Taiwan Food Atlas

Xiluo Soy Sauce

A century-old soy sauce town on the Zhuoshui River, where black soybeans ferment in clay urns for 180 days — the flavor foundation of Taiwanese cooking
📍 Yunlin · Xiluo🏆 Pilgrimage-tier · Specialty Produce🫙 Century-old urn-fermented black soybean soy sauce

Step into Yanping Old Street in Xiluo and the air carries a faint scent of soybeans and wooden barrels. Around every corner, rows of clay urns bask in the sun, the soy sauce inside deepening to a rich, glossy color — this is Xiluo, Taiwan's most storied soy sauce town. A bottle of Xiluo soy sauce underpins the flavor of braised pork rice, pan-fried fish, and blanched greens on countless family tables.

What is Xiluo Soy Sauce

Xiluo soy sauce is a traditional Taiwanese fermented soy sauce made primarily from black soybeans using time-honored urn-fermentation methods. The process begins with steaming black soybeans, culturing mold, packing salted beans into clay urns, and sun-curing them for at least 180 days. Unlike commercially produced chemically accelerated soy sauces, Xiluo fermented soy sauce has a deep, rich color and a mellow, full-bodied flavor with the distinctive sweetness and fermented aroma unique to black soybeans. A drizzle of thick soy paste over plain rice paired with a piece of tofu is the most everyday taste memory for people in Yunlin.

Xiluo became synonymous with Taiwanese soy sauce thanks to the excellent water from the Zhuoshui River and a century of local know-how. The town's century-old factories stand side by side: Wan Zhuang (founded 1909) is Yunlin's first soy sauce tourism factory; Ruei Chun (founded 1921) reportedly has around 2,500 sun-curing urns according to the county government's economic development office; Yu Ding Xing, Da Tong, and others are also multi-generational family soy sauce breweries. The entire town of Xiluo has formed a complete industrial cluster of "black soybean urn fermentation" — a category-level landmark, not just one brand's story.

How to use Xiluo Soy Sauce the authentic way

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Soy paste mixed into riceThe simplest way: spoon a thick dollop of fermented soy paste over hot white rice and mix it in. The mellow aroma of black soybeans comes through fully — no other condiment showcases Xiluo's character better.
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Use fermented soy sauce for braisingXiluo soy sauce isn't overly salty and has a clear lingering sweetness. Use it as the base when braising pork belly, eggs, or dried tofu — the color turns glossy and the flavor is rich without being cloying, the soul of a Taiwanese braising pot.
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Drizzle soy sauce over pan-fried fishPour a circle of soy sauce over pan-fried milkfish belly or small mackerel just before removing from the pan. The caramelized crust meets the savory sweetness of black soybean — simple as it gets, yet the key to that grandmother's-kitchen flavor.
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Blanched greens with soy pasteBlanched sweet potato leaves or water spinach drizzled with soy paste and minced garlic — no other seasoning needed. This is the most everyday dish on a Yunlin family table.

Local knowledge

Objective endorsements (sponsored content filtered out)

  • Yunlin County Government Economic Development Office records: Ruei Chun Soy Sauce was founded in 1921 and has approximately 2,500 sun-curing urns, making it one of Xiluo's representative century-old breweries
  • Wan Zhuang Soy Sauce (1909) is Yunlin County's first soy sauce tourism factory; visits to the urn yard and production process can be booked in advance on Yanping Old Street
  • Xiluo soy sauce has formed a "black soybean urn fermentation" category cluster, with century-old factories including Wan Zhuang, Ruei Chun, Yu Ding Xing, and Da Tong standing side by side — mention Taiwanese soy sauce and Xiluo comes to mind

Visitor tips

  • Multiple soy sauce factories along Yanping Old Street offer tastings for comparison; black soybean soy sauce, thick soy paste, and pot-bottom soy sauce differ significantly in flavor — don't buy from just one shop
  • Most tourism factories are closed on Mondays; check the official website for opening hours before you go, and popular time slots require advance booking for guided tours
  • Xiluo is accessible from Freeway No. 1 via the Xiluo interchange; combine with a visit to Yanping Old Street and the Xiluo Bridge for a half-day trip

Data compiled from the Yunlin County Government Department of Culture and Tourism, township-level farmers' associations, and large volumes of public reviews; sponsored content has been filtered out. Photos to be replaced with channel-exclusive material after Dio's on-site shoot.

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