FAQs

Why Jiang? 

Jiang, Jang, Miso, Tuong and Taucheo

Jiangs are fermented condiments and one of the oldest that exist. They came about during a time when our ancestors needed to preserve protein rich (first it was meat and fish then came beans) foods in preparation for leaner times. Hoisin sauce and soy sauce are two modern day examples of jiangs.

Let’s talk etymology (the study of the origin of words). The first references to jiang and doujiang (specifically bean paste), can be found in the Qimin Yaoshu, a collection of ancient Chinese agricultural texts and believed to have been completed around 544CE.

As jiang and doujiang travelled south in China and further into Southeast Asia, it became jang in Korea, tuong in Vietnam,  hishio and misho in Japan, taucheo in Malaysia. This movement of food cultural practices is a great example of how knowledges and practices travel and transcend geographical borders through sharing, and eventually become adapted to local resources and needs. It is a good reminder that we don’t live in vacuums and have more in common than we might think. And that we are stronger and better because we connect and communicate with each other.

Being able to share my cultural heritage with you carries a lot of personal meaning. Growing up as a diaspora, there were countless struggles with internalised racism and it was never intuitive to feel proud of my culture (thank you colonialism). But, there can be no more hiding and staying small or quiet. It is important for me to share how it has been difficult navigating these parts of my identity, and how I am continuing to make sense of this through exploring these generous and nourishing food practices from our ancestors. So I consciously call my products jiangs because that is the Chinese term for what I make. And it is proudly my heritage.

How long do fermented products keep? 

Remember that fermentation is a method humans use to preserve food. Our ancestors did not live in a world with best by dates. Instead, they used their senses (smell, sight, touch, etc) to inform themselves about what was safe to consume. Having said that, if you are in doubt if one of our products is still 'good', you are welcome to send pictures or come by so we can evaluate together.