''Guk-ganjang'' ( ko, 국간장) or soup soy sauce is a type of Korean soy sauce (''ganjang'') made entirely of fermented soybeans (''

meju ''Meju'' () 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'' (soybean paste), '' ganjang'' (soy sauce), and gochujang (chili paste). ''Meju'' is prod ...

'') and brine. It is also a byproduct of ''

doenjang ''Doenjang'' * (; "thick sauce") or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish. History The earliest soybean fer ...

'' production. Both lighter in colour and saltier than other Korean ''

ganjang Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' Asp ...

'' varieties, soup soy sauce is used mainly in ''

guk ''Guk'' (), also sometimes known as ''tang'' (), is a class of soup-like dishes in Korean cuisine. ''Guk'' and ''tang'' are commonly grouped together and regarded as the same type of dish, although ''tang'' can sometimes be less watery than ...

'' (soup) and ''

namul Namul ( ko, 나물) refers to either a variety of edible grass or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (, "mountain namul"), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (, "spring namul"). On t ...

'' (a seasoned vegetable dish) in modern Korean cuisine.

Names

Soup soy sauce is referred to by many different names. In the English-speaking world, it is most commonly known as "soup soy sauce", which is a direct translation of ''

-ganjang'' (). The name "soup soy sauce" is used because it is used mainly for soup (''

'') in modern Korean cuisine. Also, it is the name used by many popular soy sauce brands such as Sempio, Daesang's Chung Jung One, and CJ Cheil Jedang's Beksul. Other names for the sauce include: * ''Hansik ganjang'' () – "Korean-style soy sauce" is a name used by the

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

. * ''Jaeraesik ganjang'' () – "traditional soy sauce" is a name used for soup soy sauce when compared to ''gaeryang ganjang'' (, "modernized soy sauce"), which is now the most widely used (and considered "regular") type of soy sauce in modern Korean cuisine. * ''Joseon-ganjang'' () – " Joseon soy sauce" is a name used for soup soy sauce, when compared to ''Wae-ganjang'' (, "Japanese soy sauce"). The term " Wae soy sauce" is used to refer to modernized ''gaeryang ganjang'', which was introduced to Korea during the era of Japanese forced occupation. * ''Jip-ganjang'' () – "home soy sauce" is a name used for home-brewed soup soy sauce.

History

The earliest soy sauce brewing in

seems to have begun prior to the era of the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

. The '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'', a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

historical text written and published in the 3rd century, mentions that "

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled mos ...

people are good at brewing fermented soy beans", in the section called ''Dongyi'' (Eastern foreigners), in the '' Book of Wei''.

Jangdok ''Onggi'' () is Korean earthenware extensively used as tableware and storage containers in Korea. It includes both unglazed earthenware, fired near 600 to 700°C, and pottery with a dark brown glaze fired at over 1100 °C.The origin of ong ...

s used for soy sauce brewing are found in the

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

paintings of

Anak Tomb No. 3 Anak Tomb No. 3 is a chamber tomb of Goguryeo located in Anak, South Hwanghae, North Korea. It is known for mural paintings and an epitaph. It is part of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs. It was discovered in 1949 with valuable treasures stolen, but ...

from 4th century

. In ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

'', a historical record of the Three Kingdoms era, it is mentioned that ''ganjang'' and ''

'' along with ''

'' and ''

jeotgal ''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps, oysters, clams, fish, and roe. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid piec ...

'' were prepared for the

wedding ceremony A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

of King Sinmun in February 683. ''Sikhwaji'', a section from '' Goryeosa'' (History of Goryeo), recorded that ''ganjang'' and ''doenjang'' were included in the relief supplies in 1018, after a Khitan invasion, and in 1052, when a

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

occurred. Joseon texts such as '' Guhwangchwaryo'' and ''

Jeungbo sallim gyeongje ''Jeungbo sallim gyeongje'' is a Korean book on agriculture compiled by Yu Jung-rim (柳重臨) as revised and enlarged from the ''Sallim gyeongje'' written by Hong Man-seon (洪萬選 1643∼1715). Yu Jung-rim was a physician during the reign of ...

'' contain detailed procedures on how to brew good-quality ''ganjang'' and ''doenjang.'' '' Gyuhap chongseo'' explains how to pick a date for brewing, what to forbear, and how to keep and preserve ''ganjang'' and ''doenjang''.

Production

Soup soy sauce is made entirely of fermented soybeans and brine. The brewing process also produces ''

'', a Korean

fermented bean paste Fermented bean paste is a category of fermented foods typically made from ground soybeans, which are indigenous to the cuisines of East, South and Southeast Asia. In some cases, such as the production of ''miso'', other varieties of beans, such ...

. ''

Meju ''Meju'' () 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'' (soybean paste), '' ganjang'' (soy sauce), and gochujang (chili paste). ''Meju'' is prod ...

'', Korean

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...

brick, is made around '' ipdong'' in early November. Soybeans are soaked overnight, boiled in

salt water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish wat ...

, and then pounded in a mortar (''

jeolgu ''Jeolgu'' () and ''gongi'' () are a type of traditional Korean mortar and pestle set, used for pounding grains or ''tteok'' (rice cake). They can be made with timber, stone, or iron. ''Jeolgu'' is a bowl-shaped vessel in which grains or ''tteok'' ...

'') or coarsely ground with a millstone. About a ''doe'' (≈1.8

litre The litre (international spelling) or liter (American English spelling) (SI symbols L and l, other symbol used: ℓ) is a metric unit of volume. It is equal to 1 cubic decimetre (dm3), 1000 cubic centimetres (cm3) or 0.001 cubic metre (m3 ...

s) or two of pounded soybeans are chunked, compressed, and shaped into a cube or a sphere called ''meju''. The meju bricks are then dried in a cool, shaded area for a week to several weeks until firm. When the bricks harden, they are tied with rice straws to the eaves of the house, or put in a warm

ondol Ondol (; , Hangul: 온돌, 溫堗, ) or gudeul (Hangul: 구들, ) in Korean traditional architecture, is underfloor heating that uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to heat the underside of a thick masonry floor. In modern usage it refers ...

room with rice straw, to

ferment Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...

. In Jeongwol, the first month of the

lunar year A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases ( synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Gr ...

, well-fermented ''meju'' bricks are washed and sun-dried. After drying, the ''meju'' bricks are aged in ''

onggi ''Onggi'' () is Korean earthenware extensively used as tableware and storage containers in Korea. It includes both unglazed earthenware, fired near 600 to 700°C, and pottery with a dark brown glaze fired at over 1100 °C.The origin of ong ...

'' crocks (''jangdok'') with brine. Charcoal and chillies are added for their adsorbent and antibacterial properties, as well as folk-religious beliefs that they drive away evil spirits. As the fermentation progresses, the brine acquires flavour and colour. This aged brine is boiled to become soy sauce, and the rest (aged ''meju'' chunks) is mashed to become soybean paste.

Types

The Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's ''Food Code'' classifies ''hansik ganjang'' into two categories by their ingredients: * ''Jaerae-hansik-ganjang'' (, "traditional Korean-style soy sauce") – soy sauce made with traditional style ''meju'' and brine. * ''Gaeryang-hansik-ganjang'' (, "modernized Korean-style soy sauce") – soy sauce made with non-traditional ''meju'' (which can be made of regular

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, or degreased soybean, and ripened using traditional method or aspergillus) and saline solution. Depending on the length of aging, ''hansik ganjang'' can be divided into three main varieties: clear, middle, and dark. * ''Haet-ganjang'' (, "new soy sauce") – soy sauce aged for a year. Also called ''cheongjang'' (, "clear soy sauce"). * ''Jung-ganjang'' (, "middle soy sauce") – soy sauce aged for three to four years. * ''Jin-ganjang'' (, "dark soy sauce") – soy sauce aged for more than five years. Also called ''jinjang'' (, "aged soy sauce"), ''nongjang'' (, "thick soy sauce"), or ''jingamjang'' (, "aged mature soy sauce").

References

{{portal bar, Food Korean condiments Soy sauces Umami enhancers

Names

History

Production

Types

See also

References