Hanybaram: Korean Culture & Living

HANYBARAM · KOREAN FOOD & TRADITIONAL LIVING A bowl of thick soybean paste. A small dish of dark soy sauce. On a Korean table, they look like entirely different ingredients. Their story, however, can begin in the same jar. That shared beginning is one of the most fascinating details of traditional Korean cooking. To understand it, look beyond the finished condiment and follow the journey of meju —fermented soybean blocks—through brine, separation, and aging. The turning point has a name: jang gareugi (장 가르기) . Once you understand this step, doenjang and ganjang become easier to see as related ingredients with different paths. Quick Answer: How Does Meju Become Doenjang and Ganjang? In a traditional shared-batch method, fermented soybean blocks are aged in salt water. At jang gareugi, the soybean solids and liquid are separated. The solids are worked into doenjang , while the liquid becomes ganjang . Further aging and handling depend on the maker’s method. In this guide ...