Among Taiwan's northernmost outlying islands, Matsu harbors a soup that needs no elaborate blend of medicinal herbs to chase away the cold. Hong Zao Fish Soup draws its power from hong zao—fermented red yeast lees—and the deep culinary traditions of Eastern Fujian. Most Matsu residents trace their roots to Lianjiang and Changle in Fujian Province, placing them firmly within the Eastern Fujian cultural sphere. Island life made fishermen of them all, and seafood became the cornerstone of every meal. The refined techniques of Fuzhou cuisine were difficult to replicate in such a resource-limited setting, but one tradition crossed the water intact: the Fuzhou art of brewing rice wine and cooking with its fermented byproducts.

Hong zao is the prized byproduct of brewing Matsu's lao jiu, a locally made aged rice wine. Each year, from December through the following spring's Qingming Festival, islanders ferment glutinous rice with red yeast rice to produce the wine—and, in the process, yield hong zao: a fragrant, richly colored paste with a character entirely its own. More than a seasoning, this red lees was once a practical necessity—a means of preserving food and deepening flavor in an era when resources were scarce.

A Tradition of Nourishment

Hong Zao Fish Soup is the fullest expression of that wisdom. In the bitter sea winds of a Matsu winter, the soup's gentle, warming nature makes it the local remedy of choice against the cold. Its restorative reputation owes nothing to a lengthy roster of medicinal herbs—it comes entirely from hong zao itself, a fermented product of remarkable depth. Hong zao contains a range of amino acids, trace minerals including potassium, calcium, and iron, monacolin K, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and organic acids, earning it a reputation as a natural health food. Experienced cooks in Matsu add the fermented paste only in the final moments of cooking, allowing it to mellow the broth and infuse it with a rich, lingering wine fragrance.

The choice of fish matters just as much. Pike eel (Muraenesox cinereus), abundant in winter, and Bennett's stingray, prized for its generous fat content, are both favored for the body and depth they bring to the soup.

Though the art of traditional brewing faces an uncertain future, Matsu's people are working to keep it alive—and to carry it forward. From hong zao pork and hong zao fried rice to hong zao pizza and hong zao ice cream, the fermented paste has found its way into an ever-widening range of dishes and experiences. In doing so, Matsu is not only preserving the brewing wisdom of Eastern Fujian—it is letting that vivid crimson color continue to drift, fragrant, on the island breeze.