History of Soy

Although soy foods are new to many Americans, these foods have played important nutritional and cultural roles in Asia for centuries.

Soy beans were first cultivated in northeastern China more than 3,000 years ago. Their use spread to other parts of China and Korea and later to Japan and Southeast Asia. A stone mural dating to the year 3 (Before the Common Era) shows tofu and soy milk being made in northern China. The earliest written reference to soy milk didn’t occur for at least another 1,200 years when soy milk was mentioned in a Chinese poem titled “Ode to Tofu.”

Travelers from Europe became acquainted with soy beans and the foods made from them—especially miso, soy sauce, tempeh and tofu—in the late 16th century. Soy beans arrived in the United States in the 1700s, brought from Europe by several people including Benjamin Franklin. He sent a sample of the “new” beans from London to a friend who was a botanist.

Soy-based infant formulas were introduced in the United States in 1909, and in 1910 the world’s first soy dairy was founded by a Chinese biologist outside of Paris. By the end of the first World War, soy milk was being produced commercially in New York City. Within 15 years manufacturers were experimenting with added nutrients like calcium.

During its 3,000 year history, soy has remained an important staple in Asia. These important culinary, nutritional and health benefits are taking the western world by storm.

Soy Fact

Ships bringing goods to the U.S. from China during the early 19th century sometimes used soy beans as inexpensive ballast.