Douchi
/ˈdoʊ.tʃiː/noun
A Chinese fermented seasoning made primarily from salted black soybeans.
Did you know?Douchi belongs to one of China’s oldest preserved-food traditions, in which fermentation transformed perishable beans into a concentrated savory seasoning.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
豆
“Bean or legume; the first element of the compound”
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
豉
“A fermented bean or grain seasoning”
Middle Chinese, c. 600–900 CE
Middle Chinese
dɨ́wX-tɕɨ́H
“A compound referring to fermented beans; the source of later Mandarin forms”
Ming–Qing period
Mandarin
dòuchǐ
“Fermented beans, especially fermented black soybeans used as seasoning”
20th Century
English
douchi
“A culinary loanword for Chinese fermented black beans”
Explore more surprising origins