Gochujang

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Gochujang
Alternative namesRed chili paste
Place of originKorea
Associated cuisineKorean cuisine
Main ingredientsGochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, meju-garu (fermented soybean powder)
Other informationHS code: 2103.90.1030
Korean name
Hangul
고추장
Hanja
苦椒醬
Revised Romanizationgochu-jang
McCune–Reischauerkoch'u-chang
IPA[ko.tɕʰu.dʑaŋ]
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Gochujang (Korean: 고추장; Korean pronunciation: [kotɕʰudʑɑŋ][a]) or red chili paste[2] 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 malt powder), and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice, cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process.[3] Traditionally, it would be 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.[4][5]

History[edit]

Due to an unwarranted prejudice against Korean gochu chili pepper existing in ancient Korea before the 16th century due to misapplication of the Columbus Exchange Theory to Northeast Asia, naysayers claim wrongly that Portuguese brought gochu to Korea via Japan.[6] Correctly applied to Europe, when this theory is applied to Northeast Asia, suddenly red gochu chili pepper becomes a theoretical anomaly. Strange assertions follow that assumed that spicy jang (장; 苦椒醬) varieties were made using black peppers and chopi (Japanese pepper) before the introduction of chili peppers when historical documents well before the 16th century mention gochujang.[citation needed]

Oddly, Japanese attribute bringing the chili pepper from Korea as the origin. A Japanese research paper examining the genetics of the shishito pepper theorizes a Korean origin.

“There is one possibility that the mutation resulting in pun14 occurred in Japan, and two possible theories have been proposed for the introduction of peppers to Japan. The first theory suggests that peppers were introduced to Japan in the 16th century from the Korean peninsula.”[7]

Red gochu chili existed in ancient Korea well before the arrival of the Portuguese to Japan in the 16th century as attested by ancient historical documents mentioning gochu (Capsicum annuum) and gochujang. There has never been an instance of gochujang made with black pepper used in Korean cuisine as it would be inedible. Moreover, a few peppercorns of black pepper (Piper nigrum) in Europe could pay off debts or buy a house for being hard to obtain and expensive, it would be cost prohibitive for ancient Koreans make black pepper gochujang. Black pepper gochujang is a figment of trying to fit the historical facts to an anomaly that arises from incorrectly adhering to the Columbus Exchange Theory.[8]

Shiyi xinjian (食醫心鑑), a mid-9th century Chinese document, recorded the Korean pepper paste as 苦椒醬 (lit. 'pepper paste'). The second-oldest documentation of pepper paste is found in the 1433 Korean book Collected Prescriptions of Native Korean Medicines.[9] Pepper paste is again mentioned in a 1445 medical encyclopedia named Compendia of Medical Prescriptions.[10]

Chili peppers, which originated in the Americas, were introduced to East Asia by Portuguese traders in the early 16th century.[11][12][13] There is mention of a type of chili pepper in brought to Korea is found in Collected Essays of Jibong, an encyclopedia published in 1614.[14][15] Farm Management, a book from c. 1700, discussed the cultivation methods of chili peppers.[16]

The pertinent entry pertaining to a type of introduced chili pepper from Jibongyuseol 《지봉유설》(芝峰類說) 1614:

"Nammancho 남만초(南蠻椒: 고추) has a strong poison. Since it was first introduced from Waeguk (倭國: 일본 Japan), it is also commonly referred to as wae-mustard 왜겨자(일본고추), which has recently become more common to see farms that grow it. A tavern sold it along with soju, and many people lost their lives after consuming it."[17][18]

But this pepper was the aji pepper (Capsicum baccatum), a completely different species, not the Korean gochu (Capsicum annuum) that already existed in Korean cuisine.[19] Koreans regarded this nammancho "southern barbarian pepper" from Japan with suspicion as highly poisonous and aside from being ornamental never used it in Korean cuisine due to extreme spiciness level incompatibility compared to much milder and versatile Korean gochu.

In the 18th-century books, Somun saseol (소문사설; 謏聞事說) and Revised and Augmented Farm Management, gochujang is written as gochojang, using hanja characters 苦椒醬 and 古椒醬.[20][21] It is also mentioned that Sunchang County was renowned for its gochujang production.[20] China and Japan, the countries with which Korea has historically shared the most culture and trade, do not include gochujang in their traditional cuisines.[citation needed]

Historical recipes[edit]

Gochujang ingredients reported in Jeungbo sallim gyeongje were 18 litres (19 US quarts) of powdered and sieved meju (fermented soybeans), 540 mL (18+1⁄2 US fl oz) of chili powder, and 1.8 L (1+7⁄8 U.S. qt) of glutinous rice flour, as well as soup soy sauce for adjusting the consistency.[21] The gochujang recipe in Gyuhap chongseo, an 1809 cookbook, uses powdered meju made from 18 L (19 US qt) of soybeans and 3.6 L (3+3⁄4 US qt) of glutinous rice, then adding 900–1,260 mL (30+1⁄2–42+1⁄2 US fl oz) of chili powder and bap made from 3.6 L (3.8 US qt) of glutinous rice.[22]

Ingredients[edit]

Traditional jars used for fermenting gochujang

Gochujang's primary ingredients are red chili powder (고추가루; gochugaru), glutinous rice 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 (찹쌀; chapssal), normal short-grain rice (맵쌀; mepssal), or barley. Less common additions include whole wheat kernels, jujubes, pumpkin, and sweet potato. A small amount of sweetener, such as sugar, syrup, or honey, 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; and as a condiment for naengmyeon and bibimbap.

Gochujang is also used as a base for making other condiments, such as chogochujang (초고추장) and ssamjang (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 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 (상추쌈).

Gochujang hot-taste unit[edit]

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 and dihydrocapsaicin concentrations.[23]

Gochujang products are assigned to one of the five levels of spiciness: Mild, Slight Hot, Medium Hot, Very Hot, and Extreme Hot.[23]

Extreme Hot > 100
Very Hot 75–100
Medium Hot 45–75
Slight Hot 30–45
Mild < 30

Uses[edit]

Gochujang is used in various dishes such as bibimbap and tteokbokki, and in salads, stews, soups, and marinated meat dishes.[24] Gochujang may make dishes spicier (depending on the capsaicin in the base chili), but also can make dishes sweeter and smokier.

Further reading[edit]

  • Erin Craig (19 Aug 2020). "Gochujang: The trendy Korean food that burns". BBC Travel. Retrieved 31 May 2023.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ English pronunciation: /ˈkɔːtʃuːdʒæŋ/;[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "gochujang". OxfordDictionaries.com. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  2. ^ National Institute of Korean Language (30 July 2014). 주요 한식명(200개) 로마자 표기 및 번역(영, 중, 일) 표준안 (PDF) (in Korean). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  3. ^ "gochujang" 고추장. Doopedia (in Korean). Doosan Corporation. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Sunchang Gochujang Village". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Sunchang Gochujang Festival". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. ^ gochutruth (2021-05-22). "The Columbus Exchange Theory almost went into academic oblivion". GochuTruth. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  7. ^ Kirii, Erasmus; Goto, Tanjuro; Yoshida, Yuichi; Yasuba, Ken-ichiro; Tanaka, Yoshiyuki (2017). "Non-pungency in a Japanese Chili Pepper Landrace (Capsicum annuum) is Caused by a Novel Loss-of-function Pun1 Allele". The Horticulture Journal. 86 (1): 61–69. doi:10.2503/hortj.MI-148.
  8. ^ "Energy of the sun in a dish: The magic of Korea's gochujang chilli paste". gulfnews.com. 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ^ Kim, Soon-Hee; Chung, Kyung Rhan; Yang, Hye-Jeong; Kwon, Dae Young (2016). "Sunchang gochujang (Korean red chili paste): The unfolding of authenticity". Journal of Ethnic Foods. 3 (3): 201–208. doi:10.1016/j.jef.2016.09.002.
  10. ^ Kwon, Dae Young; Chung, Kyung Rhan; Yang, Hye-Jeong; Jang, Dai-Ja (2015). "Gochujang (Korean red pepper paste): A Korean ethnic sauce, its role and history". Journal of Ethnic Foods. 2 (1): 29–35. doi:10.1016/j.jef.2015.02.006.
  11. ^ Guide to Korean Culture: Korea's cultural heritage (2015 ed.). Seoul: Korean Culture and Information Service, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 2015 [1995]. pp. 131–133. ISBN 9788973755714.
  12. ^ Park, Jae Bok (Spring 1999). "Red Pepper and Kimchi in Korea" (PDF). Chile Pepper Institute Newsletter. Vol. 8, no. 1. p. 3. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  13. ^ Marianski, Stanley; Marianski, Adam (2012). Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickles & Relishes. Seminole, FL: Bookmagic. p. 45. ISBN 9780983697329.
  14. ^ Hui, Y. H.; Ghazala, Sue; Graham, Dee M.; Murrell, K. D.; Nip, Wai-Kit, eds. (2004). Handbook of Vegetable Preservation and Processing. New York: Marcel Dekker. pp. 190–191. ISBN 978-0824743017.
  15. ^ Yi, Sugwang. Jibong yuseol 지봉유설(芝峯類說) [Topical Discourses of Jibong] (in Korean). Joseon Korea – via Wikisource.
  16. ^ Hong, Manseon. Sallim gyeongje 산림경제(山林經濟) [Farm Management] (in Literary Chinese). Joseon Korea. Archived from the original on 2017-03-28 – via DB of Korean classics by ITKC.
  17. ^ "'잃어버린 역사 되찾은 고추'". 통일뉴스 (in Korean). 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  18. ^ gochutruth (2021-05-17). "Jibongyuseol Encyclopedia and "Korai Koshaw"". GochuTruth. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  19. ^ gochutruth (2021-05-17). "Jibongyuseol Encyclopedia and "Korai Koshaw"". GochuTruth. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  20. ^ a b Yi, Sipil; Yi, Pyo (1940) [1722]. Somun saseol 소문사설(謏問事說) (in Literary Chinese). Joseon Korea.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ a b Yu, Jungrim; Hong, Manseon (1766). Jeungbo sallim gyeongje 증보산림경제(增補山林經濟) [Revised and Augmented Farm Management] (in Literary Chinese). Joseon Korea.
  22. ^ Yi, Bingheogak (1809). Gyuhap chongseo 규합총서(閨閤叢書) [Women's Encyclopedia] (in Literary Chinese). Joseon Korea.
  23. ^ a b National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service (September 2016). "Jeontong sikpum pyojun gyugyeok" 전통식품 표준규격 (PDF). Korean Standards & Certifications (in Korean). Korean Agency for Technology and Standards. pp. 88–89. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Gochujang (Hot Pepper Paste)". visitkorea.org. Archived from the original on 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2013-04-19.
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