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Douchi
Several varieties of douchi and douchi products
Chinese	豆豉
Hanyu Pinyin	dòuchǐ
Cantonese Jyutping	dau6 si6
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin dòuchǐ Min - Hokkien POJ tāu-sīⁿ Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping dau6 si6 - Yale Romanization dauh sih

Douchi (Chinese: 豆豉; pinyin: dòuchǐ) is a type of fermented and salted soybean. It has no standard name in English, where it is also called fermented black soybeans, Chinese fermented black beans (Chinese: 黑豆豆豉; pinyin: hēidòu dòuchǐ), salted black beans, salty black beans, fermented soybeans, preserved soybeans, etc. In Mandarin Chinese they are also called doushi, shi, and shih. In Cantonese Chinese dowsee, dowsi, and dausi. In Filipino tausi. They are a flavoring most popular in the cuisine of China, where they are most widely used make black bean sauce^[1]

Douchi is made by a two-part fermenting and salting black soybeans. The process turns the beans black, soft, and mostly dry. The flavor is sharp, pungent, and spicy in smell, with a taste that is salty and somewhat bitter and sweet.

Douchi should not be confused with black turtle beans, a variety of common bean that is commonly used in the cuisines of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

In Japanese, douchi is also referred to as Daitokuji natto, Hamanatto, hamananatto, shiokara-natto, tera-natto, sometimes using the same kanji (豆豉) and pronounced as touchi.

The process and product are similar to ogiri and iru, both being African fermented bean products.

In Vietnam, this sauce is called tàu xì or đậu xị and is made from the black soybean.

History[link]

Fermented black soybeans are the oldest known food made from soybeans. In 165 BCE they were placed clearly marked in Han Tomb No. 1 at Mawangdui in south-central China. The tomb was sealed in about 165 BCE and was first opened in 1972. The high ranking lady to whom the undisturbed tomb belonged was probably the wife of the first Marquis of Tai.

In 90 BCE, in the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, Chapter 69 refers to 1,000 earthenware vessels of mold-fermented cereal grains and salty fermented soybeans (shi). They were now an important commodity in China. When the prince of Huainan (legendary inventor of tofu) was exiled for inciting rebellion (in 173 BCE) against his brother, the Han Emperor Wendi, he and his retinue were, nevertheless, provided with such necessities of life as "firewood, rice, salt, shi [fermented black soybeans] and cooking utensils. Note that the date 173 BCE is before Han Tomb No. 1 at Mawangdui was sealed!

An entire free digital book titled "History of Fermented Black Soybeans (165 B.C. to 2011)," by Shurtleff and Aoyagi, has been published.

Use[link]

Douchi is especially used to flavor fish or stir-fried vegetables (particularly bitter melon and leaf vegetables). Unlike some other fermented soybean-based foods such as natto or tempeh, douchi is used only as a seasoning, and is not meant to be consumed in large quantities, being typically much more salty.

Small packets of douchi are available wherever Chinese foods are sold.

Some common dishes made with douchi are Steamed Spare ribs with Fermented Black Beans and Chili Pepper (豉椒排骨), and Braised Mud Carp with Fermented Black Beans (豆豉鯪魚).

Black bean paste[link]

In Chinese cuisine, a condiment called black bean paste or black bean garlic sauce (蒜蓉豆豉酱) is made from douchi, as well as garlic and soy sauce, a typical combination used for seasoning a dish. This paste is commercially available in glass jars from companies such as Lee Kum Kee, although most Chinese restaurant chefs prefer to use actual douchi to prepare such sauces rather than using commercially available black bean paste.

References[link]

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Musical Youth are a British reggae band. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 single "Pass the Dutchie", which became a number 1 hit across the world. The band recorded two studio albums, and released a number of successful singles throughout 1982 and 1983, including a collaboration with Donna Summer. Musical Youth earned a Grammy Award nomination before disbanding in 1985 after a series of personal problems. The band returned in 2001 as a duo.

History[link]

The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, and featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior and Patrick Waite. The latter pair's father, Frederick Waite, was a former member of Jamaican group The Techniques, and sang lead with Junior at the start of Musical Youth's career. Although schoolboys, the group managed to secure gigs at certain Birmingham pubs and released a double single in 1981, including songs "Generals" and "Political", on a local record label 021 Records. An appearance on BBC Radio 1 John Peel's evening show brought further attention to the group, and they were signed to MCA Records. By that time, founding father Frederick Waite had backed down, to be replaced by Dennis Seaton as lead singer.

During the autumn of 1982, the group issued one of the fastest-selling singles of the year in "Pass the Dutchie". Based on the Mighty Diamonds' "Pass the Kouchie" (a song about cannabis), the title had been subtly altered to feature the patois "dutchie", referring to a type of pot used for cooking. This idea was reinforced throughout the political and economic overtones of the song about extreme poverty and Musical Youth asking the question "How does it feel when ya got no food?". The record went to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1982.^[1] It went on to sell over four million copies,^[2] and was nominated for a Grammy Award. A Top 10 placing also followed in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The accompanying video made them the first black artists to be played on MTV.^[3]

Their debut album The Youth of Today was certified Gold in the UK, while the follow-up single, "Youth of Today", reached number 13 in the UK Singles Chart and "Never Gonna Give You Up", released early in 1983, climbed to UK number 6.^[1] Minor successes with "Heartbreaker" and "Tell Me Why" were succeeded by a collaboration with Donna Summer on the UK Top 20 hit, "Unconditional Love".^[4] The group also took part in her 1983 TV special A Hot Summer Night with Donna.^[5] Their second album, Different Style!, was released in 1983 and showcased more R&B-influenced repertoire to make the band more accessible in the North America, but flopped on both British and American market. A revival of Desmond Dekker's "007" saw them back in the Top 30, but after one final hit with "Sixteen", they fell from commercial grace. Nonetheless, the band received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984.

With their career going downhill, the band members and their families got involved into law and financial problems. The Waite brothers got addicted to drugs and Patrick had developed a mental illness.^[6] Also Kelvin and Junior suffered from psychological problems.^[7] The band subsequently split up in 1985 when Seaton left the band. The Grant brothers remained involved in the music industry, while Seaton released a solo album in 1989, before going on to form his own band, XMY. Plans to re-form were initially scotched when in February 1993, Patrick Waite, who had gone on to a career of juvenile crime, died in Birmingham,^[8] aged 24, of a hereditary heart condition, whilst awaiting a court appearance on drug charges. He is buried at Brandwood End Cemetery. The Anthology compilation was released in 1994.

Dennis Seaton performing in Austria in 2005

Musical Youth reformed as a duo in 2001, but their tour plans were cancelled due to September 11 attacks.^[9] In 2003, they finally performed on Here and Now tour, an annual series of 1980s nostalgia concerts, which featured performances by other musicians from the 1980s.^[10][11] Two compilations followed: Maximum Volume in 2003 and 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection in 2004. By 2005, now reduced to just a duo of Michael Grant and Dennis Seaton, they performed at the Wiesen festival in Austria. Currently, the band is working on a new studio album, with a possible working title Reggae for the People.^[7]

Influences[link]

Musical Youth were influenced by reggae artists such as, Sugar Minott, Aswad, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, John Holt and fellow Birmingham group, Beshara.^[12]

Band members[link]

• Dennis Seaton (born 2 March 1967) — lead vocals, percussion
• Michael Grant (born 7 January 1969, Ontario, Canada) — keyboards, vocals
• Kelvin Grant (born 9 July 1971) — guitar, vocals
• Patrick Waite (16 May 1968 — 18 February 1993)^[13] — bass, vocals
• Freddie "Junior" Waite (born 23 May 1967) — drums, vocals

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilations[link]

• 1994: Anthology
• 2003: Maximum Volume: The Best of Musical Youth
• 2004: 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Musical Youth

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kelvin Grant's official website
• Musical Youth at Discogs
• Musical Youth at Rate Your Music