Soy is a globally traded commodity produced in both temperate and tropical regions and serves as a key source of protein and vegetable oils. Since the 1950s, global soybean production has increased 15 times over. The United States, Brazil, and Argentina together produce about 80% of the world’s soy.
Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is one of the most economically important leguminous crops, as it provides more than one-quarter of the world’s protein for human and animal consumption 1. In 2020/2021, global soybean production was 362 million tons.
A frequent question we ran across in our research was “What is the history of soy?”.
, soybean Domestication and history. The origins of the soybean plant are obscure, but many botanists believe it was first domesticated in central China as early as 7000 bce. Physical description and cultivation. The soybean is an erect branching plant and can reach more than 2 metres (6.5 feet) in height.
What is the history of soy sauce?
Soy sauce arrived in many Western countries before the soybean, and before it was generally understood that the soybean was one of its main ingredients. We believe that soy sauce has the most interesting history of the many different soyfood products.
Which century did soy reach america?
Soybeans were first brought to America in the early 19th century as ballasts in trading ships returning from the East. Interest in developing these exotic beans from Asia as a food source happened slowly.
What countries do soybeans come from?
From about the first century AC to the Age of Discovery (15-16th century), soybeans were introduced into several countries such as Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal and India. The spread of the soybean was due to the establishment of sea and land trade routes.
You could be asking “When did soybeans come to America?”
Our best answer is the first soybeans arrived in America in the early 1800‘s as ballast aboard a ship! It wasn’t until 1879 that a few brave farmers began to plant soybeans as forage for their livestock. The plants flourished in the hot, humid summer weather characteristic of the northeastern North Carolina.
The next thing we asked ourselves was: will soybeans become the dominant crop in the United States?
Our chosen answer was but it took a long history of fits and starts for soybeans to become a dominant American crop.