Oyster sauce /

Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from sugar, salt and water thickened with cornstarch, flavoured with a little oyster essence or extract and some versions may be darkened with caramel, though high quality oyster sauce is naturally dark. It is commonly used in Cantonese, Thai, Vietnamese and Khmer cuisine. The development of oyster sauce is often credited to Lee Kam Sheung, from Nam Shui Village, Guangdong. Lee made his living running a small eatery that sold cooked oysters. One day, he was cooking oysters as usual, but lost track of time until he smelt a strong aroma. Lifting the lid of the pot, he noticed that the normally clear oyster soup had turned into a thick, brownish sauce. He started to sell this new invention which turned out to be very popular. So in 1888, he formed Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce House to mass produce oyster sauce. However, there are others claiming to have an earlier start; for instance, Macau's 榮生 of 1868 is just one example that still exists today. Many insiders believe that oyster sauce may well have existed for over a thousand years. "True" oyster sauce