SOY

Anchovies
Mushroom catsup
Walnut pickle
1 gal. Madeira wine
Black mustard seed

Take a common sized pot of anchovies, bruise and strain them; add a quart of mushroom catsup, a quart of walnut pickle, a gallon of Madeira wine, and a little black mustardseed; boil half an hour, bottle, and cork tight; seal with wax, and in ten days the soy will be fit for use.

From The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge, Charleston S.C. 1847

Comment: The briefest glance at the ingredients here will tell you that the word "soy" has undergone a pretty massive shift in meaning from the 19th century to today. If you were expecting a black fluid based on the soybean, go scarf a few packets at your local Chinese takeout. This "soy" is a different thing altogether, much more closely related to the "catsups" of the period, as indeed "mushroom catsup" is one of the ingredients above.

The quantities called for here would make enough sauce to last for many months or even years unless the household was a very large one indeed. Recipes which call for soy as an ingredient rarely ask for more than a tablespoon or two. This was probably stored in the large crock mentioned above, then a pint or so would be tapped off periodically into a smaller vessel for kitchen or table use.

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