Dongbei Dajiang

Place of Origin

Dongbei*, China

Description

Dongbei dajiang is presented in a thin paste with hues ranging from yellow-brown to red-brown. It has a strong and pungent flavor. Locals especially enjoy using it as a dip for crudités.

Technical Aspects

Dongbei dajiang and soybean miso are crafted in a very similar manner. Both involve fermenting ground soybeans without introducing any additional cereals throughout the process. However, a notable discrepancy arises during the second fermentation phase: when preparing dajiang, water is incorporated at a ratio of 1:3 to the soybeans, and salt is added at a ratio of 1:0.4; in contrast, when producing soybean miso, only salt is added without the inclusion of water at this stage. In local folk tradition, the timing of dajiang production is particularly important. Typically, the initial fermentation (known as “qu-making” in China) begins in spring, and the second fermentation must initiate on one of three specific days in the Chinese lunar calendar: the 8th, 18th, or 28th day of the fourth month. The entire production process takes three months.

*Dongbei is a geographical region of China, also known as Northeast China in its literal translation, or as Manchuria historically.