Shacha sauce

Shacha sauce (Chinese: 沙茶; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sa-te) is a savory, slightly spicy Chinese condiment used in Minnan cuisine (primarily Teochew, Hokkien, and Taiwanese). It is made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chili, Chinese brill, and dried shrimp.^[1][2] It is also sometimes sold as "Chinese barbecue sauce".^[3][4]

Shacha sauce

Place of origin	China
Media: Shacha sauce

Shacha sauce is used many different ways; as a soup base, a barbecue meat rub, a dipping sauce (for hotpot), or a seasoning for stir-fries. It is also included with instant noodles manufactured in Vietnam, in their own packet alongside packets of soup base, dried vegetables, or other seasonings.^[5]

Origin

Shacha sauce is also known as sa-te in the Teochew and Hokkien dialects, reflecting its origins in satay sauce introduced by expatriate Min Nan people returning to China from Southeast Asia.^[6] During the 20th century, Teochew immigrants in Southeast Asia adapted satay sauce to local tastes, including the introduction of dried seafood.^[6] Shacha is now quite different from the peanut-based satay sauce popular in Malaysia and Indonesia.^[7] Following the Chinese Civil War, Teochew immigrants resettled in Taiwan and introduced shacha sauce to the Taiwanese culinary repertoire.^[8][6] One in particular, Liu Lai-chin, a Tainan-based noodle shop owner originally from Chaoshan, created the iconic Bullhead brand (牛頭牌) of shacha sauce in 1958.^[8][6] In the 1960s and 1970s, as beef consumption slowly gained cultural acceptance in Taiwan, shacha sauce became more popular among locals.^[6]

See also

• China portal
• Taiwan portal
• Food portal

• List of Chinese sauces
• Siu haau sauce
• Peanut sauce
• XO sauce
• Shito – Similar condiment used in Ghana