Black soybeans are varieties of Glycine max with a dark black seed coat, distinguishing them from the more common yellow soybeans that dominate global production. They have a slightly sweeter, nuttier flavour than yellow soybeans and a firmer texture that holds up well in cooking.
Black soybeans have a long history in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. In China, they are fermented into douchi (fermented black beans), the pungent, salty ingredient essential to dishes like mapo tofu and black bean sauce. In Japan, they are simmered with sugar and soy sauce to make kuromame, a traditional New Year’s dish. In Korea, they are braised in a sweet soy glaze (kongjaban) as a banchan side dish.
In the food industry, black soybeans are also processed into soy sauce, soy milk, tofu, and various fermented products. They are available in Australia at Asian grocery stores, typically dried or in tinned form.
How it's produced
Black soybeans are cultivated in the same manner as yellow soybeans — they are a warm-season annual legume planted after the last frost and harvested when the pods have dried. The crop requires full sun, moderate moisture, and well-drained soil. Like all soybeans, they fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodule bacteria.
Production is concentrated in China, Japan, South Korea, and parts of Southeast Asia, where specific black soybean varieties have been selected over centuries for flavour and cooking properties. Harvesting is done mechanically on larger farms or by hand on smaller plots. After harvest, the beans are cleaned and either sold whole for cooking or sent to facilities for processing into fermented products, sauces, or other soy-derived foods.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for legumes & pulses, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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