tauco

Tauco is a salted fermented soybean product used as a seasoning in East and Southeast Asian cuisines, especially Chinese and Indonesian cooking. It is typically sold as a dark paste or sauce and is valued for its strong, savory flavor and umami.

Traditionally, tauco is produced by fermenting soybeans with salt, often along with aromatics such as garlic or chili. The fermentation develops a deep, pungent taste and a firm, paste-like or coarse-bean texture. In Indonesia, tauco refers to a regional variant of fermented black beans and is frequently prepared with added garlic and chili, resulting in a ready-to-use paste that flavors stir-fries, braises, soups, and sambals. Outside Indonesia, related products are commonly called douchi or fermented black beans.

Culinary use varies by region but generally centers on providing salt and umami to dishes. Small amounts are used to season vegetables, meats, tofu, and noodle dishes, and tauco can darken and enrich the color of a dish. It is common in recipes such as tauco-enhanced vegetables, tofu dishes, and noodle preparations, or as a base for sauces and soups.

Tauco is commonly found in Chinese and Indonesian markets and is sometimes labeled as fermented black beans or douchi in international contexts. It is typically sold in jars as paste or in a coarse-bean form, and stores well when kept in a cool, dry place and refrigerated after opening. Because of its salt content, it is usually added in modest amounts to dishes.