On April 28th, the Wang Wu Education Foundation, Ancient Grains Cultural Enterprise, and Fremont Main Library jointly organized a seminar titled “Tempting the Taste Buds with Black Elves,” which provided a multifaceted introduction to traditional Chinese cuisine—the soy sauce.
Food is paramount in people’s lives, and undoubtedly, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea are the basic elements of Chinese cuisine. Among them, soy sauce, with its unique production process and profound cultural heritage, has become an indispensable soul of Chinese cuisine. Historical records show that soy sauce originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty in China. The initial soy sauce was made by pickling minced animal meat.
The seminar was conducted by Professor Qi Jimei, who vividly introduced the origin of soy sauce, its history and development, the difference between natural and chemical soy sauces, the brewing process, and Taiwan’s unique black bean soy sauce. Additionally, she showcased her artistic creations using soy sauce.
Professor Qi Jimei stated that soy sauce, as the soul of the eight major Chinese cuisines, has a long history that has been passed down for thousands of years. The traditional brewing process of soy sauce is the healthiest. She hoped that everyone would try this ancient Chinese tradition.
Co-founder of the event organizer Wang Wu Education Foundation, Wu Jifang, expressed that good soy sauce plays a vital role in enhancing cuisine. A drop of rich and flavorful soy sauce often evokes homesickness among overseas Chinese.
After the seminar, a special interactive session was arranged for the audience to use their newly acquired knowledge to identify different types of soy sauce. Attendees not only had the opportunity to appreciate paintings created using soy sauce as a pigment but also could taste fragrant black bean tea and green bean black bean cookies. Finally, each participant took home a souvenir of “Tube Rice Cake.”
The event attracted nearly a hundred participants, and Teresa Keng, a council member of Fremont City, and Zhuang Yashu, the director of the Golden Mountain Bay Area Chinese Cultural and Educational Center, were also present at the event.
Established in California in 2010, the Wang Wu Education Foundation is dedicated to promoting cultural arts, education advocacy, and advancing social cultural public welfare initiatives.