Eleventh International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

In this day and age you would be hard-pressed to find a country unfamiliar with the word sushi. Likewise, soy sauce has long been a household world and it is soy sauce which brings out the flavor of raw fish. The birthplace of Japanese-style soy sauce is said to be Yuasa, a rural town in Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan. Wakayama is located at the southernmost tip of Honshu and occupies the western half of Japan’s largest peninsula. Eighty percent of the prefecture is covered in mountains of the 1000 meter-class, an undulating wooded landscape which flourishes in the warm, wet climate. These days the stratum is rich in iron, but centuries ago the low iron content of the ground water was ideal for the growth of aspergillus fungi; hence, Yuasa was a prime location for the manufacturing of soy sauce. In my paper, I introduce Yuasa and the history of its soy sauce, the Yuasa soy sauce factory’s historical methods of production, and explore the circumstances in history which led to soy sauce’s distribution throughout Japan. I also touch upon the dip in consumption which has created a significant decline in the number of soy sauce manufacturers, and how we can avert this crisis by making traditional methods and ingredients (not only soy sauce but also kelp and bonito flakes) more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Soy sauce is truly indispensable in the world of Japanese cuisine and must be protected.

Presenters

Aiko Tanaka
Founder, Japan Food Studies College, Japan Food Studies Research Institute (FSRI), Food Activist Organization Japan, Planetary Food Education Network, Japan