''Gochujang'' (, from Korean: , ) or red chili paste * is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgireum'' (

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 ...

malt 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. The Sunchang Gochujang Festival is held annually in Gochujang Village in Sunchang County, North Jeolla Province,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

History

It has commonly been assumed that spicy ''jang'' () varieties were made using

black pepper Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...

s and ''chopi'' before the introduction of

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

s. '' 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

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 ''gochojang'', using hanja characters and . It is also mentioned that Sunchang 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'' were of powdered and sieved '' meju'' (fermented soybeans), of chili powder, and of glutinous rice flour, as well as

soup soy sauce ''Guk-ganjang'' ( ko, 국간장) or soup soy sauce is a type of Korean soy sauce (''ganjang'') made entirely of fermented soybeans ('' meju'') and brine. It is also a byproduct of ''doenjang'' production. Both lighter in colour and saltier than ...

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 bev ...

'', 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), glutinous rice powder, powdered fermented soybeans, and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

. 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

, and, less frequently, whole wheat kernels, jujubes, pumpkin, and sweet potato; 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 Korean cooking to flavor stews ('' jjigae''), such as in ''gochujang jjigae''; to marinate meat, such as in ''gochujang

bulgogi ''Bulgogi'' (불고기; ; from Korean ''bul-gogi'' ), literally "fire meat", is a ''gui'' (구이; Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top gri ...

''; and as a condiment for ''

naengmyeon Naengmyeon * (, in South Korea) or raengmyŏn (, in North Korea) is a noodle dish of North Korean origin which consists of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients, including buckwheat (메밀, ''m ...

'' 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 excavating ...

'' and '' hoedeopbap''. Similarly, ''ssamjang'' is a mixture of mainly gochujang and ''

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 ...

'', 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 and the high-performance liquid chromatography of

capsaicin Capsaicin (8-methyl-''N''-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) ( or ) is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus ''Capsicum''. It is a chemical irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burnin ...

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

salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...

s, stews, soups, and marinated meat dishes. Gochujang may make dishes spicier (depending on the

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