history of edamame green vegetable soybeans and vegetable type soybeans from 1275 2009

HISTORY OF EDAMAME 1

Copyright 2009 by Soyinfo Center

HISTORY OF EDAMAME, GREEN VEGETABLE SOYBEANS,

AND VEGETABLE-TYPE SOYBEANS (1275 - 2009):

EXTENSIVELY ANNOTATED

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCEBOOK



HISTORY OF EDAMAME, GREEN VEGETABLE

SOYBEANS, AND VEGETABLE-TYPE SOYBEANS

(1275 - 2009):

EXTENSIVELY ANNOTATED

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SOURCEBOOK

Including Young Soybean Leaves and Seedlings Used as Food

Compiled

by

William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi

2009



Copyright (c) 2009 by William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information and retrieval systems - except for use in reviews,without written permission from the publisher.

Published by: Soyinfo CenterP.O. Box 234Lafayette, CA 94549-0234 USAPhone: 925-283-2991 Fax: 925-283-9091www.soyinfocenter.com [email protected]

ISBN 978-1-928914-24-2 (History of Edamame, Green Vegetable Soybeans, and Vegetable-Type Soybeans: Bibliographyand Sourcebook)

Printed 9 July 2009

Price: Available on the Web free of charge

Search engine keywords:History of EdamamHistory of Green Vegetable SoybeansHistory of Vegetable-Type SoybeansHistory of Soybean Leaves Used as FoodHistory of Young Soybean Leaves Used as FoodHistory of Tender Soybean Leaves Used as FoodHistory of Fresh Green SoybeansHow to Grow EdamameChronology of EdamameChronology of EdamamChronology of Green Vegetable SoybeansChronology of Vegetable-Type SoybeansTimeline of EdamameTimeline of EdamamTimeline of Green Vegetable SoybeansTimeline of Vegetable-Type Soybeans



Contents

Page

Dedication and Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................................. 6

Introduction and Brief Chronology, by William Shurtleff ....................................................................................... 7

About This Book .......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Abbreviations Used in This Book .............................................................................................................................. 12

How to Make the Best Use of This Book .................................................................................................................. 13

Full-Page Graphics ..................................................................................................................................................... 15

History of Edamame: 2,025 References in Chronological Order ......................................................................... 21

Subject/Geographical Index by Record Numbers ................................................................................................. 691

Last Page of Index .................................................................................................................................................... 764



Part of the enjoyment of writing a book lies in meetingpeople from around the world who share a common interest,and in learning from them what is often the knowledge orskills acquired during a lifetime of devoted research orpractice. We wish to give deepest thanks...

Of the many libraries and librarians who have been of greathelp to our research over the years, several stand out:

University of California at Berkeley: John Creaser, LoisFarrell, Norma Kobzina, Ingrid Radkey.

Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF), Richmond,California: Martha Lucero, Jutta Wiemhoff, Scott Miller,Virginia Moon, Kay Loughman.

Stanford University: Molly Molloy, who has been of specialhelp on Slavic-language documents.

National Agricultural Library: Susan Chapman, CarolDitzler, John Forbes, Winnifred Gelenter, Henry Gilbert,Kim Hicks, Patricia Krug, Veronica Lefebvre, Julie Mangin,Ellen Mann, Josephine McDowell, Wayne Olson, MikeThompson, Tanner Wray.

Library of Congress: Ronald Jackson, Ronald Roache.

Lane Medical Library at Stanford University.

Contra Costa County Central Library and Lafayette Library:Carole Barksdale, Kristen Wick, Barbara Furgason, SherryCartmill, Linda Barbero.

DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Harvard Universitys Five Botanical Libraries (especiallyArnold Arboretum Library): Jill Gelmers Thomas.

French translation: Martine Liguori of Lafayette, California,for ongoing, generous, and outstanding help since the early1980s.

Japanese translation and maps: Akiko Aoyagi Shurtleff.

Loma Linda University, Del E. Webb Memorial Library(Seventh-day Adventist): Janice Little and Trish Chapman.

We would also like to thank our co-workers and friends atSoyinfo Center who, since 1984, have played a major rolein collecting the documents, building the library, andproducing the SoyaScan database from which this book isprinted:

Irene Yen, Tony Jenkins, Sarah Chang, Laurie Wilmore,Alice Whealey, Simon Beaven, Elinor McCoy, PatriciaMcKelvey, Claire Wickens, Ron Perry, Walter Lin, DanaScott, Jeremy Longinotti, John Edelen, Alex Lerman, LydiaLam, Gretchen Muller, Joyce Mao, Luna Oxenberg, JoelleBouchard, Justine Lam, Joey Shurtleff, Justin Hildebrandt,Michelle Chun, Olga Kochan, Loren Clive, Marina Li,Rowyn McDonald, Casey Brodsky, Hannah Woodman,Elizabeth Hawkins, Molly Howland.

Special thanks to Tom and Linda Wolfe of Berwyn Park,Maryland.

Finally our deepest thanks to Tony Cooper of Alamo,California, who has kept our computers up and runningsince Sept. 1983. Without Tony this series of books on theWeb would not have been possible.

This book, now doubt and alas, has its share of errors.These, of course, are solely the responsibility of WilliamShurtleff.

This book is dedicated to William Morse (USDA), J.W.Lloyd and W.L. Burlison (University of Illinois), ReikoWeston (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Takuji TakKimura (Mr. Edamame, Concord, California), andRichard Bernard (University of Illinois) - pioneers inthis field.



INTRODUCTION

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.

Chronology of Edamame, Green Vegetable Soybeans,and Vegetable-Type Soybeans

Green vegetable soybeans are vegetable-type soybeansharvested at the fresh green stage, for use as a vegetable,slightly before they mature and dry. The beans can becooked and served in or out of the pods.

Edamame (pronounced ay-dah-MAH-may) is theJapanese term for green vegetable soybeans cooked andserved in the pods, often as a snack - like peanuts in theshell. The green beans are popped out of the pods directlyinto the mouth of the person eating them.

In East Asia, the entire soybean plant is often uprooted atthis green stage, tied into a bundle, and sold with the greensoybeans in their pods attached to the plant. Removed fromthe plants, the pods are usually boiled in lightly salted waterfor 15-20 minutes, then allowed to cool and served in thepods as a snack or an hors doeuvre. To enjoy, push thebeans with your fingertips from the pods into your mouth.Discard the pods. Like potato chips, these nutritious littlemorsels are positively addicting.

Green vegetable soybeans can also be preserved byfreezing or canning.

Vegetable-type soybeans are soybeans with slightly largerseeds and a better flavor than typical field or grainsoybeans. They usually take less time to soften duringcooking and many varieties have a Japanese pedigree.Vegetable-type soybeans are preferred by most who wish toharvest them as green vegetable soybeans.

Before 7th century B.C. - The Shijing (Book of Odes) isChinas earliest classic and the worlds earliest documentthat mentions the soybean, which it calls shu. It does notmention green vegetable soybeans. Zheng Xuan (WadeGiles: Cheng Hsuan), the most important commentator ofthe 2nd century A.D., confirms that shu refers to thesoybean and that soybean leaves, called huo, can be pickled- presumably when green, then presumably eaten.

A.D. 100 - The term Sheng dadou [Chinese characters:raw/fresh + large + bean] appears in both Shennong bencaojing (Classical pharmacopoeia of Shen Nung) and later(about A.D. 450-500) in the Mingyi bielu (A critical recordof famous doctors. A materia medica). However a carefulanalysis of the context by a Chinese scholar who is an

expert in the history of Chinese foods and of soybeans (H.T.Huang, PhD) indicates that this term refers to raw soybeansrather than fresh green soybeans.

1175? The Lu You Shiju [Poems of Lu You] containsthree poems in a row that mention doujia (literally beans +pods). It is very possible that this is an early Chinese termfor edamame which would be a big discovery. But wemust be careful since this is a book of poems.

1275 July 26 - The word edamam first appears inJapan when the well-known Buddhist saint Nichiren Shninwrites a note thanking a parishioner for the edamam he leftat the temple. In: Nichiren Shonin Gosho Zenshu (TheCollected Writings of Saint Nichiren).

1406 - The Ming dynasty famine herbal titled Jihuangbencao, by Zhu Xiao is the earliest Chinese document seenthat clearly describes: (1) eating the tender leaves of soybeanseedlings (doumiao); (2) eating the whole pods of youngsoybeans, (3) eating green vegetable soybeans; (4) orgrinding the green beans for use with flour. The last threeuses are recommended for times of famine only.

1620 - Maodou (Chinese characters: hairy + bean) arefirst mentioned in the Runan pushi [An account of thevegetable gardens at Runan], by Zhou Wenhua. Maodouhas green, hairy pods. It is also called qingdou (greenbeans). It is mentioned in the Bencao [materia medica]literature [we are not told which book], which states that ithas a sweet flavor, is neutral, and non-toxic. It can be usedmedicinally mainly to kill bad/evil chi. It stops bodily pain,eliminates water [reduces edema], dispels heat in thestomach, reduces bad blood, and is an antidote to poisonousdrugs... Boil the beans in the pods until done, then removethe beans from the pods and eat them. The flavor will besweet and fresh. Or you can remove the beans from the podsbefore cooking, then cook the beans in lightly salted water.Or the beans can be placed on a metal screen over a charcoalfire to roast or dry them... They can be served with tea orfruits, as a snack. This is also the earliest document seenthat gives medicinal uses for green vegetable soybeans.

1855 April 12 - T.V. Peticolas of Mount Carmel, Ohio,is the first Westerner to mention green vegetable soybeans.In an article on soybeans in the Country Gentleman (p. 12)he writes: They are inconvenient to use green, being sodifficult to hull.

1856 - Only a year later, at least two Americans haveapparently figured out how to shell them with ease, and toenjoy them. Thomas Maslin of Virginia writes: They arefine for table use, either green or dry... Abram Weaver ofBloomfield, Iowa, praises them in the Report of the



Commissioner of Patents, Agriculture (p. 256-57). I hadsome of them cooked, while green, at their largest size, andfound them delicious.

1890 Dec. - The first large-seeded vegetable-typesoybean variety arrives in America. Named Edamame, itwas introduced from Japan by Charles C. Georgeson, whohad been a professor of agriculture in Japan. Other earlylarge-seeded varieties included Easycook (introduced in1894 from Shandong Province, China) and Hahto (1915,from Wakamatsu, Japan).

1915 Jan. - William J. Morse (of USDAs Office ofForage Crop Investigations), the man most responsible forintroducing green vegetable soybeans and vegetable typesoybeans to the United States, mentions them for the firsttime in a USDA special publication titled Soy beans in thecotton belt: The green bean when three-fourths to fullgrown has been found to compare favorably with the butteror Lima bean.

1917 - During World War I, USDA researchers conductcooking tests on many soybean varieties in search of aninexpensive source of protein that lacks the typicalunpleasant beany flavor and will cook quickly. Only twosuch varieties are found - Hahto and Easy Cook; both arelarge-seeded. Some progress is made in convincingAmericans to eat these varieties - but only as whole drysoybeans.

1923 March - The Soybean, by Charles V. Piper andWilliam J. Morse, published by McGraw-Hill (329 p.), isthe first major book written about this plant in the UnitedStates. It contains a long section titled Immature or GreenSoybeans (p. 221-22) that includes a description,nutritional analysis, recipe ideas. It also includes the firstphotograph in a U.S. publication of green vegetablesoybeans, showing many cooked, open pods on a whiteplate. The caption reads: Seeds and pods of the Hahtovariety of soybeans, the seeds being especially valuable as agreen vegetable. Between 1915 and 1929 Morse mentionedgreen vegetable soybeans in more than 20 publications.

1929-32 - During the USDA sponsored Dorsett-MorseExpedition to East Asia, William J. Morse (now a soybeanexpert) and P.H. Dorsett were surprised to learn that: (1)Soybeans are widely used as a green vegetable or asgreen vegetable beans, served in the pods. (2) The seedsfor these soybean varieties are sold by horticultural seedcompanies, are listed with the garden beans in their seedcatalogs, and are larger and sweeter than regular soybeans.On 24 April 1929, while in Tokyo, Dorsett made the firstedamame purchases, seven varieties with Edamame in thevarietal name from T. Sakata & Co. They eventuallycollected more than 100 varieties of large-seeded vegetable-type soybeans (other suppliers included Yamato Seed Co. inTokyo) and had them grown for a year at USDAs ArlingtonFarm in Virginia. (3) Edamame account for less than 1%(actually 0.8%) of all the soybeans used in Japan. (4) Green

soybeans are salt-pickled in the pod in Hokkaido, thenorthernmost main island. (5) The soybean seeds areplanted at intervals of several weeks in the same field, then,when ready, the plants are uprooted and sold in bundles. On15 July 1929 Morse wrote: Saw many plantings ofsoybeans from just coming up to ready to pull for market. Itis extremely interesting to note how they are planted forsuccession. We saw many plantings of beans ready forpulling for market with rows interplanted as seedlings ortransplants just coming into bloom. Near Tokyo, threecrops of vegetable soybeans are grown during the season -early, medium and late season. The 8,000-page typewrittenreport is interspersed with many photos of green vegetablesoybeans at various stages from the farm to the table.

1929 July 20 - A letter from William Morse in Tokyo isread before the attendees at the Tenth Annual Meeting of theAmerican Soybean Association in Guelph, Ontario, Canada,and later published in the Proceedings of the AmericanSoybean Assoc. (Vol. 2., p. 50-52). It is the first publicationin which Morse describes his many new discoveriesconcerning vegetable soybeans.

1931 Jan. 3 - Morse writes in his log in Tokyo: At oneof the department stores, in the vegetable market section, wefound small bundles of soybean sprouts and also somebundles of green vegetable soybean plants. This is theearliest document seen that contains the term greenvegetable soybean(s).

1934 - Vegetable-type soybean varieties that yieldedwell at Arlington Farm are sent to many state agriculturalexperiment stations for further trials. In addition, extensiveinvestigations of the cooking qualities and composition ofthe green shelled and dry edible soybeans are conducted atvarious departments of home economics. The green beansare found to be one of the most nutritious vegetables everanalyzed.

1935 Dec. - Dr. John Harvey Kellogg of Battle Creek,Michigan, is the first person on record to can greenvegetable soybeans, or to consider harvesting themmechanically. In a letter dated Dec. 9 he writes to WilliamMorse at USDA. We have been doing some experimentingthis year with growing and canning shell soy beans. I amhaving a couple of cans sent you so you can see what ourproduct is like. We think it is very fine. The few thousandcans we put up went off like hot cakes... One of thedifficulties in the way of the soy shell bean business is theexpense of picking from the vines and shelling the pods. Doyou know of any machinery that is used for either of thesepurposes?

1935 Aug. - Rokusun, the first vegetable-type soybeanis mentioned in a U.S. publication - followed in March 1936by Bansei, and Chusei. These soybeans are now publiclyavailable in the U.S.

1936 April - A 2-page leaflet titled Soybeanintroductions named in January 1936 is published by the



USDA, Bureau of Plant Industry, Div. of Forage Crops andDiseases. It is the first official publication in which varietalnames are given to the new vegetable type soybeansintroduced by Dorsett and Morse from Japan and tested atUSDAs Arlington Farm. Twenty varieties suitable for useas a green vegetable are listed, together with their seedcolor, days to maturity, and region of the USA best suitedfor production. This is the earliest English-languagedocument seen that mentions the following vegetable-typevarieties - all with Japanese names: Chame, Fuji, Goku,Hakote, Higan, Hiro, Hokkaido, Jogun, Kanro (in USA),Kura, Nanda, Osaya, Sato, Shiro, Sousei, Suru, Toku, andWaseda. It is also the earliest document seen in whichsoybeans are classified by use as green vegetable or dryedible bean or both.

1936 July - Green Shelled Soy Beans (canned) are firstsold in the USA by Dr. John Harvey Kelloggs Battle CreekFood Co. in Battle Creek, Michigan. This is the earliestknown commercial green vegetable soybean product in theUSA.

1936 Oct. 30 - A long article titled Canning green soybeans, by Corinne Loskowske, appears in the Herald,published by the students of Henry Fords Edison Institute.They have mechanized the canning process. They cannedand sold 500 cans in 1935 and 1,000 cans in 1936. Similarcanned green soybean products soon follow: 1939 -Mothers Choice Brand Green Vegetable Soybeans(Canned), by the Fox Valley Canning Co. of Hortonville,Wisconsin.

1939 March - Eighteen Varieties of Edible Soybeans,by J.W. Lloyd and W.L. Burlison is published at theUniversity of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station,Bulletin No. 453. The 58-page report is the most detailedand interesting to date, being based in part on commentsreceived from 1935 to 1938 from more than 685 homegardeners, market gardeners, and canners in Illinois. Theuniversity offered to send free seed and growinginstructions to any gardener who would test the greensoybeans and submit frank comments in writing. The newway of growing and eating soybeans got rave reviews. Forexample: Fresh soybeans had a satisfying flavor... Theywere delicious... We like them better than peas or beans... Iserved soybeans to all guests this summer and mosteveryone liked them... Everyone who tried them said theywere splendid... We have never eaten beans as good... Thebeans were delicious to eat and were universally liked bymy family and guests. In fact it took persuasion to leave anyfor seed.

During the 1930s William Morse and the University ofIllinois took the lead in popularizing both green-vegetablesoybeans and vegetable-type soybeans in the USA.

1940 Dec. - Vegetable-type soybeans (Bansei andJogun) are first offered for sale in the USA, by Strayer SeedFarms of Hudson, Iowa (Ad in Soybean Digest, p. 12).

1941-1945 - During World War II, green vegetablesoybeans are grown in Victory Gardens in the Midwest andat least six new canned products are introduced. By 1945some 44 large-seeded vegetable-type soybean varieties havebeen named and released in the USA.

1944 Sept. - The first English-language advertisementfor green vegetable soybeans appears in Soybean Digest (p.61). Titled Meet the vegetable cow, it is a full-page,black-and-white ad run by Dr. Harry Miller of theInternational Nutrition Laboratory, and a former student ofDr. John Harvey Kellogg. It shows the head of a cow madeentirely from soybeans. The horns, forelock, partssurrounding the eyes, nostrils, and mouth are made ofsoybeans in their [green] pods.

1946 - The Japanese government (Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries) starts keeping statisticson domestic edamame area, production (weight includingpods), and yield. In 1946 these figures were about 7,000 haand 30,000 metric tons (tonnes). Yields peaked in 1969 atalmost 10 tonnes/ha. In about 1982 both area (14,000 ha)and production (122,000 tonnes) peaked, then began a veryslow decline as imports rose dramatically (Lumpkin &Konovsky 1991, p. 123).

1950s early - Varietal improvement of vegetable-typesoybeans starts in Taiwan.

In the United States, the period from 1935 to 1947saw the first wave of interest in green vegetable soybeansand vegetable-type soybeans. But after World War II,interest almost disappeared. A second and even larger waveof interest began in the late 1960s and has continued togrow.

1966 July - Mr. Noritoshi Kanai, President of MutualTrading Co. (MTC, Los Angeles, California), imports thefirst edamame and the first frozen edamame to the UnitedStates. They are imported from Japan and sold underMutuals Miyako brand to local restaurants. Initially onlytwo cases of 30 x 10.5 oz bags/case are imported as a trial.The company next imports frozen edamame on 1 July 1970;during 1970 MTC imports 70 cases from Japan and againsells them to restaurants (Personal communication withAtsuko Kanai of MTC, June 2001).

1972 - Taiwan exports 472 tonnes of green vegetablesoybeans, yet total area and production of these soybeansare negligible. By 1989 that figure had jumped 77-fold to34,821 tonnes, with Japan buying 99% of the exports infrozen form. Japans total consumption that year was about160,000 tonnes - by far the largest in the world.

1980 Sept. - The sushi boom in California beginswhen the very popular TV miniseries and epic dramaShogun, based on the novel by James Clavell, created agreat interest in traditional Japanese culture amongAmericans. With the sushi, they drank Japanese beer andsak. In America, beer is usually served with peanuts. But,true to tradition, Japanese restaurants served edamam, free



of charge, with the beer. Atsuko Kanai of Mutual TradingCo. recalls: It was a mass sampling of the edamamwithout people having ordered it! So the success of sushi,Japanese beers, Japanese sak, and edamam, are all tied intogether.

1982 April - Researchers at AVRDC in Taiwan[Shanmugasundaram et al.] publish their first twoinvestigations on immature green soybeans.

1982 - Rodale Research Center in Kutztown,Pennsylvania, publishes as excellent 25-page report titledFresh green soybeans: Analysis of field performance andsensory qualities, based on two years of research [May1980 to Dec. 1981]. It identifies eight varieties found to beexceptional in both field and sensory qualities and gives theaddress of the seed company from which each can bepurchased. Rodale Press (publisher of Organic Gardening& Farming magazine) also did pioneering work inintroducing green vegetable soybeans to Americans, with atleast 23 articles or books on the subject between 1962 andthe present.

1985 - AVRDC in Taiwan starts research on mechanicalharvesting of vegetable soybeans.

1987 - Reiko Weston, a Japanese woman who ownsFuji-Ya, a Japanese restaurant in Minneapolis, Minnesota,decides she wants to try growing edamame in Minnesotarather than paying more for an imported product. The samebusiness savvy that earned her the titles of U.S. andMinnesota Businesswoman of the Year sparked research in1987 by Jim Lambert of the Jameson-Williams Companyinto the viability of raising this new crop. Unfortunately,Weston died shortly before the first years crop washarvested. Jameson-Williams steadily increases theirproduction of edamame from 7,000 pounds in 1988 to the350,000 pounds in 1990. In Nov. 1990 Lambert describesJameson-Williams as the only commercial producer ofedamame in the U.S. He has experimented with hundredsof edamame varieties.

1991 April 29 to May 2 - The first internationalworkshop / symposium on green vegetable soybeans is heldat Kenting, Taiwan. The excellent proceedings, titledVegetable Soybean: Research Needs for Production andQuality Improvement, were edited by S.Shanmugasundaram of the Asian Vegetable Research andDevelopment Center (AVRDC) in Shanhua, Tainan, Taiwan.These are the first English-language proceedings and thefirst English-language book devoted to green vegetablesoybeans. AVRDC has become a leader in research on greenvegetable soybeans in Asia - in part because this crop hasnow become Taiwans leading agricultural export, with mostof the sales going to Japan.

In these proceedings is an especially interesting papertitled A critical analysis of vegetable soybean production,demand, and research in Japan, by Thomas A. Lumpkinand John Konovsky of Washington state; it contains

extensive new information on the history of edamame plus asuperb bibliography of 187 references. In about 1986Lumpkin founded the East Asian Crop DevelopmentProgram at Washington State University (WSU), inPullman, Washington. In the summer of 1989 he first grew atrial crop of edamame (20 varieties); this was reported in a1989 publication. By 1991 he is full-time head of a team of12 people in this program, all of whom except himself areworking part-time, developing East Asian plants - includingedamam - to be grown in Washington state. Lumpkin isinterested (among other things) in documenting the historyof various East Asian crops. He has collected about 400varieties of edamam; the germplasm is maintained atPullman.

1991 June - Yamato Flight Kitchen of Burlingame,California, starts serving edamame on Japan Airlines flightsfrom San Francisco to Japan.

1991 Aug. 5 - An article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press(Minnesota) states that Jameson-Williams company namehas been changed to Minnesota Edamame Co. TheNishimoto Trading Co. of Tokyo likes the taste and look ofthese green soybeans so much that they decided last week toplace more than $100,000 worth of their bagging andpackaging equipment in the Minnesota Edamame plant. InSeptember, Minnesota Edamame will start usingNishimotos equipment to ship 1 million pounds of partiallyprocessed immature soybeans to Japan. Thats a big jumpfrom the 7,000 pounds shipped in 1988. MinnesotaEdamame has contracts to supply Nishimoto with 3 millionpounds of the soybeans from the 1992 Minnesota crop, 6million pounds in 1993 and 15 million pounds by 1996.Unfortunately, quality problems in Minnesota preventedthese rosy predictions from coming true.

1994 April - The first bibliography devoted to greenvegetable soybeans, with 489 references, compiled byShurtleff and Aoyagi, is published by Soyfoods Center inLafayette, California.

1994 May 27 - Tak Kimura (Mr. Edamam), a foodbroker from Concord, California, introduces Eda Mame,Americas first refrigerated, ready-to-eat edamam - firstsold at Whole Foods Market in Berkeley, California. 8ounces of precooked, lightly salted green soybeans arepacked in a plastic tray with a clear film lid by YamatoFlight Kitchen of Burlingame, California. In Oct. 1994 thefirst local supermarket to carry Taks product was MollieStones, an upscale supermarket with six stores in the SanFrancisco Bay Area. In Feb. 1998 Safeway supermarkets inNorthern California become the first large supermarketchain to carry this product, again with Tak Kimura as thebroker. By Jan. 2000 this edamam product was served onUnited Airlines. Wholesale sales grew from $18,000 in1994 to more than $540,000 in 1998. In 1998 the market foredamame in the USA (especially on the West Coast)exploded!



1994 July 1 - Minnesota Edamame is renamed SunRichFoods. Their 1994 edamame crop is a record 750,000 lb -but still not enough to meet demand.

Other important firsts among commercialproducts after 1990: 1995 Jan. - Sweet Beans (SunRichInc., Minnesota). 1996 Jan. - Freshlike Baby Broccoli Blend(with 40% green soybeans; Dean Foods Vegetable Co.).1996 Dec. - Frozen Organic Sweet Beans (Sno Pac Foods,Inc.). 1997 June - Birds Eye Baby Broccoli Blend (DeanFoods Vegetable Co.). 1997 Sept. - Trader Joes Edamame(frozen in the pods, imported from China by SeasideFarms). 1998 Feb. - Cold Mountain Eda-Mame (MutualTrading Co., Inc., frozen). 1999 April - Edamame -Blanched Soybeans (retail or foodservice; Seapoint Farms,formerly Seaside Farms). 1999 Aug. - Melissas Soybeans(Edamame) (Melissas World Variety Produce). 1999 Oct. -Edamam (Friedas, Inc.). 2000 May - Freeze-Dried GreenSoybeans in Salsa, Indian Spice, and Sweet & Sour flavors(Eat Your Heart Out, New York; the first freeze-dried andthe first flavored or spicy edamame).

1999 - At least 8 new edamame products wereintroduced, followed by 9 in the year 2000.

2000 May - Dr. Richard Bernard introduces the first sixGardensoy green vegetable soybean varieties at theUniversity of Illinois. A small packet of these is availablefree of charge to all who request them.

2001 - The U.S. company with the most innovative andextensive line of edamame products, the best and mostcolorful graphics (labels and ads), and the most extensiveadvertising, is Seapoint Farms of Huntington Beach,California, founded in 1997 by soyfoods pioneer KevinCross.

2001 July - At least 70% of the green vegetablesoybeans consumed in the USA are imported, mainly fromChina or Taiwan. The two main U.S. growers are SunRichin Minnesota and Cascadian Farms in Washington state.

2001 Aug. 10-12 Second International VegetableSoybean Conference held at Washington State University,Tacoma, Washington. Organized and chaired by Dr. ThomasLumpkin. Excellent proceedings are published.

2001-2009 The word edamame (written without anaccent on the last letter) appears increasingly in popularU.S. newspapers and magazines.

2009 July - Green vegetable soybeans and edamamare now sold at natural food stores, Asian-American grocerystores, and supermarkets across America - and served atmany fine restaurants. In the years to come, we predictthose foods will become increasingly popular in the USAand that the soybeans from which they are made willincreasingly be grown in America.

ABOUT THIS BOOK

This is the most comprehensive book ever published aboutedamame, green vegetable soybeans, or vegetable-typesoybeans. It has been compiled, one record at a time over aperiod of 34 years, in an attempt to document the history ofsoy this region. It is also the single most current and usefulsource of information on this subject.

This is one of more than 50 books compiled by WilliamShurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi, and published by the SoyinfoCenter. It is based on historical principles, listing all knowndocuments and commercial products in chronological order.It features detailed information on: 57 different document types, both published and

unpublished. 1,691 published documents - extensively annotated

bibliography. Every known publication on the subject inevery language.

179 original Soyinfo Center interviews and overviewsnever before published.

139 unpublished archival documents 105 commercial soy products.

Thus, it is a powerful tool for understanding thedevelopment of this subject from its earliest beginnings tothe present.

Each bibliographic record in this book contains (in additionto the typical author, date, title, volume and pagesinformation) the authors address, number of referencescited, original title of all non-English language publicationstogether with an English translation of the title, month andissue of publication, and the first authors first name (ifgiven). For most books, we state if it is illustrated, whetheror not it has an index, and the height in centimeters.

For commercial soy products (CSP), each record includes(if possible) the product name, date of introduction,manufacturers name, address and phone number, and (inmany cases) ingredients, weight, packaging and price,storage requirements, nutritional composition, and adescription of the label. Sources of additional informationon each product (such as advertisements, articles, patents,etc.) are also given.

A complete subject/geographical index is also included.



A&M = Agricultural and MechanicalAgric. = Agricultural or AgricultureAgric. Exp. Station = Agricultural Experiment StationARS = Agricultural Research ServiceASA = American Soybean AssociationAssoc. = Association, AssociateAsst. = AssistantAug. = AugustAve. = AvenueBlvd. = Boulevardbu = bushel(s)ca. = about (circa)cc = cubic centimeter(s)Chap. = Chaptercm = centimeter(s)Co. = companyCorp. = CorporationDec. = DecemberDep. or Dept. = DepartmentDepts. = DepartmentsDiv. = DivisionDr. = DriveE. = Easted. = edition or editore.g. = for exampleExp. = ExperimentFeb. = Februaryfl oz = fluid ounce(s)ft = foot or feetgm = gram(s)ha = hectare(s)i.e. = in other wordsInc. = Incorporatedincl. = includingIllust. = Illustrated or Illustration(s)Inst. = InstituteJ. = JournalJ. of the American Oil Chemists Soc. = Journal of theAmerican Oil Chemists SocietyJan. = Januarykg = kilogram(s)km = kilometer(s)Lab. = LaboratoryLabs. = Laboratorieslb = pound(s)Ltd. = Limitedmcg = microgram(s)mg = milligram(s)

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BOOK

ml = milliliter(s)mm = millimeter(s)N. = NorthNo. = number or NorthNov. = NovemberOct. = Octoberoz = ounce(s)p. = page(s)P.O. Box = Post Office BoxProf. = Professorpsi = pounds per square inchR&D = Research and DevelopmentRd. = RoadRev. = RevisedRPM = revolutions per minuteS. = SouthSANA = Soyfoods Association of North AmericaSept. = SeptemberSt. = Streettonnes = metric tonstrans. = translator(s)Univ. = UniversityUSB = United Soybean BoardUSDA = United States Department of AgricultureVol. = volumeV.P. = Vice Presidentvs. = versusW. = WestC = degrees Celsius (Centigrade)F = degrees Fahrenheit> = greater than, more than< = less than



Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of theinformation contained in this book.

Chronological Order: The publications and products inthis book are listed with the earliest first and the most recentlast. Within each year, references are sorted alphabeticallyby author. If you are interested in only current information,you might want to start reading at the back, just before theindexes.

A Reference Book: Search It with Adobe Acrobat: Likean encyclopedia or any other reference book, this work ismeant to be searched - to find exactly the information youare looking for - more than to be read.

At the small Find box (top center) click the downarrow. Click Open full Acrobat search. In the box Whatword or phrase would you like to search for? type in yourword or phrase. Then click search. The results will appearbelow. Try clicking the first one - to see how it works.

How to Use the Index: A subject and country index islocated at the back of this book. It will help you to godirectly to the specific information that interests you.Browse through it briefly to familiarize yourself with itscontents and format.

Each record in the book has been assigned a sequentialnumber, starting with 1 for the first/earliest reference. It isthis number, not the page number, to which the indexesrefer. A publication will typically be listed in each index inmore than one place, and major documents may have 30-40subject index entries. Thus a publication about thenutritional value of tofu and soymilk in India would beindexed under at least four headings in the subject andcountry index: Nutrition, Tofu, Soymilk, and Asia, South:India.

Note the extensive use of cross references to help you:e.g. Bean curd. See Tofu.

Countries and States/Provinces: Every record contains acountry keyword. Most USA and Canadian records alsocontain a state or province keyword, indexed at U.S.States or Canadian Provinces and Territoriesrespectively. All countries are listed under their region orcontinent. Thus for Egypt, look under Africa: Egypt, andnot under Egypt. For Brazil, see the entry at Latin America,South America: Brazil. For India, see Asia, South: India.For Australia see Oceania: Australia.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF THIS BOOK

Most Important Documents: Look in the Index underImportant Documents -.

Organizations: Many of the larger, more innovative, orpioneering soy-related companies appear in the subjectindex companies like ADM / Archer Daniels Midland Co.,AGP, Cargill, Dupont, Kikkoman, Monsanto, Tofutti, etc.Worldwide, we index many major soybean crushers, tofumakers, soymilk and soymilk equipment manufacturers,soyfoods companies with various products, Seventh-dayAdventist food companies, soy protein makers (includingpioneers), soy sauce manufacturers, soy ice cream, tempeh,soynut, soy flour companies, etc.

Other key organizations include Society forAcclimatization (from 1855 in France), American SoybeanAssociation, National Oilseed/Soybean ProcessorsAssociation, Research & Development Centers (Peoria,Cornell), Meals for Millions Foundation, and InternationalSoybean Programs (INTSOY, AVRDC, IITA, InternationalInst. of Agriculture, and United Nations). Pioneer soyprotein companies include Borden, Drackett, Glidden,Griffith Labs., Gunther, Laucks, Protein TechnologiesInternational, and Rich Products.

Soyfoods: Look under the most common name: Tofu, Miso,Soymilk, Soy Ice Cream, Soy Cheese, Soy Yogurt, SoyFlour, Green Vegetable Soybeans, or Whole Dry Soybeans.But note: Soy Proteins: Isolates, Soy Proteins: TexturedProducts, etc.

Industrial (Non-Food) Uses of Soybeans. Look underIndustrial Uses ... for more 17 subject headings.

Pioneers - Individuals: Laszlo Berczeller, Henry Ford,Friedrich Haberlandt, A.A. Horvath, Englebert Kaempfer,Mildred Lager, William Morse, etc. Soy-RelatedMovements: Soyfoods Movement, Vegetarianism, Healthand Dietary Reform Movements (esp. 1830-1930s), HealthFoods Movement (1920s-1960s), Animal Welfare/ Rights.These are indexed under the persons last name ormovement name.Nutrition: All subjects related to soybean nutrition (proteinquality, minerals, antinutritional factors, etc.) are indexedunder Nutrition, in one or more of 14 subcategories.

Soybean Production: All subjects related to growing,marketing, and trading soybeans are listed under SoybeanProduction. E.g. Soybean Production: Nitrogen Fixation, or



Soybean Production: Plant Protection, or SoybeanProduction: Variety Development.

Other Special Index Headings: Browsing through thesubject index will show you many more interesting subjectheadings, such as Industry and Market Statistics,Information (incl. computers, databases, libraries),Standards, Bibliographies (works containing more than 50references), and History (soy related).

Commercial Soy Products: All Soyinfo Centersourcebooks that focus on a specific soyfood (tofu, soymilk,tempeh, miso, etc.) or geographical area (Africa, Japan)contain extensive information about every knowncommercial soyfood product - a unique feature. We list theproduct name, manufacturers name, address, and phonenumber, year and month of introduction, ingredients,weight-packaging-price, how stored, nutritional analysis,and documentation on sources of additional information onthat product.

SoyaScan Notes: This is a term we have created exclusivelyfor use with this database. A SoyaScan Notes Interviewcontains all the important material in short interviewsconducted and transcribed by William Shurtleff. Thismaterial has not been published in any other source. Longerinterviews are designated as such, and listed as unpublishedmanuscripts. A transcript of each can be ordered fromSoyinfo Center Library. A SoyaScan Notes Summary is asummary by William Shurtleff of existing information onone subject.

Note: When this term is used in a records summary, itindicates that the information which follows it has beenadded by the producer of this database.

Asterisks at End of Individual References.1. An asterisk (*) at the end of a record means that SoyinfoCenter does not own that document. Lack of an asteriskmeans that Soyinfo Center owns all or part of the document.2. An asterisk after eng (eng*) means that Soyinfo Centerhas done a partial or complete translation into English ofthat document.3. An asterisk in a listing of the number of references [23*ref] means that most of these references are not aboutsoybeans or soyfoods.

Documents Owned by Soyinfo Center. Lack of an * at theend of a reference indicates that the Soyinfo Center Libraryowns all or part of that document. We own roughly threefourths of the documents listed. Photocopies of hard-to-finddocuments or those without copyright protection can beordered for a fee. Please contact us for details.

Document Types: The SoyaScan database contains 51different types of documents, both published (books, journalarticles, patents, annual reports, theses, catalogs, newsreleases, videos, etc.) and unpublished (interviews,unpublished manuscripts, letters, summaries, etc.).

Customized Database Searches: This book was printedfrom SoyaScan, a large computerized database produced bythe Soyinfo Center. Customized/personalized reports areThe Perfect Book, containing exactly the information youneed on any subject you can define, and they are now just aphone call away. For example: Current statistics on tofu andsoymilk production and sales in England, France, andGermany. Or soybean varietal development and geneticresearch in Third World countries before 1970. Or details onall tofu cheesecakes and dressings ever made. You name it,weve got it. For fast results, call us now!

BIBLIO: The software program used to produce this bookand the SoyaScan database, and to computerize the SoyinfoCenter Library is named BIBLIO. Based on AdvancedRevelation, it was developed by Soyinfo Center, TonyCooper and John Ladd.

History of Soybeans and Soyfoods: This book has acorresponding chapter in our forthcoming scholarly worktitled History of Soybeans and Soyfoods (4 volumes).Manuscript chapters from that book are now available onour website, www.soyinfocenter.com.

About the Soyinfo Center. An overview of ourpublications, computerized databases, services, and historyis given on our website.

Soyinfo CenterP.O. Box 234,Lafayette, CA 94549 USAPhone: 925-283-2991 Fax: 925-283-9091www.soyinfocenter.com



William MorseFather of Edamame in the United States



1. Lu You. 1175? Lu You shiju [Poems of Lu You]. China.Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #107, p. 81-82.Undated. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Lu Yu Shih Ch, by LuYu, who lived 1125-1210 in the Southern Sung dynasty.Brief passages are cited from eleven poems in which beansare mentioned. Since each poem has a complex title that ishard to translate, we will refer to them here by number only:#1. Mentions soybeans cooked into granules like a cerealgrains (doufan), i.e., like rice. Dr. Huang adds: Fan meanscooked rice. It is interesting that even at this late date,Chinese people still cooked soybeans like a cereal grain. #2,#3, and #4. Three poems in a row mention beans in the pods(doujia = beans + pods). Dr. Huang adds: It is very possiblethat this is an early Chinese term for edamam. That wouldbe a big discovery. But we have to be careful here, in partbecause these are verses in poems; dou could refer to othertypes of beans, although that is very unlikely. And there isno mention of green pods, although the pods probably weregreen since it would be senseless to cook any legumes(beans or peas) in their dry pods. Note: This is the earliestChinese-language document seen (June 2009) that mentionsdoujia, which probably means green vegetable soybeanscooked and eaten in the pods (Japanese: edamam).

#5. Mentions that rice is eaten with thick soybean soup(dougeng) and autumn mallows (Malva verticillata, animportant vegetable). Note: This is the earliest Chinese-language document seen that mentions thick soybean soup(or soybean soup) (dougeng). #6. Mentions (for the 4thtime) beans in the pods (doujia). #7. Mentions newlyharvested soybeans (shu) and setaria millet (su). #8.Mentions (for the 5th time) beans in the pods (doujia) andwater celery. Dr. Huang adds: Since doujia is mentioned somany times, it must have been fairly common. The fact thatdoujia is mentioned in conjunction with water celerysprouts in this poem, gives added weight to the conjecturethat it was used as a vegetable. #9. Mentions (for the 2ndtime) soybeans (shu) and setaria millet (su). #10. Mentions(for the 2nd time) soybeans cooked like a cereal grain(doufan). #11. Mentions (for the 3rd time) soybeans (shu)and setaria millet (su). (Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD,Aug. 2002).

Gai & Guo (2001, p. 44-45Second InternationalVegetable Soybean Conference), in the section titledHistorical textual research of maodou in ancient China,quotes at length from this work, and includes Chinesecharacters: Lu You (1125-1210 A.D.), a distinguishedscholar and official in the Southern Song Dynasty,mentioned several times about picking and eating greenpods, e.g.: On the market bridge, the velvety water shield

fills baskets; in the village shop, big and fleshy soybeangreen pods pile up in the trays. Adopted from On the WaterRoute in Early Summer. This indicates that the green podswere for sale. Pick pods near the bamboo fence, and collectwater celery from the pond. Adopted from Come Back fromthe East in Early May. It makes me pleased that you pickedpods diligently; especially since we can share together therice and soybean meal with gumbo soup. Adopted from ToShow Children in a New Sunshine Day. This indicates thatthey ate green beans and matured beans at the same time.The thing that makes me happy in autumn is to have newseason soybean and millet to fill up my storage. Adoptedfrom Writing in an Autumn Evening. This indicates that inaddition to eating maodou, the matured soybeans were alsoharvested for storage.

2. Nichiren, Saint. 1275. Re: Thank you for edamam. In:Nichiren Shonin Gosho Zenshu (The Collected Writings ofSaint Nichiren). [Jap]* Summary: In the year 1275 Saint Nichiren (NichirenShnin) was living at Mount Minobu (Minobu-san; theheadquarters of the Nichiren sect, in Yamanashi prefecturenear the town of Minobu, about 80 miles west southwest ofTokyo). He received many gifts from his followers ordevotees. He wrote down the name of each gift and theamount given, then sent a very courteous thank you letter toeach of the gift givers. These letters are published in a booktitled Nichiren Shonin Gosho Zenshu (The CollectedWritings of Saint Nichiren). In the letter dated 26 July 1275he wrote to a Mr. Takahashi: Thank you for the edamam.

Note 1. This letter was first cited by Kawakami andKimura (1985). They believe that this is the earliest knowndocument that contains the term edamam (characters:branch + beans), which in English are also called greenvegetable soybeans or green soybeans in pods.

Note 2. This is the earliest document seen (June 2009)worldwide concerning green vegetable soybeans oredamam in Japan; it may well be the earliest documentseen that clearly mentions green vegetable soybeansworldwideas an earlier Chinese poem is not clear.

Note 3. This is also the earliest document seen (June2009) that contains the word edamam, or that concernsthe etymology of green vegetable soybeans. Address: Japan.

3. Wu Zimu. 1275. Mengliang lu [Dreams of the formercapital]. China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li 1958#121, p. 86. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Mng Liang Lu, by WuTzu-Mu. This important work is a description ofHuangzhou, the capital, towards the end of the Southern

HISTORY OF EDAMAME



Song dynasty. The Different bureaus section states thatthey have fields of rice, wheat, and soybeans (dou) used[perhaps as forage] mainly to feed horses belonging to thevarious government agencies.

The Street vendors on mats section describes foodsthey are selling in Hangzhoucapital of the Southern Songdynasty, including bean-flavored water (douershui) andsweet soybean soup (gandoutang), honeyed jujubes, fruits,and cooked meats.

The Market that sells things at dawn section states thatin the summer they sell various things including youngsoybean congee (douzizhou). Note: Young soybeans mightrefer to green vegetable soybeans.

The Miscellaneous products section states thatchildren are selling different kinds of foods, including twounknown varieties of soybeans (qidou and fadou, law +bean), brownish-green soybeans (geqingdou), salted youngsoybeans (yandouer, maybe green vegetable soybeans), andsugared yellow young soybeans (douer huangtang), andcooked soybeans ground to make a cake (doutuan).

The section on Noodle shops says that these shops selldifferent kinds of soups and dishes, including pan-fried tofu(doufu), fried fish, cooked vegetables, fried eggplant. Theseare shops where the common people get an inexpensivemeal.

The section on Produce mentions grains butconcentrates on beans, starting with soybeans of differentcolors: black (doudahei), purple (dazi), white (dabai),yellow (dahuang), and green (daqing). Also mentionsvarious non-soy beans including white (flat) beans, black(flat) beans, white azuki beans (baixiao), red azuki beans(chixiao), mung beans (ldou), and many others. (Translatedby H.T. Huang, PhD, Sept. 2002). Dr. Huang adds: Theword former in the title indicates that author apparentlymoved away from Southern Song territory, perhapsnorthward into that controlled by the Yuan (Mongol)dynasty, which began in 1260. Note 1. This is the earliestdocument seen (Sept. 2004) that uses the term doudahei(bean large black) to refer to black soybeans, or the termdabai (large white) to refer to white soybeans.

Huang (2000): In Lin An (present-day Hangzhou, capitalof the Southern Song dynasty), tofu soup and grilled tofuwere sold in a wine shop, and a food stall specializing invegetarian stews also sold grilled tofu (p. 301). Soynuggets (shi) are mentioned (p. 341). A full-page table(Huang, p. 372) shows the Usage of soy condiments infood recipes from the Han to the Qing dynasties. In thisbook, jiang (fermented soybean paste) is used in two recipesand soy nugget sauce (shizhi) is used in one recipe.

This book also states that things that people cannot dowithout every day are firewood, rice, oil, salt, soybean paste(jiang), vinegar, and tea. It is clear that by the time of theSong, edible oil had advanced to the position as one of theproverbial seven necessities of life (Huang p. 436).

Vegetable oil pressing establishments were seen in thesouthern capital of Hangzhou (p. 441). Northerners lovedto use hemp oil for frying food. Wheat gluten (fu) waswidely served during the Southern Song; names of fourdishes served in a pasta restaurant are given (p. 500).

Wilkinson (2000, p. 854) cites this as Record of thesplendors of the capital city, by Wu Zimu (no date given).These are reminiscences of the Southern Song capital ofLinan (Huangzhou) modeled after Menghualu.

Talk with H.T. Huang. 1995. Dec. 28. The chiangmentioned by this work would definitely have been soybeanchiang; that is what the word meant, starting a century ortwo before the beginning of the Christian era.

Letter from H.T. Huang. 1994 April 12, followed by talkof 1995 Dec. 28. The seven necessities of life are firstmentioned in this book, in chapter 16, p. 136 in the 1982edition. They are: firewood, rice, oil, salt, chiang, vinegar,and tea. Yet according to another respected source, theoriginal version of the book mentioned eight necessities, theeighth being wine, which was widely used both for drinkingand as a condiment in cooking. Today, however, all themodern editions of this book include only seven necessities,omitting wine. Later the list was standardized seven (seeChai Hao 1771), and the term seven necessities of lifebecame popular in China during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). In the Yuan dynasty there were several famousdramas; this period saw the start of Chinese dramaticliterature. The words were put together in rhymes of sevencharacters, and at least one of these mentioned the sevennecessities. They couldnt accommodate eight necessitiesin the rhyme, so since the Yuan it has always beenstandardized at seven.

Letter from H.T. Huang, PhD, expert on the history ofChinese food and agriculture. 1993. June 5. This book(1982 edition, p. 136) lists fu (gluten) with lamb casserole,dragon (shrimp) fu, parched fu in five flavors, and grilled fu.At this time, fu (gluten), used as a synonym for mien chin,seems to be widespread in the Southern Sung, China.

Note: This work was re-issued in 1982 by CommercePublishers, Beijing. It is part of a series titled CulinaryClassics of Ancient China.

4. Song Lian; et al. comps. 1370. Yuanshi [History of theYuan (Mongol) dynasty]. China. Passage on soy reprinted inC.N. Li 1958 #134, p. 93-94. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Yuan Shi, by Sung Lien,et al. The Record of emperor Shundi states that heavyfrost killed the soybeans (shu). The Record of the fiveelements records natural disasters in different years. 6thmonth: Heavy winds and hail killed various crops includingsoybeans (shu). 8th month and 4th month of different years:Heavy frost killed the soybeans (shu). 11th month: Heavyrains of soybeans (shudou). The people collected them andate. Note: The meaning of the previous sentence is not clear.



The soybeans may have been in the green vegetable stagewhen they rained.

Summer and fall: Prolonged rain injured barley, wheat,and soybeans (dou). (Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, Oct.2002).

Wilkinson (2000, p. 505, 737, 862, 871-72) states thatthis standard dynastic history by Song Lian (lived 1310-1381) was compiled in 1369-70 and presented or printed in1370. It covers the period 1206-1369. Non-Han foreignersmentioned: Waiguo. The Yuanshi is generally considered tobe one of the worse, if not the worst, of all StandardHistories. The Yuan attacked the Song dynasty for over 50years. Edited in less than a year (faster than any otherStandard History), it is incomplete and inaccurate. Yet it isthe modern historians essential resource for the study ofthe Yuan period (Frederick W. Mote). There is now aglossary of terms used in the entire work and a personal-name index.

5. Zhu Xiao. 1406. Jiuhuang bencao [Treatise on wild foodplants for use in emergencies]. China. Passage on soyreprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #309, p. 223. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Chiu Huang Pn Tsao,by Chu Hsiao. Ming dynasty. This is an important work.The section titled Yellow soybean seedlings (huangdoumiao) states: Nowadays you find them everywhere.They are often planted in fields or in vegetable gardens. Theyoung plants grow to a height of 1-2 feet. The leaves aresimilar in shape to those of the black soybean, but they arelarger. The pods are somewhat fatter and larger than thoseof the black soybean. The flavor of the leaves is sweet.

For famine use: Remove the tender leaves from theseedlings and cook / boil until done. Soak them in water andwash well [probably before cooking]. Flavor with oil andsalt, then eat. Or, you can remove the young pods, cook andeat (the whole pods). Or you can remove the beans from thepods, cook, and eat. Or you can remove the beans, grindthem, and mix them with flour to make flour foods [suchas pasta].

The section titled Jack bean seedling (daodoumiao)contains two passages on this subject. (See Li 1958 #510).(Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, July 2001). Dr. Huangadds: This is the most famous Famine herbal.

Note: This is the earliest document seen (June 2009) thatdescribes: (1) eating the whole pods of young soybeans, (2)eating green vegetable soybeans; or (3) grinding theimmature green beans for use with flour.

Huang (2000. p. 143-44) notes that the entire text of thisbook is included as chapters 46-59 of the NongzhengQuanshu (Complete treatise on agricultural administration)(+1639), the major work on agriculture in the Ming dynasty.

Gai & Guo (2001, p. 45): This book was written by ZhuShu, who wrote: Soybeans are now everywhere. Everyfamily grows them in their nursery. The plant is about 1-2

feet tall with leaves similar to those of the black bean plant.Their pods are bigger than those of the black bean, and theirleaves taste a little sweet. For disaster relief, the youngleaves can be collected, fried, and seasoned with salt andoil, or the pods can be boiled or ground, of the young seedscan be shelled, then boiled or ground for food to eat.

Needham (Botany VI:1, 1986, p. 331-41): The authorwas born about +1360 and was made Prince of Chou (ChouWang) in +1378, hence the posthumous title Chou TingWang by which he has always been known. In +1381 hewas enfeoffed with the district of Kaifeng in Honan, theold Sung capital. The book was published in 1406 and wasprobably written in response to serious floods, droughts,and locust plagues. The first edition contains descriptionsand illustrations of 414 species of plants, 276 of which wereentirely new, and only 138 known from earlier books onpharmaceutical natural history. George Sarton in hisIntroduction to the History of Science (1947, vol. 3, p.1170) called it the most remarkable herbal of medievaltimes. It is a work of great originality. In discussing wildLathyrus palustrus (shan li tou), a legume, the author notedthat it had sweet-tasting seeds flat like those of the wildsoya bean (lao tou).

Bray (1984, p. 67) states that this work describes over400 wild plants that could be eaten in time of famine.

6. Kuang Fan. ed. 1502. Bianmin tuzuan [Everymanshandy illustrated compendium (or the Farmstead manual)].China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #310, p.224. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Pien Min Tu Tsuan,edited by Kuang Fan. Ming dynasty. The section titledPlanting soybeans (dadou) states: Prepare rows, dig holes,and plant. Plant the early varieties in the 2nd month; theywill be ready for eating in the 4th month (Note: Only if theyare eaten as green vegetable soybeans). These are calledplum beans (meidou). Plant other varieties in the 3rd and4th months. The ground should not be fertile, and any grassthat exists should be cut / eliminated.

The section titled Planting black soybeans (heidou)says: Plant them in the 3rd and 4th month. The beans (dou)can be used to make jiang, or as feed (liao) for horses.(Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, Jan. 2003).

Huang (2000) states: One of the food canons and recipebooks in premodern China, this work, although usuallyclassified as an agricultural treatise, is also a rich source ofinformation on food processing (p. 129-30). It mentions redferment (hungqu, p. 126 [Jap. beni-koji]), crabs preserved inzao (W.-G. tsao; wine residues, which are also mentioned inother works for making fermented tofu or doufuru, p. 413),and crabs preserved in jiang (p. 414n). This work wasreprinted in +1552 and +1593.



7. Wang Shimao. 1587. Xuefu zashu [Miscellanies from theliterate garden]. China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li1958 #141, p. 96. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Hseh Fu Tsa Shu, byWang Shih-Mao. Ming dynasty. The section titled Aboutbeans (dou) states that the soybean (shu) is one of the fivegrains. Normally, it is not planted in the vegetable garden.But there is one kind of soybean that is large, has a darkgreen color [probably of the seed coat], and sweet flavor. Itcan be served on a plate and it is considered to come fromthe vegetable garden. (Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, Oct.2002). Dr. Huang adds: This sounds like a green vegetablesoybean (edamam, Japanese characters: branch + beans),but apparently it does not have a specific name or the writerdoes not know that name. Also: The character for bean inthe title has a grass radical on top.

Gai & Guo (2001, p. 45): The section titled Dou-Sustates: The soybean is one of the five major crops; it is notfor home garden production. But there is a dark green andblack large-seeded soybean that tastes a little sweet andcould be used for vegetable dishes. It is an elite soybeanline in my home garden.

8. Li Shizhen. comp. 1596. Bencao gangmu [The greatpharmacopoeia]. China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li1958 #311, p. 224-26. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Pn Tsao Kang Mu, byLi Shih-Chn (lived 1518-1593). Ming dynasty. This classicwork was completed in 1578, but not published until 1596.It describes almost 2,000 animal, vegetable, and mineraldrugs and gives over 8,000 prescriptions. A rich source ofinformation, it is still very useful. All foods mentioned areconsidered as medicines, based on the ancient Chinesesaying: Food and medicine have the same origin. The titlemight also be translated as Collected essentials of herbsand trees. Illustrated compendium of materia medica withcommentaries.

Soybeans and soyfoods are discussed in two chapters ofthis book. Chapter 24 contains sections on soybeans,soybean sprouts, and yellow soybeans, in that order.Chapter 25 has sections on soy nuggets, yellow moldedsoybeans (Jap. soybean koji), tofu and yuba (doufu pi),jiang, and soy sauce. Concerning yuba, we learn that a skinis formed on the surface of soymilk when it is heated in theprocess of making tofu. This skin can be lifted off and driedto give yuba (doufu pi).

Note. This is the earliest China-language document seen(Oct. 2008) that mentions yuba, which it calls doufu pi(Huang 2000, p. 303, 323)

The first part of each section is titled Explanation ofnames; when these simply repeat material we havetranslated from earlier Chinese documents, we will not re-translate it. Another part of each section explains each food/ medicine in terms of its nature or vital energy (qi, hot,

warm, neutral, cool, and cold) and flavor (wei, bitter,sour, sweet, pungent, salty).

The section titled Soybeans (dadou) begins by statingthat soybeans are considered a middle class drug /medicine according to the Shennong Bencao Jing(Benjing) (Classical pharmacopoeia of Shennong, theHeavenly Husbandman) (+100). This section has four parts:(1) Explanation of names. The soybean is shu. The podsare called jia. The leaves are called huo. The stems arecalled qi. (2) Explanation of uses. After quotinginformation from earlier Chinese sources, he states: Thedifferent soybean varieties are black, white, yellow, spotted/ speckled (ban), green, and striped. The black ones are alsocalled wudou. They are used for both medicine and food,and for making soy nuggets (shi). The yellow ones are goodfor making tofu (fu), for pressing to obtain oil, or formaking jiang. But the other soybean varieties can also beused to make tofu and can be cooked for food. They areusually planted before summer. The young plants (miao)grow to a height of 3-4 feet. The leaves are pointed. In thefall they have small white flowers which come in clumpsabout one inch across. The plants wither in the frost.According to the Lshi Chunqiu (Master Ls spring andautumn annals) (239 B.C.), when soybeans are in season,the stems are long and the branches are short. The podscome in groups of 27. The more branches there are, themore nodes. The large soybeans (shu) are round; the smallsoybeans (shu) are oval. The early varieties tend to growlike vines. The leaves float. The nodes are further apart. Thepods are smaller and not solid. The later varieties havefewer nodes, less space between nodes, and they are lesssolid. According to the Fan Shengzhi Shu (The book of FanShengzhi {on agriculture}) (10 B.C.), if you plant soybeansin early summer, you should not plant them deep becausethe flowers do not like too much sun; they will rot and theroots will be scorched. One should adjust the depth ofplanting according to the variety. [After harvesting] storesoybean seeds in a level, shady place in a bag. Take themout 15 days after winter begins; then you can use them forplanting. Soybeans can be stored quite easily for one fullyear, so they can be kept in preparation for a famine year.

(3) Black soybeansnature and flavor (heidadou qiwei):They are sweet, neutral, and nontoxic. Prolonged ingestionwill make you / your internal organs feel heavy. When raw,they are warm. When cooked, they become coldaccordingto Zhibo (a person) cited in the Huangdi Neijing Suwen(Yellow Emperors classic of internal medicine: Questionsand answers) (200 B.C.). Chang Qi (another person) says:When soybeans are raw they are neutral, but when they areroasted they become hot, and when they are boiled theybecome cool (han). When made into soy nuggets theybecome cold (leng). When used to make jiang or soy sprouts(raw yellow curls) they are neutral. When cattle eat them,they are warm [i.e. they have a warming effect on the



cattle]. When horses eat them, they are cold. So even thoughit is one substance, when it is eaten in different ways, it hasdifferent effects.

(4) Inventions (faming): Explains the complexpharmacology and medicinal effects of soybeans on the fiveinternal organssuch as the kidney, liver, etc.

The section titled Soybean sprouts (dadou huangjuanor soybean yellow curls) has two parts: (1) Explanationof names. These are sprouted [soy] beans (dounie). Allowthe black soybean to sprout until it is 5 inches (cun) long.Then dry it; this is called huangjuan (yellow curls). Itbecomes very small when dried. (2) Nature and flavor(qiwei): Sweet, neutral, nontoxic. Note 1. This is the earliestdocument seen (April 2003) that uses the term dounie torefer to sprouted soybeans.

The section titled Yellow soybeans (huang dadou)explanation of food usesis divided into three parts: (1)Explanation of names. Similar to the passage abovestating that yellow soybeans are good for making tofu (fu),for pressing to obtain oil, for making jiang, etc. (2) Natureand flavor (qiwei): Sweet, warm, nontoxic. (3) Soybean oil(douyou quiwei) nature and flavor: Pungent, sweet, and hot(re); slightly toxic. Note 2. This is the earliest documentseen (Feb. 2003) that uses the term huang dadou to refer toyellow soybeans.

Note 3. This is the earliest Chinese-language documentseen (Sept. 2006) that uses the term douyou to refer tosoybean oil.

Red azuki beans (chixiaodou) are also mentioned in thisbook; a listing of alternative names, with commentaries, isgiven. (See Li 1958 #393).

White beans (baidou) are also mentioned as follows:White beans (baidou) are mentioned in the Song dynasty.They are also called fandou. The seedlings can be used as avegetable. They are good eaten raw. In eastern Zhejiang theflavor is especially good. They can be used to make jiangand tofu (fu). In the north, the watery white beans (shuibaidou) are similar but is not as good. White beans are alsocalled fandou. They can be used to complement congee /gruel (zhou) and cooked rice served as a main dish (fan).According to the author (Li Shizhen) fandou is the same aswhite azuki beans. Some white beans have a yellow color.The beans are about the size of mung beans (ldou). Plantthem in the 4th or 5th month. The leaves of the seedlings arelike those of red azuki beans (chixiaodou) and can be eaten.The pods are like those of azuki beans (xiaodou). One kindof pod comes with leaves like those of the soybean (dadou).They can be cooked like rice and used to make tofu (fu).They are of the same category. Nature and flavor (qiwei): Itis sweet, neutral, and nontoxic. (See Li 1958 #467).(Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, May 2003). Dr. Huangadds: The white bean (baidou) could well be the white azukibean.

9. Xie Zhaozhe. 1616. Wu zazu [Five-part miscellany].China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #157, p.103. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Wu Tsa Tsu, by HsiehChao-Ch (who lived 1567-1624). Ming dynasty. A long,untitled passage states: The five grains are paddy rice,panicum millet, setaria millet, wheat, and soybeans (shu).Also mentions the two beans and the two mai. From thedefinition of the nine grains, it appears that these aresoybeans and azuki beans (daxiaodou), barley and wheat.There are many kinds of beans, including yellow soybeans(huangdou), mung beans (ldou), black soybeans (heidou),river beans (jiangdou), green beans (qingdou) [probablygreen vegetable soybeans; see Runan Pushi, 1620], hyacinthbeans / lablab beans (biandou; Lablab purpureus), peas(wandou, Pisum sativum L.), and broad beans (candou,Vicia faba). (Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, Nov. 2002).

Note 1. This is the earliest Chinese-language documentseen (Nov. 2002) that uses the term huangdou to refer toyellow soybeans.

Note 2. This is the earliest document seen (April 2003)that mentions hyacinth beans together with soybeans.

Wilkinson (2000, p. 887) cites this work as an importantprimary source on the late Ming dynasty; it was verypopular in Tokugawa Japan. It is a type of biji (miscellany,or miscellaneous notes). The five categories referred to inthe title are the traditional heaven, earth, man, things, andevents. A modern 2-volume edition was published in 1959by Zhonghua.

10. Zhou Wenhua. 1620. Runan pushi [An account of thevegetable gardens at Runan]. China. Passage on soyreprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #314, p. 226. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Ju Nan Pu Shih, byChou Wn-hua. Written near the end of the Ming dynasty(1368-1662). The section titled Maodou (hairy beans)begins: Yellow soybeans (huangdou), Zhi Lo beans, blacksoybeans (heidou), mung beans (ldou), and dark-red /azuki beans (chidou) are all in the grain category [grownas field crops]. They are not easy to grow in a garden.Therefore they are not included in this natural history.

Maodou has green, hairy pods. It is also called qingdou(green beans). It is mentioned in the Bencao [materiamedica] literature [we are not told which book], whichstates that it has a sweet flavor, is neutral, and nontoxic. Itcan be used medicinally mainly to kill bad / evil chi. Itstops bodily pain, eliminates water [reduces edema], dispelsheat in the stomach, reduces bad blood, and is an antidote topoisonous drugs. Uncooked maodou, if eaten, can inducevomiting.

Two types of maodou are known: summer maturing andfall-maturing cultivars. They are planted from the 2nd lunarmonth to the 4th lunar month, and grow from the 4th lunarmonth to the 8th lunar month. The best seeds to plant are



those which are large and sweet. Maodou can grow undernormal conditions without extra watering. It will deplete thefertility of the soil, so you may find it difficult to grow othercrops. Harvest when the plants are young and green. Theycan be used to make soup. Boil the beans in the pods untildone, then remove the beans from the pods and eat them.The flavor will be sweet and fresh. Or you can remove thebeans from the pods before cooking, then cook the beans inlightly salted water. Or the beans can be placed on a metalscreen over a charcoal fire to roast or dry them. They arecalled qingdou (green beans [green vegetable soybeans]),and can be served with tea or fruits, as a snack.

To get seeds for future planting, wait until fall to harvestthe beans, when the beans are dry and mature. (Translatedby H.T. Huang, PhD, July 2001). Dr. Huang adds: Itappears, from the opening sentence, that Chinese considermaodou to be a different plant from regular field-typesoybeans (such as yellow- or black soybeans), just as theJapanese do. They see it as a horticultural plant. Thats whythey gave it a different name. These gardens are vegetablegardens, located in Henan (Wade-Giles: Honan), a city andprovince in east central China, bounded on the north byShanxi, Hebei, and Shandong provinces. The last characterof the title of this work is shi, which can mean eitherhistory or natural history in Chinese.

Note 1. This is the earliest document seen (June 2009)that clearly mentions green vegetable soybeans in China, orthat uses the word maodou or qingdou to refer to greenvegetable soybeans.

Note 2. It is not clear why green vegetable soybeansdeplete the soil; perhaps because the plants are uprootedbefore the root nodules have had time to fix much nitrogenin the soil.

Gai & Guo (2001, p. 45): The term maodou firstappeared in this work, which states: Maodou with green podshell, also called Qingdou (green bean). To eat the rawuncooked maodou makes one vomit. Different varietieswhich can be planted from April through August to createcontinuous production, but among them, the large seededvarieties with sweet taste are the elite ones... To make soupwith the beans and other materials, or just boil the freshpods in water, all taste delicious. To shell the young seeds,boil with salt, then remove from the water, put them in aniron sieve, and smoke to dry; this dried immature soybean iscalled dried qingdou and can be consumed as a snack. Themature seeds are harvested for the next planting.

11. Wang Xiangjin. ed. 1621. Qunfang pu [The assembly ofperfumes, or Monographs on cultivated plants]. China.Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #154, p. 99, and#315, p. 227-28. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Chn Fang Pu, byWang Hsiang-Chin. Li (1958) and Bray (1984) give the dateas 1621; Needham (1986) and Huang (2000) give the date

as 1630. Ming dynasty. Heavenly perfumes: During the8th month rains, it rained soybean flowers (douhua).

In the part titled Assembly of cereals, section No. 1 isabout fertilizing the soil. Green beans are the best; azukibeans and sesame seeds are next best. It is advantageous toplant them before planting cereals. In the 7th or 8th month,plow them under. They are as effective as the droppings ofsilk worms or fresh manure, and are especially good forplanting wheat. Note: This passage describing greenmanuring is found in the Nongsang Cuoyao (Selectedessentials of agriculture, sericulture, clothing and food)(1314), and even earlier in the Qimin Yaoshu (Essentialtechniques for the subsistence of common people) (+544).

Section No. 3 titled Black soybeans (heidou) states:Dou is the general name for beans in the pod. The largeones are called shu. The little ones are called ta. The leavesare called huo.

Third lunar month: Plant black soybeans (heidou) andregular soybeans (dadou). Fifth lunar month: Plant the latevarieties of regular soybeans, black soybeans, and yellowsoybeans (huangdou). Ninth lunar month: Harvest thevarious mature soybeans.

Black soybeans (heidou): They are widely grown andthe young plants (miao) grow to a height of 3-4 feet. Thepods are several inches long, and may contain 5 or 6 beans.Some pods contain only 1-2 beans. They mature by the timeof the first frost. The smaller ones are used medicinally. Thelarger ones can be eaten; they are used for making soynuggets (doushi) or feeding animals. The flavor is raw(sheng) and neutral. When fried, it is considered to be ahot (re, or heating) food, but when boiled it isconsidered to be a cold (han, or cooling) food. It can beused several ways. Children 10 years old or younger shouldnot eat the fried beans together with pork; they mightsuffocate and die. Do not eat hemp seeds together with friedblack soybeans. The leaves are called huo [and can beeaten]. Planting: A good time to plant soybeans is when thelocust trees are free from insects. Plant sparsely in fertilesoil and densely in poor soil.

Yellow soybeans: There are two varietieslarge andsmall. You can harvest the seedlings (miao), the leaves, andthe podsjust like the black soybeans mentioned above. Theleaves are slightly lighter in color and the pods are a littlefatter than those of black soybeans. The beans can be eatenas whole soybeans (dou), or they can be made into jiang(fermented soybean paste), soy nuggets (doushi), soy oil(douyou), or tofu (doufu). The residue (zhi, Jap: okara) fromthe tofu can be used to feed pigs. In times of famine, peoplealso eat the okara. The presscake (zhi, residue) thatremains after pressing out the oil (you) can be used as afertilizer. The stems can be burned for fuel. The leaves arecalled huo, and when these leaves are young, they can beeaten. (Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, Nov. 2002).



Note 1. This is the earliest document seen (Sept. 2001)concerning the use of soybean presscake (or caketheresidue from pressing out soy oil) as a fertilizer.

Note 2. This is the earliest document seen (Oct. 2001)concerning the use of okara (residue from tofu) as a feed forpigs or other animals.

Talk with H.T. Huang, PhD, expert on the history ofChinese food and agriculture. 2001. July 10. What is thedifference between eating (doumiao) and (huo)? In antiquityin China, soybean leaves (hou) were sometimes used tomake soup. These leaves were typically picked when theplant was still green but fairly large and mature; the plantwas probably not uprooted, but continued to grow. On theother hand, the soybean seedlings (doumiao) were uprootedwhen they were still quite young, and the leaves were moretender. These tender leaves were prepared differently andeaten as a succulent vegetable. (Doumiao) is served today asa dish in Chinese restaurants, yet Dr. Huang has never seenit mentioned for use as a vegetable the early Chinese foodliteraturesay before the year 1500. By contrast, Dr. Huanghas never seen soybean leaves (huo) served as a dish inChinese restaurants but they are mentioned in the earliestChinese literature (Book of Odes / Shih Ching, 7th to 10thcentury B.C.).

H.T. Huang (2000, p. 456n) states that the sunflower(xiangri kui) originated in North America and wasintroduced to Europe in about 1510. In China, it firstappeared in this 1621 book.

Wang Lianzheng (1987, p. 246) states that the sunfloweris first mentioned in China in this book, where it is calledwenju (gentle chrysanthemum) and ying yang hua(facing sunlight flower). Today, sunflowers are animportant oil crop in northern China.

12. Bao Shan. 1622. Yecai bolu [Compendium of wildvegetables]. China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li1958 #316, p. 228. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Yeh Tsai Po Lu, by PaoShan. Ming dynasty. The section titled Yellow beanseedlings (huang doumiao) states: Miao refers to youngsoybean plants which have grown to a height of 1-2 feet.The leaves are similar to those of black soybeans but thepods are larger than the pods of black soybeans. Howeverthe leaves have a sweet flavor.

How to eat: Remove the leaves [and leaf stems{petioles}] from the seedlings, then cook until done,seasoning them with oil and salt. Remove beans from pods;cook and eat. Or you can grind the seeds and use as flour.(Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD, July 2001).

13. Zhang Zilie. 1627. Zheng zitong [Orthography ofcharacters]. China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li1958 #162, p. 108-09, and #318, p. 228. [Chi]

Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Chng Tzu Tung, byChang Tzu-Lieh. Ming dynasty. An important work.Orthography is the art of writing words correctly, in thestandard way. The entry for dou (with a grass radical on top)(beans) states: Popularly this character is written without thegrass radical on top. According to the book Wulilun (280AD), it can also mean shu (soybeans). But originally it wasdou (written without a grass radical on top).

The entry for the archaic character for dou (with a sortof grass radical on top) gives a long explanation.Concerning yellow soybeans (huangdou), the BencaoGangmu (The great pharmacopoeia, 1596) states thatsoybeans (dadou) come in various colors including black,white (bai), yellow, dark brown (he), green, and spotted /speckled (ban). Also mentions tofu (fu) and soybean sprouts(dadou huangjuan or soybean yellow curls). Also citesthe Mingyi Bielu (Informal records of famous physicians)(0510).

The entry for (shu) (soybeans) first explains how it ispronounced; it rhymes with the word for uncle (shu, whichis also written like the word shu, meaning soybeans, butwithout the grass radical). It is the same as the soybean(dadou). The early dictionary Erya (200 BC) states thatrongshu is the same as renshu. This means that the beansof the rong (W.-G. Jung) tribe are the same as soybeans. Theancient dictionary Guangya (230 AD), an enlargement ofthe Erya, says dadou is the same as shu (both meaningsoybeans). Xiaodou is the same as da (both meaning azukibeans). The early dictionary Erya Yi (1174 AD) says thecharacter shu is the general name for all the different dou(beans). In the Shijing (Book of Odes, 1000 BC), the groupof odes / poems called Xiaoya states that Soybeans (shu)grow in the middle of the plain. Another group of odescalled Daya (from this same book) mentions renshu. Acommentary on the Book of Odes by Kong Yingda (642 AD;he lived 574-648) says that shu is the same as dadou (bothmean soybeans); soybean leaves are called huo. During theDing Yuan year of the Spring and Autumn period, a a heavyfrost killed the shu (soybeans). A tradition holds that shu(the soybean) is one of the herbs that is most difficult to kill.The Hou Hanshu (History of the Later / Eastern HanDynasty) (450 AD), states that during a famine year, whenpeople were very poor, half the time they had only shu(soybeans) to eat. When the army had no grains, they mixedshu (soybeans) with other grains to feed themselves. Andthe Qian Hanshu (History of the Former / Western Handynasty) (76 AD) says that shu (soybeans) are used as foodin times of famine.

The entry for dou (without a grass radical on top)(beans) states: Dou is the same as shu (both meansoybeans). Shu is the same as dadou (both mean soybeans).Xiaodou is called da (both mean azuki beans). L Lan said:When the dou is in season, the stem is tall and the foot isshort; there are 27 pods per plant, and more nodes on the



stem. In the big shu (dashu, soybeans) the pods are round;in the small shu (xiaoshu, azuki beans) the pods areelongated. Those that mature first tend to be like vines, theleaves tend to be far apart, and the small pods tend to besolid. Those that mature late have short stems and fewernodes, and the pods are less solid. The book of FanShengzhi (on agriculture, 10 BC) says: In the summertimewhen you plant dou, do not plant the seeds deeply. Theflowers of the dou do not like the sun; if they get too muchsun, the plants wither and dry up. Also, soybeans (dadou)are black, green, yellow, white, and spotted / speckled (ban)in color. There are 3-4 different types of azuki beans(xiaodou). The Wangzhen nongshu (Wang ZhensAgricultural Treatise) (1313 AD) says: Today the dark-redbean (chidou), white bean (baidou), mung bean (ldou), andyingdou are all small beans (xiaodou). White beans (baidou)are also called the rice beans (fandou). They can be cookedas congee (zhou). Another kind is called chadou (teabean); its leaves are like those of the soybean (dadou). Itcan be cooked like grain (fan), which makes it like fandou(soybeans cooked like grain). The small black bean is calledludou. The northern people feed it to horses and it is alsocalled daodou (jack bean, literally sword bean;[Canavalia ensiformis]). The Youyang Zazu (Miscellany ofthe Youyang Mountain) (860 AD) calls it jiajiandou becausethe pods are shaped like the back of a sword. Another beanis called lidou (morning bean), or hudou (tiger bean), orlidou (fox bean). Because when they pods are old, theybecome black and hairy. The seeds have black spots like atiger, and striations like a fox. (Translated by H.T. Huang,PhD, Nov. 2002).

Needham (1986, p. 562) translates the title as Completecharacter orthography (dictionary).

14. Fang Yizhi. 1666. Tongya [Supplement to the Erya(ancient dictionary)]. China. Passage on soy reprinted inC.N. Li 1958 #169, p. 113. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Tung Ya, by Fang IChih. Qing dynasty. The Buddha bean (fudou) is the sameas the broad bean (candou). People incorrectly call it theandou. The Guanzi (The Book of Master Kuang) (-400)mentions rongshu [usually translated soybeans], but thecommentary says that this is actually a type of lake bean(hudou).

Huo (usually translated as leaf) is like a seedling(miao). The leaf (huo) of the deer bean (ludou) is like thatof the soybean (dadou). (Translated by H.T. Huang, PhD,Dec. 2002). Note: Several of these interpretations areunusual and confusing. This is not an important or well-known work.

15. Gu Yanwu. 1680. Rizhilu jishi [Collected notes on theRizhilu (Record of knowledge gained day by day)].

China. Passage on soy reprinted in C.N. Li 1958 #175, p.115. [Chi] Summary: Wade-Giles reference: Jih Chih Lu Chi Shih,by Ku Yen-Wu (lived 1613-1682). Qing dynasty. This is animportant book. The section titled Rongshu states that inancient China, in the early Zhou dynasty, various states /dukedoms were fighting one another. One of the dukesobtained rongshu, which is the same as shu (soybeans).But according to the Book of Odes (Shijing), anothernobleman obtained a different kind of shu which is calledrenshu, but that is also the same as shu (soybeans). Eventhough it is grown in another part of China and has adifferent name, it is still the same. This identity is recordedin the ancient dictionary Erya (-200).

The section titled dou (beans / legumes) says thataccording to the Zhanguoce (Records of the Warring StatesPeriod) (-220) the most important of the five grains arewheat and soybeans (dou). The people usually eat soybeanssteamed into granules like rice (doufan) and soup or stewmade from the soybean leaves (huo). According to the Shiji(Records of the Historian) (-90), the people eat bothsoybeans and wheat (or barley; mai) steamed like rice(fanshu). They emphasize the soybean (shu). In antiquitythey used the term shu. Not until the Han dynasty (-202 to+220) did they start to use the term dou. According toBencao (Shennong Bencao Jing or Benjing; ClassicalPharmacopoeia of Shennong, the Heavenly Husbandman)(+100) they now had the names red small bean(chixiaodou; probably azuki bean) and large bean (dadou;soybean). But the Bencao was not really written byShennong. The Yuejueshu (The Book of the Last Days ofthe Yue Kingdom) (+80) mentions both the dark-red bean(chidou; probably azuki bean) and the large bean (dadou;soy bean). According to the Hanshu (History of the FormerHan dynasty) (+76), when you harvest soybeans (shu) youshould also harvest their stems (qi). (Translated by H.T.Huang, PhD, Dec. 2002).

Wilkinson (2000, p. 952) translates Rizhilu as Recordof knowledge gained day by day and classifies it as a typeof Biji (Miscellaneous notes). Preface dated 1676,published 1695. In his Preface, Gu wrote: Since mychildhood studies, I have always noted down what Iperceived, and if it [turned out] to be incorrect, I revised itagain and again, or if earlier men had said it before me, Iomitted it entirely. The Rizhilu contains 1,020 entriesdivided into philosophy, government, the examinationsystem, popular customs, astronomy, and geography.

16. Shi Tonggui. 1688. Er Hai congtan [General talks aboutEr Hai (a