''Gochujang'' () or red chili paste * is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in

Korean cooking 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 ...

. It is made from

gochu-garu Korean chili peppers or Korean hot peppers, also known as Korean red, Korean dark green, or Korean long green peppers according to color (ripening stages), are medium-sized chili peppers of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. The chili pepper is long ...

(chili powder),

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgireum'' ( barley

malt Malt is germinated cereal grain that has been dried in a process known as " malting". The grain is made to germinate by soaking in water and is then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air. Malted grain is used to make beer, wh ...

powder), and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice, cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in '' jangdok'' (earthenware) on an elevated stone platform, called '' jangdokdae'', in the

backyard A backyard, or back yard (known in the United Kingdom as a back garden or just garden), is a yard at the back of a house, common in suburban developments in the Western world. In Australia, until the mid-20th century, the back yard of a pro ...

. The Sunchang Gochujang Festival is held annually in Gochujang Village in

Sunchang County Sunchang County (''Sunchang-gun'') 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. Suncha ...

, North Jeolla Province, South Korea.

History

It has commonly been assumed that spicy () varieties were made using black peppers and before the introduction of chili peppers. ''Shiyi xinjian'' (), a mid-9th century Chinese document, recorded the Korean pepper paste as (). The second-oldest documentation of pepper paste is found in the 1433 Korean book '' Collected Prescriptions of Native Korean Medicines''. Pepper paste is again mentioned in a 1445 medical encyclopedia named '' Compendia of Medical Prescriptions''. Chili peppers, which originated in the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by Portuguese traders in the early 16th century. The first mention of chili pepper in Korea is found in '' Collected Essays of Jibong'', an encyclopedia published in 1614. '' Farm Management'', a book from ca. 1700, discussed the cultivation methods of chili peppers. In the 18th-century books, ''

Somun saseol Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also ...

'' and '' Revised and Augmented Farm Management'', gochujang is written as , using hanja characters and . It is also mentioned that

Sunchang Sunchang County (''Sunchang-gun'') 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. Suncha ...

was renowned for its gochujang production. China and Japan, the countries with which Korea has historically shared the most culture and trade, do not include gochujang in their traditional cuisines. Gochujang ingredients reported in ''

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 ...

'' were of powdered and sieved '' meju'' (fermented soybeans), of chili powder, and of glutinous rice flour, as well as soup soy sauce for adjusting the consistency. The gochujang recipe in ''

Gyuhap chongseo ''Gyuhap chongseo'' (roughly translated as "Women's Encyclopedia") is a compendium of advice for women, written by Yi Bingheogak in 1809 during the Korean Joseon Dynasty. Composition * ''Jusaui'' () : making ''jang'' (condiments), alcoholic beve ...

'', an 1809 cookbook, uses powdered ''meju'' made from of soybeans and of glutinous rice, then adding of chili powder and '' bap'' made from of glutinous rice.

Ingredients

Gochujang's primary ingredients are red chili powder (gochugaru; 고추가루),

powder, powdered fermented soybeans, and salt. Korean chili peppers, of the species '' Capsicum annuum'', are spicy yet sweet making them ideal for gochujang production. Other recipes use glutinous rice (''chapssal'', ko, 찹쌀), normal short-grain rice (''mepssal'', ko, 멥쌀), or barley, and, less frequently, whole wheat kernels, jujubes,

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

, and

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

; these ingredients are used to make special variations. A small amount of sweetener, such as sugar, syrup, or

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

, 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

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'' ( ko, 초고추장) and '' ssamjang'' ( ko, 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 Hoe or HOE may refer to: * Hoe (food), a Korean dish of raw fish * Hoe (letter), a Georgian letter * Hoe (tool), a hand tool used in gardening and farming ** Hoe-farming, a term for primitive forms of agriculture * Backhoe, a piece of excavati ...

'' 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'' ( ko, 상추쌈).

Gochujang hot-taste unit

Gochujang hot-taste unit (GHU) is a unit of measurement for the pungency (spicy heat) of gochujang, based on the

gas chromatography Gas chromatography (GC) is a common type of chromatography used in analytical chemistry for separating and analyzing compounds that can be vaporized without decomposition. Typical uses of GC include testing the purity of a particular substance, ...

and the high-performance liquid chromatography of capsaicin and

dihydrocapsaicin Dihydrocapsaicin is a capsaicinoid and analog and congener of capsaicin in chili peppers (''Capsicum''). Like capsaicin, it is an irritant. It accounts for about 22% of the total capsaicinoid mixture and has the same pungency as capsaicin. P ...

concentrations. Gochujang products are assigned to one of the five levels of spiciness: Mild, Slight Hot, Medium Hot, Very Hot, and Extreme Hot.

Uses

Gochujang is used in various dishes such as '' bibimbap'' and '' tteokbokki'', and in salads,

stews 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 can include any combination of vegetables and m ...

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...

s, and marinated meat dishes. Gochujang may make dishes spicier (depending on the capsaicin in the base chili), but also can make dishes sweeter and smokier.

Storage

Leave the lid open overnight and cover the next day. It is better to use a jar with a narrow neck. When gochujang is exposed to the air, it turns black and develops a bad taste. In summer, it can easily become moldy, so cover the pot with mesh or gauze while it is in the sun.

References