Though it can be found in various forms across Asia, soy sauce is easily one of the most iconic elements of Japanese cooking. With a long and diverse history, some families have maintained secret recipes for hundreds of years and regional variations bring prized flavors to their local food.

Recently, National Geographic featured a short film on this beloved part of Japanese cuisine, highlighting the soy sauce production of Yuasa in Wakayama prefecture, including the tale of a thirteenth-century priest who brought back the skill of soy-sauce making from China and a peek at what production looks like today. See the video below for the Short Film Showcase, which is only a few minutes long. Happy Friday!