Yazhou's intangible cultural heritage cuisine - bean sauce

Yazhou bean sauce. [Photo/WeChat account: yzwkjc]

Yacheng village is a tranquil village located in Yacheng district. Bean sauce is a specialty of Yazhou and surrounding areas. With a slightly sweet and sour taste, it serves as an essential seasoning in every household.

The bean planting season falls around October each year, with the raw materials for making bean sauce mainly sourced from naturally grown small beans in Sanya and its surrounding areas.

In Yacheng village, the name "Chen's bean sauce" is widely known, with a history of over 100 years.

Chen Liangpeng is the third-generation inheritor of bean sauce making skills from Yacheng village. The production process remains unchanged, adhering to traditional methods passed down through generations to preserve the authentic taste.

The process of making bean sauce involves washing, filtering until the water is clear, cooking the washed beans in a pot for four to five hours until the aroma fills the courtyard, indicating the beans are ready.

Boil beans. [Photo/WeChat account: yzwkjc]

The cooked beans are then mashed into a paste, left overnight, mixed with an appropriate amount of salt, minced ginger, and minced garlic the next day, placed in a large jar, compacted, sealed, and left to ferment for two to three days to create the final bean sauce.

Why do the people of Yacheng love bean sauce so much? It is said that in ancient Yacheng, fishing and agriculture were the main industries. Combined with the hot weather, bean sauce, with its salty-sour-sweet flavor, was highly valued for its ability to stop sweating, dispel dampness, generate body fluids, and relieve thirst. This made it particularly suitable for consumption after hard work under the scorching sun, naturally becoming an indispensable appetizer on the dining tables of Yacheng residents.

"There are many ways to eat bean sauce, and it is also very simple to make," said Chen. Common practices include using bean sauce as a condiment in the preparation of fish, shrimp, pork, hot pot, and other dishes.

A pork dish with bean sauce as the condiment. [Photo/WeChat account: yzwkjc]