By Cho Bo-heePosted : March 7, 2025, 15:50Updated : March 7, 2025, 15:50
SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - The traditional Korean practice of "jang" making, encompassing the fermentation of soybean paste and soy sauce, was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Dec. 3, 2024.
The process, deeply rooted in Korean culinary tradition, involves boiling soybeans to form "meju," or soybean blocks, which are then dried. Around the lunar new year, these blocks are submerged in salt water and fermented in earthenware vessels for several months.
The resulting mixture is then separated into "doenjang," a thick soybean paste, and "ganjang," soy sauce, both essential seasonings in Korean cuisine.
A "jang" making event is held at a fermented soybean paste storage in Damyang-gun, South Jeolla Province, Feb. 18, 2025. Yonhap
Visitors pose with "meju," or soybean blocks, at a fermented soybean paste storage in Damyang-gun, South Jeolla Province, Feb. 18, 2025. Yonhap
Dried chili peppers are added to freshly made "jang" to prevent harmful bacteria and eliminate odors. Yonhap
White cloth is placed over the "jangdok" for fermentation. Yonhap
"Meju," or soybean blocks, sold at a market/ Courtesy of NongHyup Agribusiness Group
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