Origin: Hong Kong, "XO sauce"

Taiwan Province Chinese: "XO sauce" (XO ㄐㄧㄤˋ) "XO Ji à ng"

Chinese: "XO sauce" and "XO jiàng"

English: "XO sauce, a spicy seafood sauce."

"XO sauce" is a kind of seasoning in Hong Kong. It is mainly made of seafood and pepper, and its taste is fresh and spicy. "XO sauce" appeared in high-end restaurants in Hong Kong (that is, restaurants in Taiwan Province) around1980s, and became popular in1990s, becoming a seasoning with Hong Kong characteristics.

There used to be a saying that when Wang Tingzhi, a columnist, was a product consultant of Peninsula Hotel, he modified the taste of Malazhan produced by Jialinlou, a Chinese restaurant in the hotel, adding shrimps and scallops (which are called "scallops" in Taiwan Province, so some people in Taiwan Province call it "scallop sauce"), supplemented by finely ground garlic and original peppers. However, the material of "XO sauce" is too different from that of Malazhan, so we have doubts about this statement.

Now, it is more common to say that according to the content of the program 20 10 of "Emerald Channel" and "Commander in Chief for Food" of TVB in Hong Kong on February 28th, the host Peng Jianxin said that "XO sauce" was invented by Huang Yongzhi, a famous Hong Kong chef standing beside him, and Huang Yongzhi nodded his head in acquiescence.

Commander-in-Chief for Food "Admiral's Feast" is a diet program produced by Hong Kong Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd., which was broadcast on Jade Channel at 20: 00-21:00 on Sunday.

The name of "XO sauce" is different from the general Chinese sauce. It uses the English word "XO" as the name of the sauce.

Because Hong Kong's economy flourished in 1970 and 1980, various famous European and American wines were introduced to Hong Kong at this time, including the French Cognac. Brandy is a kind of distilled wine, and its production grade is related to the aging time in oak barrels. The longer the aging time in oak barrels, the higher the quality, while XO means Extra Old, which should be stored in oak barrels at least 10 year. Because the output of "XO" cognac is small, it is expensive, so in Hong Kong, "XO" is extended to the highest level and luxury, just like "Louis Vuitton", which we call "LV" for short today, is the top in the clothing industry. It is known that the ingredients of "XO sauce" have nothing to do with "XO" brandy. This kind of sauce appeared in Hong Kong at that time, and it can be expressed that it is the highest price and the best quality sauce by using the name "XO". In fact, "XO sauce" is often packaged as high-grade sauce in the market, and its price is generally much more expensive than other common sauces.

When preparing XO sauce, scallop (scallop) and Jinhua ham are usually added. These two high-priced ingredients can bring unique flavor to the sauce, but also make the XO sauce sell at a higher price.

When "XO sauce" became popular in Cantonese restaurants all over the world, the "XO sauce" made by each restaurant was different, and their respective recipes became the trade secrets of each restaurant.

There is no certain standard for the ingredients of XO sauce, but it mainly includes Yao Zhu, shrimp, Jinhua ham and pepper, and it tastes fresh and spicy. There are "XO sauce" with slightly different materials in all parts of Taiwan Province, some with dried small fish and shrimp skin, and some with small rolls, and the taste is not authentic. The Lee Kum Kee "XO Sauce" imported from Hong Kong was once very popular in Taiwan Province. Recently, I went to Dihua Street in Taipei to buy a can of Lee Kum Kee "XO sauce". The shopkeeper will give you a can and ask you to read the words "Made in China" printed on it carefully to remind you that it is no longer made in Hong Kong. Please identify it. He will also tell you that the scallops used in the XO sauce made in Taiwan Province are all made in Japan, which is more delicious. Of course, you can buy a can of XO sauce made in Taiwan Province.