food · 5 May 2026

The Fermented Foods of China: A Field Guide

Fermentation is central to Chinese food culture in ways that go well beyond soy sauce. Bean pastes, black vinegars, preserved vegetables, fermented tofu, and grain wines all rely on microbial transformation. Here is what they are and how they are used.

Fermentation has been central to Chinese food preservation and flavour development for at least 3,000 years. Modern Chinese kitchens rely on fermented products at every stage of cooking.

Soy sauce: light (生抽, thinner and saltier for seasoning) and dark (老抽, aged with molasses for braising and colour). Doubanjiang: Pixian fermented broad bean and chilli paste, the foundation of Sichuan cooking — mapo tofu, twice-cooked pork. Black bean (豆豉): fermented dried soybeans used in Cantonese dishes. Fermented tofu (腐乳): cubes in white, red, or stinky styles — like concentrated aged cheese. Chinese vinegars: Shanxi aged (sorghum-based, complex), Zhenjiang black (aromatic, the correct dip for xiaolongbao), rice vinegar (mild, Cantonese). Sichuan paocai: brine-pickled vegetables, lighter and crispier than Korean kimchi. Stinky tofu: deep-fried fermented tofu, forceful smell, milder flavour. Shaoxing Hua Diao: aged rice wine, amber-coloured, sherry-like, used in Shanghainese braised dishes.