''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

, and

roe Roe ( ) or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooked in ...

. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby, solid pieces to clear, broth-like liquid. Solid ''jeotgal'' are usually eaten as ''

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish o ...

'' (side dishes). Liquid ''jeotgal'', called ''aekjeot'' () or fish sauce, is popularly used in

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including ''gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), sprin ...

seasoning, as well as in various soups and stews (''

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 ...

'', ''

jijimi ''Jijimi'' () is a type of Korean stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew ...

'', ''

jjigae ''Jjigae'' (Korean: 찌개, ) is a Korean stew. There are many varieties; it is typically made with meat, seafood or vegetables in a broth seasoned with ''gochujang'' (red chilli paste), ''doenjang'' (soy bean paste), ''ganjang'' (soy sauce) or ...

''). As a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific Flavoring, flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is serv ...

, jeotgal with smaller bits of solid ingredients such as ''

saeu-jeot ''Saeu-jeot'' * () is a variety of ''jeotgal'', salted and fermented food made with small shrimp in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed ''jeotgal'' along with '' myeolchi-jeot'' (멸치젓, salted anchovy ''jeot'') in South Korea. The nam ...

'' (shrimp ''jeotgal'') is commonly served as a dipping sauce with pork dishes (''

bossam ''Bossam'' (, 褓-) is a pork dish in Korean cuisine. It usually consists of pork shoulder that is boiled in spices and thinly sliced. The meat is served with side dishes such as spicy radish salad, sliced raw garlic, '' ssamjang'' (wrap sauce), ' ...

'', ''

jokbal ''Jokbal''(족발) is a Korean dish consisting of pig's trotters cooked with soy sauce and spices.Jokbal
a ...

'', ''

samgyeopsal ''Samgyeopsal'' (; ), ''samgyeopsal-gui'' ( ), or grilled pork belly is a type of ''gui'' (grilled dish) in Korean cuisine. Etymology Directly translated from Korean, ''samgyeop-sal'' () means "three layer flesh," referring to striations of ...

''), '' sundae'' (Korean sausage), '' hoe'' (raw fish), and a number of soups and stews.

History

Fermented foods were widely available in

Three Kingdoms of Korea Samhan or the Three Kingdoms of Korea () refers to the three kingdoms of Goguryeo (고구려, 高句麗), Baekje (백제, 百濟), and Silla (신라, 新羅). Goguryeo was later known as Goryeo (고려, 高麗), from which the modern name ''Kor ...

, as ''

Sānguózhì The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

'', a

Jin Chinese Jin (; ) is a proposed group of varieties of Chinese spoken by roughly 63 million people in northern China, including most of Shanxi province, much of central Inner Mongolia, and adjoining areas in Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces. The stat ...

historical text published in 289, mentions that the Goguryeo Koreans are skilled in making fermented foods such as wine, soybean paste and salted and fermented fish in the section titled ''

Dongyi The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula, and Ja ...

'' in the ''

Book of Wei The ''Book of Wei'', also known by its Chinese name as the ''Wei Shu'', is a classic Chinese historical text compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and is an important text describing the history of the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei from 386 to 5 ...

''. The first Korean record of ''jeotgal'' appeared 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, ...

'', with a reference that

King Sinmun Sinmun of Silla (r. 681–692) was the thirty-first king of Silla, a Korean state that originated in the southwestern Korean peninsula and went on to unify most of the peninsula under its rule in the mid 7th century. He was the eldest son of Sil ...

offered rice, wine, jerky, and ''jeotgal'' as wedding presents in 683. In 1124, a Song Chinese envoy wrote that ''jeotgal'' was enjoyed by high and low alike in

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

. Twenty-four types of ''jeotgal'' appear in '' Miam ilgi'', a 16th-century diary written by a Joseon literatus, and over 180 types of ''jeotgal'' can be found in the coeval books ''

Gosa chwaryo Gun Owners South Africa (abbreviated to GOSA) is a firearms rights and advocacy group in the Republic of South Africa. It was founded on 26 January 2004 by Thomas Eastes and nine associates invited by him, Abios Khoele, Charl van Wyk, Pieter van W ...

'' and '' Swaemirok'', and in 17‒18th century books ''

Eumsik dimibang The ''Eumsik dimibang'' or ''Gyugon siuibang'' is a Korean cookbook written around 1670 by Lady Jang (張氏, 1598~1680) from Andong Clan, Gyeongsang Province during the Joseon Dynasty. The author was in the noble ''yangban'' class and the book ...

'', ''

Sallim gyeongje ''Sallim gyeongje'', roughly translated as "Farm Management",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 ...

''.

Types

The types of ''jeotgal'' vary depending on main ingredients, regions, and family and personal preferences. In past times, due to the limited availability of transportation, regions near seas had more types of ''jeot'' compared to the inland areas.

Fish (fish innards and roe)

Shellfish and other marine animals

Gallery

Changnan-jeot (salted pollock innards).jpg, ''changnan-jeot'' (salted pollock innards) Ganjanggejang (marinated crab).jpg, ''

ganjang-gejang ''Gejang'' (게장) or ''gejeot'' (게젓) is a variety of ''jeotgal'', salted fermented seafood in Korean cuisine, which is made by marinating fresh raw crabs either in ''ganjang'' (soy sauce) or in a sauce based on chili pepper powder. The term ...

'' (marinated crab) Guljeot (oyster jeotgal).jpg, ''

guljeot ''Guljeot'' () or salted oyster is a ''jeotgal'' (salted seafood) made by salting and fermenting oyster. It is a popular ''banchan'' (side dish) served as an accompaniment to ''bap'' (cooked rice). Preparation Small, fresh oysters are shucked, ...

'' (salted oyster) Myeongnanjeot (pollock roe).jpg, ''

myeongnan-jeot Pollock roe, also pollack roe (also known as ''myeongnan'' and ''tarako'') is the roe of Alaska pollock (''Gadus chalcogrammus'') which, despite its name, is a species of cod. Salted pollock roe is a popular culinary ingredient in Korean, Japa ...

'' (salted pollock roe) Ojingeojeot (squid jeotgal).jpg, ''

ojingeo-jeot ''Ojingeo-jeot'' () or salted squid is a ''jeotgal'' (젓갈, salted seafood) made by salting and fermenting thinly sliced squid. It is a popular ''banchan'' (side dish) with high protein, vitamin and mineral contents. Preparation Squid is ski ...

'' (salted

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

) Saeujeot (fermented shrimp) jeotgal (Caridea) 3.jpg, ''

'' (salted shrimp) Myeolchijeot (fermented anchovies).jpg, ''

myeolchi-jeot ''Myeolchi-jeot'' () or salted anchovies is a variety of ''jeotgal'' (salted seafood), made by salting and fermenting anchovies. * Along with ''saeu-jeot'' (salted shrimps), it is one of the most commonly consumed ''jeotgal'' in Korean cuisine. I ...

'' (salted anchovy) Korean sea food-Hwangsaegi jeot-01.jpg, ''

jogi-jeot ''Jogi-jeot'' () or salted yellow croaker is a variety of ''jeotgal'' (salted seafood), made with yellow croakers. In Korean cuisine, ''jogi-jeot'' is widely used as ''banchan'' (side dish), as a condiment, or as an ingredient for kimchi. Histo ...

'' (salted yellow croaker)

References

{{portal bar, Food Korean seafood

History

Types

Fish (fish innards and roe)

Shellfish and other marine animals

Gallery

See also

References