Cheonggukjang () is a traditional

Korean food Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of ...

made by fermenting

soybeans 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 and ...

. It contains whole, as well as ground soybeans.

Production

It can be made in two to three days through fermentation of boiled soybeans, adding ''

Bacillus subtilis ''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacillu ...

'', which is usually contained in the air or in the rice straw, at about 40°C without adding salt, compared with the much longer fermentation period required for ''

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 fe ...

'', another, less pungent variety of Korean

soybean 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 ...

. Like many forms of ''doenjang'', ''cheonggukjang'' is paste-like in texture, but also includes some whole, uncrushed soybeans. ''Cheonggukjang'' may also be made by fermenting boiled soybeans in a warm place, pounding a portion of them, and adding salt and red chili powder.

Food culture

is most often used to prepare a stew, which is also simply called , but may be called to avoid confusion. often includes additional ingredients, such as

potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es,

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion ...

s, and

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super firm ...

History and controversies

There is no known historical source of where ''cheonggukjang'' originated from. One theory proposed by Chinese scholars is that ''cheonggukjang'' was introduced by what is now

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

to the Korean peninsula during the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

era. However, ''Samkukjiwijidongijeon'' (''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', 三國志魏志東夷傳) suggests that ''cheonggukjang'' has existed in the Korean peninsula since before the

era, as there are records of such fermented foods dating back to first century BC, throughout the

Koryo dynasty 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 ...

and the Kingdom of

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

Nutrition and health

''Cheonggukjang'' is generally considered to be a healthy food (particularly in the winter), as it is rich in vitamins and other nutrients, though its very strong odor is not universally enjoyed. ''

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 fe ...

'' may be used to replace it by people who dislike the smell. In 1993, odorless ''cheonggukjang'' was invented by Dr. Hyun Kyu Joo, a former professor at Kunkook University, who later obtained a patent in 1998 for a method for removing ''cheonggukjangs characteristic smell. ''Cheonggukjang'' is also believed to aid in digestion. For this purpose, ''cheonggukjang'' pills are produced in South Korea.

Production

Food culture

History and controversies

Nutrition and health

See also

References

External links