> Korean Fermented Foods > Introduction of Fermented
Foods > Fermented Foods
What is Fermented Foods?
‘Since the taste and flavor of fermented foods are
formed naturally by nature, they are considered to be the
best health foods. Yogurt favored in the world-famous towns
for longevity, wine proved for its anti-cancer and anti-aging
effects, and Korean Doenjang and Kimchi are the fermented
foods approved in the world for their efficacy.
Korean Fermented Foods
There are various kinds of fermented foods in Korea since
we value much of health. From Jangs like Ganjang, Doenjang,
Gochujang, and Cheonggukjang, and vinegar, drinks, Kimchi,
and Jeotgal even to Jangajji, various kinds of fermented
foods which have distinct local colors have been manufactured.
This is because Jangs were made thanks to the wide bean
patches, and Kimchi was made and stored for winter when
it was hard to grow vegetables, and Jeotgal was developed
on account of the geological feature of Korea’s three
sides surrounded with sea.
When they made Jangs, they hanged a straw festoon around
to drive away misfortune and chose an auspicious day for
making them as they said, “A family’s rise and
fall depend on the taste of Jangs.’. And as we see
that they took care so much of the jars for the storage
of Jangs as they hanged a straw festoon on the jar and attached
a paper pattern for Beoseon to it in order to drive away
misfortune, we can see that Jangs have been treated preciously
as even a religious idol. In the process of our Jang making,
there is a stage, so-called ‘separating the Jang’
after fermenting Meju in salted water, and in which a lump
of Meju and the liquid part are separated, and the former
becomes Doenjang after mincing it and putting it into a
jar for more ripening and the latter becomes Ganjang after
the brewing. In Japan, after fermented and pressed with
a compressor, the part that corresponds to our Doenjang
is thrown away, while our ancestors took in excellent nutrients
through it, such as dietary fiber, lecithin, fat, and protein,
etc.
Cheonggukjang is made by the process that boiled beans are
put in a container such as a round basket having good ventilation
and wrapped in a blanket to maintain the temperature of
35~40℃, and within 20 hours, they are turning into
Cheonggukjang as they make sticky resin and give out unique
smell. The similar products with Cheonggukjang are produced
in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, and scholars refer
to ‘Cheonggukjang Belt’ from the Japan’s
Kyushu region, Korean Peninsula’s southern area and
China’s East Coast to the Himalayas’ southern
foot. Cheonggukjang is not only a digestible food since
it is made by fermenting beans in a short time but also
an excellent food for stamina due to the various vitamins
in it, which are not contained in raw beans.
Gochujang is a unique traditional food only for Koreans,
and it seems to have been made first after the red pepper
was introduced to Korea around the JapaneseInvasionin 1592, so its
history is fewer than 400 years. One of the Gochujang’s
biggest features is its hot taste resulted from the constituent
of ‘capsaicin’, which stimulates somatic cells
to secrete enzymes and speeds up metabolism.
Last but not least, Kimchi is easily digestible due to its
vegetable tissue softened during fermentation and has efficacy
of eliminating heavy metals. Moreover, it helps both small
and large intestinal movement to prevent constipation and
has contributed in supplying nutrients for Koreans during
winter with its high vitamin content.
Ganjang
Ganjang is made from beans which have plenty of protein
and amino acids and was made first to satisfy the
needs arisen when meat was forbidden by the spread
of Buddhism. Ganjang made of beans is not only an
excellent source to supply protein but a scientific
food that can be stored for a long period by our ancestors’
wisdom.
Doenjang
It is made by fermenting its main ingredients such
as soybean, rice, barley, wheat, or non-fat soybean
or by making Meju with beans and putting it into salted
water to get the fermented lump of Doenjang. Doenjang
containing plenty of high-quality vegetable protein
which frees us from the worry about cholesterol promotes
the circulation of blood. In addition, it has anti-cancer
effects, and is good for recovering the functions
of liver, and detoxicates the body. One of the constituents
of beans, lecithin is known for its effects of preventing
senility or hypertension.
Gochujang
Gochujang made of red pepper that was introduced
in Korea after the 16th century is a source of supplying
the protein of beans and is a nutritious food in which
savory taste, and sweet taste from the carbohydrate
of glutinous rice, non-glutinous rice, and barley
corn, and hot taste and red color from red pepper
powder, and salty taste from Ganjang and salt used
for adding the saltiness to it are harmonized with
each other. The capsaicin in red pepper has anti-bacterial
and anti-cancer effects, and its hot taste stimulates
the skin to speed up the blood circulation and is
good for diet.
Cheonggukjang
In Manchuria, the old territory of Goguryeo, horse-riding
people put boiled beans under the saddle to make them
naturally fermented by the horse’s temperature
as an easy way to take in protein, which is the origin
of Cheonggukjang. It is made from beans and the constituents
adhered to rice straw and can be made in a shortest
time among the fermented foods made of beans. Cheonggukjang
has anti-cancer effects, and especially the Bacillus
subtilisin it suppresses the growth of intestinal
saprogenic bacteria.
Kimchi
Kimchi is a food that is made by salting the radish
or Chinese cabbage and seasoning it with red peeper,
garlic, green onion, ginger, Jeotgal, and so on, and
Kimchi was initially called ‘Chimchae’
which means vegetables simply soaked in salted water.
Kimchi came to have its present shape after developed
drastically due to the introduction of red pepper
in Joseon Dynasty. It is a grateful legacy from our
ancestors, which is a good way to store vegetables
for a long winter period so as to get minerals and
vitamins produced from fermentation in that period.
Kimchi is a low-caloric food and has much dietary
fiber that it can help us prevent geriatric diseases
and obesity by stimulating the intestinal movement
and lowering sugar or cholesterol. In addition, its
efficacy has been proved scientifically such as on
intestinal regulation or anticancer with its lactic
bacteria produced during fermentation, so it became
one of the favored foods in the world.
Jangajjis
Jangajjis are made by salting vegetables of the right
reason or putting them in Gochujang for a long period.
They are stored as salted for a long period, and the
salty taste excites our appetite. The Jangajjis from
all over the regions in Korea are said to be over
200. At the Royal Court, Jangajji was called ‘Janggwa’,
and which includes ‘Sukjanggwa’ for long
storage and ‘Gapjanggwa’ for instant eating.
Jeotgals
These are the foods made by salting fish and shellfish’s
flesh or internal organs, or germ plasma to prevent
the rotting and ripening them through degrading their
tissue appropriately by self-digestion and microorganisms’
functions. As the ingredients are fermented by their
own autolysins or microorganisms during the ripening
period, they come to have unique tastes. After the
fish, shrimp, or shellfish is salted for a while,
it comes to have its own unique taste and flavor.
The small fish’s bone or shrimp, or the outer
shell of crustaceans gets softened while fermented,
so it can be a good source to provide us with calcium.