This is an interesting article about the dire shortages of miso and soy sauce in Seoul, where authorities apparently struggled to prevent consumers from hoarding scarce supplies. The Korean people, who apparently used to make their own miso and soy sauce at home, had to start buying ready-made miso and soy sauce from grocery stores once rations of raw soybeans were stopped. The problem was that supplies of ready-made miso and soy sauce were only enough for the small ethnic Japanese community, who only made about 2.9% of Korea’s population at the time, so shortages inevitably resulted. Authorities did all they could to increase production, but they cut corners by substituting ingredients, cutting brewing times, and watering down the soy sauce, resulting in poor quality.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 19, 1943

Tomorrow’s posture to win through to victory

A Focus on Eating Habits (3)

Miso and Soy Sauce Edition

Housewives are confused by rumors

What are the true causes of the shortages?

These days, difficulties in obtaining common side dishes has increased the role of miso and soy sauce as seasonings, and demand for these products is on the rise. Aside from soy sauce, there is an outcry over shortages when it comes to miso. This is compounded by rumors that miso and soy sauce will be rationed, and the number of housewives who go to grocery stores in Seoul every day to buy up miso has been increasing dramatically. However, is it really true that miso and soy sauce are going to be rationed?

In view of last year’s winter shortages and the shortages still being reported in the present day, let us examine the brewing and market situations of miso and soy sauce, which are indispensable seasonings for home cooking. First, let us look at the causes of the wintertime shortages of miso, as explained by Mr. Kan’ichi Inoue, director of the Gyeonggi-do Soy Sauce and Miso Brewing Industry Association.

“There were shortages last winter because we had a poor harvest of soybeans and barley, so we had to rely on ingredients from Manchuria for brewing. The raw ingredients were not as available on the market as we had hoped, so we had to use great millet, chestnuts, and Japanese barnyard millet instead. But this year, things are going well with Korean-made ingredients, so much so that we are busy with production at the 28 brewing facilities in the Seoul area. It may be because we learned some lessons from last year. There is absolutely no reason to believe that miso and soy sauce will become scarce during this winter season.“

If housewives are having difficulty buying miso, it is probably because of the proliferation of hoarding behavior by consumers who are being misled by completely groundless, false rumors that miso cannot be brewed due to a lack of ingredients or that miso will be placed on the rationing card system. This hoarding is evidenced by the fact that people who used to each buy 100 monme (375 grams) or 200 monme (700 grams) of miso in the summer would each buy 500 monme (1.88 kg) or even 1 kan (3.75 kg) of miso in the winter, since miso goes bad in the summer but can be stored for a long time in the winter. Such people check out grocery stores far and wide and buy up all the supplies that they can find.

Another reason for the shortages is the fact that working Korean people used to make their own miso and soy sauce at home using their rations of soybeans and salt, but ever since the rations for those raw ingredients were completely stopped, it could be said that they naturally started to encroach upon the miso and soy sauce supplies that were normally consumed by the ethnic Japanese people. Such increase in demand along with the senseless hoarding driven by misleading rumors are the reasons why miso and soy sauce can no longer be easily purchased.

[Photo: Miso and soy sauce in abundance]

Nevertheless, the increase in consumption has been met with a considerable increase in the amount of raw ingredients, and brewing methods cannot fully meet demand with only two brewing cycles in spring and fall. Therefore, each brewery has adopted an immediate brewing method and is doing everything in its power to keep brewing and make sure that its products do not run out in the marketplace. Therefore, from the brewery’s point of view, there is absolutely no chance that consumers will suffer from shortages. We discussed these breweries’ encouraging solutions with various food retailers and asked for their opinions.

“Retailers receive shipments of brewed products from wholesalers, but breweries also sell their products directly, so we buy the miso directly from the breweries every week or every two weeks. In terms of sales volume, there is no difference at all between summer and winter. However, in recent days we are seeing lots of completely unfamiliar customers each coming to buy 1 kan (3.75 kg) of miso. Some customers want more than that, but we try not to sell more than 1 kan (3.75 kg) of miso to a single customer. As retailers, we are rather surprised at the number of customers who keep coming to us asking for miso,” said one food retailer in the Seoul area.

These reactions by the breweries and retailers may seem a bit confusing to housewives who are concerned about shortages of miso and soy sauce. However, in light of the fact that rationing was ultimately not implemented, and market availability has been the same as usual, we should all take a moment to reflect on whether or not we are each buying 1 kan (3.75 kg) of miso as well. Aside from complaints about the availability of miso and soy sauce on the market, there are many people who are saying, in recent days, that the miso tastes bad and that the soy sauce is watery. To address those who go so far as to suggest that retailers might be watering down their soy sauce, we turn again to Director Inoue of the Brewing Industry Association.

“I often hear people say that the taste of soy sauce has declined, but from the point of view of the retailers, it can be said that consumers tend to demand high-quality products too much. For example, miso is not classified into different quality grades. Instead, miso is divided into two types: white and red. White miso used to be made from rice, but now it is made from barley. This may not taste good to those who are accustomed to the traditional taste. It may also be that the immediate brewing method, which was adopted to meet demand, is more or less diluting the original viscous texture that the miso used to have.“

In the past, soy sauce brands such as Kikkōman and Marukin were shipped in from mainland Japan, but now the soy sauce is all made in Gyeonggi-do. The #1-grade products are the four brands: Kikkōryū, Kikkōyū, Kuniyoshi, and Fujitada. When these high-quality brands are unavailable, then you ultimately have no choice but to buy the #2-grade or #3-grade products, which presumably results in the impression that the taste of soy sauce has declined.

The quality of soy sauce is supposed to be better than before due to the revision of the official prices in July, along with the revision of the standards. In the end, the decline in taste means that high quality products are no longer available. One could argue that the brewing of #2-grade and #3-grade products should be reduced in favor of increasing the production of high-quality products. However, brewing #1-grade products nowadays requires considerable improvements in the manufacturing facilities, and technologically, breweries that have been brewing #2-grade and #3-grade products cannot raise the quality of their products overnight. Anyways, it is a completely false and groundless belief that miso and soy sauce can no longer be brewed due to a lack of raw ingredients or that they will be placed on the rationing card system. Supplies will be plentiful if consumers curb their hoarding behavior.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-12-19

See also the other Keijo Nippo food shortages articles in the same series:

1. 1. Egg and poultry shortages
   2. Fish and seafood shortages
   3. Vegetable shortages

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年12月19日

勝ち抜くあすの構え

食生活を衝く　（３）

味噌・醤油

風説に迷う主婦

不足の真因はどこに

一般副食品の入手難は調味料としての味噌、醤油の役割を加重し需要度が増加している現在、醤油はさて措いて味噌に至っては品不足の声が高い。これに輪をかけた様に味噌、醤油が統制になるといった風説が流れ、府内の各食料品店に連日味噌を買い漁る主婦の姿が激増しているが、事実味噌、醤油は配給になるだろうか。

殊に冬季における昨年の逼迫に鑑み現在も品不足が叫ばれている時、家庭食品の不可欠な調味料である味噌、醤油に付いてその醸造、市販状態を解明してみよう。先ず冬期における味噌の逼迫原因を京畿道醤油味噌醸造工業組合理事井上勘一氏の説明に求める。

「昨冬の逼迫は原料である大豆、麥などの不作の為、満州物に依存して醸造に努めたのであったが、それも思う様に原料が入手出来ず高粱、栗、稗などを使って事実出回りは悪かったが、本年度は鮮産物で順調に府内二十八の醸造所では仕込みに忙しい位です。こうした昨年の例もあるからでしょうか。冬期に味噌、醤油の出回りが悪くなると云うことは絶対ありません」

事実一般家庭の主婦が味噌買いに難渋しているとすれば、それは原料がなくて醸れぬとか切符制になると云った根も葉もない風説に惑わされた買い溜め行為が多くなっているからでしょう。この買い溜めを裏書きするものとしては夏場は味噌買占めて置いても腐るが、冬期は相当の貯蔵に堪えるため、夏場は百匁、二百匁と買った人が此の頃では五百匁、一貫目と買ってゆくばかりか、遠隔を問わず食料品店を覗いては見つけ次第に買い漁る人がある様です。

それに今一つの原因は従業半島人側では大豆、塩の配給を受けて自家用の味噌、醤油を造っていたが、そうした原料の配給が一切無くなった為、当然内地人側の味噌、醤油に食い込んで来たことにあるともいえましょう。この様に需要が多くなった事と風説にまどわされる無自覚な買い漁りが味噌、醤油を容易に買い出せなくなった原因である。

【写真＝沢山ある味噌、醤油】

といっても消費増加については原料も相当量増配され、醸造法は従来の春秋の二度の仕込みだけでは需要に応じ切れぬため、各醸造所では即醸法を採って市販を絶やさぬよう全能力を挙げて醸造しています。ですから醸造方面から見れば絶対に消費者が不足を難ずる点は無いと思われるのです。この醸造所の頼もしい解答を府内の各小売食料品店に持ち込んで正否を問う。

「小売店では醸造された品物を卸から受けるのですが、醸造所がその儘卸売りも兼ねているので、一週間乃至二週間毎に取引先である醸造所から廻ってくる味噌を市販しますが、量的にみて夏分とは全然変りがありませんが、最近は全然見知らない客種が多く一貫目買いが多いようです。それ以上を望まれる人もありますが、最高一貫目以上は一人客に売らない様にしてます。私ども小売商としては味噌はないかと始終聴きに来る客をむしろ不思議に思います」とは府内某食料小売商人の弁であった。

醸造所や、小売商側からみてのこの回答では味噌、醤油の不足を難じる主婦にとってはいささか狐につままれた形だが、結局統制にもならず出回りは普段と同じだという事実に鑑み、各家庭でも今一度、自分達は一貫目買いをしてはいないか反省してみようではないですか。味噌、醤油の市販状態に次いで最近味噌が不味くなった、醤油が水っぽいと云った声が高く、小売商は醤油に水を割ってはいないかとまで極言する人達の為に再び先の井上組合理事に訊く。

「味が落ちたと云う声もしばしば聞きますが、業者から云わせれば消費者が良質品を求め過ぎる傾向が強いといえます。たとえば味噌は等級がなく、白味噌、赤味噌の二種があって白味噌の原料は今迄米であったものを現在大麦で醸っている。これなど従来の味に馴れた人にとっては不味いことになるのでしょうし、需要に応ずる為即醸法を採れば多少味噌本来のねっとりした味わいは薄くなるでしょう」

また醤油にしてもかつては内地産の亀甲万、丸金などが入荷していたが、現在は道内産の物ばかりで、一級品は亀甲龍、亀甲祐、国良、富士忠の四種ですが、高級品が手に入らぬ時は必然二級品三級品を購入する訳で味が落ちたと云う様な結果になるのでしょう。

醤油の品質は七月公定価の改正と共に規格も改正になり、むしろ今迄より良くなっている筈です。結局味が落ちたということは高級品が手に這入らぬということになりましょう。それでは二級三級品の醸造を減らして高級品を多量に造れば良いではないか、ということもいえますが、現在一級品を醸造するには設備の点からも相当な改善を必要とし、技術的にも、二、三級品を醸っていた醸造所では仲々一朝一夕に品種を引き上げるということが出来ないのです。とにかく味噌、醤油は現在の所切符制になるとか原料が無く醸れぬと云ったことは一切無根の妄説ですから、消費者の買い漁りを控えて貰えれば潤沢になります。