Chinese Materia Dietetica, Ming: Fermented sauce (jiang)

Illustration of jiang (fermented sauce/paste, soy sauce etc.) from Shiwu bencao (Materia dietetica), a dietetic herbal in four volumes dating from the Ming period (1368-1644). The identity of the author and artists is unknown. It contains entries on over 300 medicinal substances and is illustrated by almost 500 paintings in colour. The illustration shows a jar containing jiang. The text states: Jiang is acid and salty in sapor, and very cold in thermostatic character. It has the medicinal effects of eliminating heat, relieving a distressing sense of fullness (fanman), and destroying poisons from a wide variety of drugs and foodstuffs. Jiang is commonly made from beans and legumes. The best quality jiang is made purely from fermented soybeans; that made from a mixture of soybeans and flour or from flour alone is second best. Flour jiang (fermented sauce/paste, soy sauce etc.) is likewise non-poisonous, but it cannot destroy a variety of poisons. There is also a kind of fermented elm kernel paste (yuren jiang), which has a similar pungent, delicious flavour. It stimulates the elimination of urine and faeces, but should not be taken in large quantities. Stinking elm (fructus ulmi) paste (wuyi jiang) is very tasty. It kills the three worms/three cadaveric demons (san chong). Though it smells somewhat unpleasant, it has a good, pungent flavour. Eaten in excess, it causes hair loss.

Jiang (fermented sauce/paste, soy sauce etc.)