Fermented soybean pastes doenjang, miso, doubanjiang, taucu

The five East/Southeast Asian fermented soybean pastes differ fundamentally in fermentation agent and timeline. Korean doenjang uses wild fermentation: soybeans are formed into meju bricks, hung to dry for weeks to allow natural Bacillus and Aspergillus molds to colonize, then brined for 6 months to 3 years ^[1][4]. Factory versions ferment for at least 6 weeks, while artisan brands like Kisoondo age for 1+ year ^[1]. Japanese miso relies on cultivated Aspergillus oryzae (koji) inoculated onto steamed rice/barley, then mixed with soybeans and salt; fermentation ranges from 1 week (white miso) to 3 years (red miso) ^[4]. Chinese doubanjiang (chili bean paste) and huangjiang/jiang (yellow/fermented bean paste) typically use Aspergillus or Mucor starters on soybeans or broad beans, with fermentation from 3 months to several years depending on variety. Indonesian/Malaysian tauco/taucu is made by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae (koji-like) or Rhizopus molds, then brining for 1–6 months. Vietnamese tương (e.g., tương đen, tương hột) uses glutinous rice or sticky rice as a koji substrate (mold-cultured) mixed with soybeans, fermenting for 2–6 months. The key split: miso, tauco, and tương use controlled koji fermentation (cleaner, sweeter), while doenjang and many Chinese jiang use wild/natural fermentation (earthier, funkier) ^[4].

Regarding LA restaurants, the provided sources do not mention any Los Angeles restaurants or their use of traditional aged pastes versus commodity factory products. This question cannot be answered from the given sources. To answer it, one would need a list or review of LA restaurants (e.g., Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese) that specify their paste sourcing, plus information on whether they use artisan aged pastes (e.g., Kisoondo doenjang, artisanal miso) or mass-market brands (e.g., CJ, Chung Jung One, generic miso tubs).