Alternative names | Red chili paste |
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Place of origin | Korea |
Associated cuisine | Korean cuisine |
Main ingredients | Gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, meju-garu (fermented soybean powder) |
Other information | HS code: 2103.90.1030 |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 고추장 |
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Hanja | 苦椒醬 |
Revised Romanization | gochujang |
McCune–Reischauer | koch'ujang |
IPA | [kotɕʰudʑaŋ] |
This article is part of a series on |
Korean cuisine 한국 요리 조선 료리 |
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Gochujang [lower-alpha 1] or red chili paste [3] is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, meju (fermented soybean) powder, yeotgireum (barley malt powder), and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice, cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process. [4] Traditionally, it would be naturally fermented over years in jangdok (earthenware) on an elevated stone platform called jangdokdae in the backyard.
The Sunchang Gochujang Festival is held annually in Gochujang Village in Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. [5] [6]
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Shiyi xinjian (食醫心鑑), a mid-9th century Chinese document, recorded the Korean pepper paste as 苦椒醬 (lit. 'pepper paste'). The second-oldest documentation of pepper paste is found in the 1433 Korean book Collected Prescriptions of Native Korean Medicines . [7] Pepper paste is again mentioned in a 1445 medical encyclopedia named Compendia of Medical Prescriptions . [8]
Chili peppers, which originated in the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by Portuguese traders in the early 16th century. [9] [10] [11] There is mention of a type of chili pepper brought to Korea found in Collected Essays of Jibong , an encyclopedia published in 1614. [12] [13] Farm Management , a book from c. 1700, discussed the cultivation methods of chili peppers. [14]
The history of Sunchang gochujang's becoming a regional specialty dates back to the 14th century at the start of the Joseon Dynasty era (1392–1910) when the founder Yi Seong-gye made gochujang from the Sunchang region a part of Korean palace cuisine.
When Yi Seong-gye, who went on to become the founder and first king of Joseon as King Taejo, was on a trip to Manilsa Temple to pray to the mountain god, he is said to have eaten a bowl of barley bibimbab (spicy mixed rice with vegetables) with gochujang that he found unforgettably delicious. He loved it so much that he ordered it served to the royal family when he became king. Thus Sunchang gochujang gained fame as a regional specialty. [15]
In the 18th-century books, Somun saseol (소문사설;謏聞事說) and Revised and Augmented Farm Management , gochujang is written as gochojang, using hanja characters 苦椒醬 and 古椒醬. [16] [17] It is also mentioned that Sunchang County was renowned for its gochujang production. [16] China and Japan, the countries with which Korea has historically shared the most culture and trade, do not include gochujang in their traditional cuisines.[ citation needed ]
Gochujang ingredients reported in Jeungbo sallim gyeongje were 18 litres (19 US quarts) of powdered and sieved meju (fermented soybeans), 540 mL (18+1⁄2 US fl oz) of chili powder, and 1.8 L (1+7⁄8 U.S. qt) of glutinous rice flour, as well as soup soy sauce for adjusting the consistency. [17] The gochujang recipe in Gyuhap chongseo , an 1809 cookbook, uses powdered meju made from 18 L (19 US qt) of soybeans and 3.6 L (3+3⁄4 US qt) of glutinous rice, then adding 900–1,260 mL (30+1⁄2–42+1⁄2 US fl oz) of chili powder and bap made from 3.6 L (3.8 US qt) of glutinous rice. [18]
Gochujang's primary ingredients are red chili powder (고추가루;gochugaru), glutinous rice powder, powdered fermented soybeans, and salt. Korean chili peppers, of the species Capsicum annuum , are spicy yet sweet making them ideal for gochujang production. According to [19] gochujang is typically made from 25% red pepper powder, 22.2% glutinous rice, 5.5% meju powder (60% cooked soybeans and 40% non-glutinous rice), 12.8% salt, 5% malt, and 29% water.
Other recipes use glutinous rice (찹쌀;chapssal), normal short-grain rice (맵쌀;mepssal), or barley. Less common additions include whole wheat kernels, jujubes, pumpkin, and sweet potato. A small amount of sweetener, such as sugar, syrup, or honey, is also sometimes added. The finished product is a dark, reddish paste with a rich, piquant flavor.
The making of gochujang at home began tapering off when commercial production came into the mass market in the early 1970s. Now, most Koreans purchase gochujang at grocery stores or markets. It is still used extensively in Korean cooking to flavor stews ( jjigae ), such as in gochujang jjigae; to marinate meat, such as in gochujang bulgogi ; and as a condiment for naengmyeon and bibimbap .
Gochujang is also used as a base for making other condiments, such as chogochujang (초고추장) and ssamjang (쌈장). Chogochujang is a variant of gochujang made by adding vinegar and other seasonings, such as sugar and sesame seeds. It is usually used as a sauce for hoe and hoedeopbap . Similarly, ssamjang is a mixture of mainly gochujang and doenjang , with chopped onions and other spicy seasonings, and it is popular with sangchussam (상추쌈).
Gochujang hot-taste unit (GHU) is a unit of measurement for the pungency (spicy heat) of gochujang, based on the gas chromatography and the high-performance liquid chromatography of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin concentrations. [20]
Gochujang products are assigned to one of the five levels of spiciness: Mild, Slight Hot, Medium Hot, Very Hot, and Extreme Hot. [20]
Extreme Hot | > 100 |
Very Hot | 75–100 |
Medium Hot | 45–75 |
Slight Hot | 30–45 |
Mild | < 30 |
Gochujang is used in various dishes such as bibimbap and tteokbokki , and in salads, stews, soups, and marinated meat dishes. [21] Gochujang may make dishes spicier (depending on the capsaicin in the base chili), but also can make dishes sweeter and smokier.
Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends.
Sunchang County is a county in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is located in a mountainous region of the province and is connected to the city of Jeonju by a modern double-lane free-way that was completed in 2011.
Bulgogi is a gui made of thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top griddle. It is also often stir-fried in a pan in home cooking. Sirloin and rib eye are frequently used cuts of beef for the dish. Bulgogi is a very popular dish in South Korea, where it can be found anywhere from upscale restaurants to local supermarkets as pan-ready kits.
Soup soy sauce or "guk-ganjang" is a type of Korean soy sauce made entirely of fermented soybeans (meju) and brine. It is also a byproduct of doenjang production. Both lighter in colour and saltier than other Korean ganjang varieties, soup soy sauce is used mainly in guk (soup) and namul in modern Korean cuisine.
Douchi is a type of fermented and salted black soybean most popular in the cuisine of China, where they are most widely used for making black bean sauce dishes.
A dip or dip sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches in the case of jus. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically placed or dipped into the sauce.
Doenjang or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine used in Korean cuisine. It is also a byproduct of soup and soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish.
Chili sauce and chili paste are condiments prepared with chili peppers.
Banchan are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. Banchan are often set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as galbi or bulgogi, and a shared pot of jjigae. Bowls of cooked rice and guk (soup) are set individually. Banchan are served in small portions, meant to be finished at each meal and replenished during the meal if not enough. Usually, the more formal the meals are, the more banchan there will be. Jeolla province is particularly famous for serving many different varieties of banchan in a single meal.
Tương is the name applied to a variety of condiments, a kind of fermented bean paste made from soybean and commonly used in Vietnamese cuisine.
Ssamjang (Korean: 쌈장) is a thick, spicy paste used with food wrapped in a leaf in Korean cuisine. The sauce is made of fermented soy beans (doenjang), red chili paste (gochujang), sesame oil, onion, garlic, green onions, and optionally brown sugar.
Doenjang-jjigae (Korean: 된장찌개), referred to in English as soybean paste stew, is a Korean traditional jjigae, made from the primary ingredient of doenjang, and additional optional ingredients vegetables, seafood, and meat. It is one of the most iconic and popular traditional dishes in Korean cuisine, and is often eaten regularly regardless of occasion or time of day. Doenjang-jjigae was initially made with home-made doenjang; however, due to extensive industrialisation of soybean paste, households and restaurants nowadays use factory-made doenjang instead as their ingredient. From traditional to modern Korean cuisine, doenjang has become one of the most frequently used jang (sauce/paste). It is claimed as a national dish.
Gejang (Korean: 게장) or gejeot (게젓) is a variety of jeotgal, or salted fermented seafood in Korean cuisine, which is made by marinating fresh raw crabs in either ganjang or a chili pepper powder based sauce. The term consists of the two words; ge, meaning "a crab", and jang which means "condiment" in Korean. The crabs selected for the Gejang dish are mainly female crabs with eggs.
Meju (Korean: 메주) is a brick of dried fermented soybeans. While not consumed on its own, it serves as the basis of several Korean condiments, such as doenjang, ganjang, and gochujang. Meju is produced by pounding, kneading, and shaping cooked soybeans, and undergoes fermentation with Aspergillus oryzae and/or Bacillus subtilis.
Korean regional cuisines are characterized by local specialties and distinctive styles within Korean cuisine. The divisions reflected historical boundaries of the provinces where these food and culinary traditions were preserved until modern times.
Korean chili peppers or Korean hot peppers, also known as Korean red, Korean dark green, or Korean long green peppers according to color, are medium-sized chili peppers of the species Capsicum annuum. The chili pepper is long, slender and mild in flavor and spice. Green (unripe) chili peppers measure around 1,500 Scoville heat units.
The Food Festivals of South Korea are a series of celebrations that provide insight into Korea's cuisine and culture. The cuisine ranges from traditional dishes through to modern interpretations and will often focus on regionally specific recipes and ingredients. They seek to retain Korean cultural identity, raise awareness, and promote local produce, cuisine, and the Korean food industry. Over time, some festivals and dishes such as Chimaek have become part of modern Korean culture and were further popularized by K-dramas.
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