The earliest indication of the existence of something akin to soy sauce was a mention in Chinese writings in 150 AD of a fermented black soybean extract called “shizhi” used in a recipe for a meat marinade.

This was followed in 160 AD by a description of “qingjiang” or a sauce made with “jiang”, a word used to describe various foods pickled with salt – these include fruits, vegetables, seaweed, meat, fish and various grains (including rice, wheat and soybeans).