Jeotgal (jeot)

Jeotgal is a salted, fermented Korean food made from shrimp, oysters, clams, fish or roe. It works as a condiment, a side dish and a base for sauces that season many Korean dishes.

History

The earliest known references come from China. The dictionary Erya, compiled between the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE, includes an entry on ji, a term for salted fish preparations and one of the earliest written mentions of the technique.

On the Korean peninsula, historical records show the practice was long established. The Samguk sagi notes jeotgal among wedding gifts in 683, and a Song Chinese envoy wrote in 1124 that it was enjoyed by both high and low in Goryeo. Under the Joseon dynasty the range grew: the 16th-century diary Miam ilgi lists twenty-four kinds, and other books of the period record more than one hundred eighty.

Coastal regions developed more varieties than inland ones, since limited transport made fresh seafood harder to move inland.

Culture

Jeotgal often appears as banchan, or side dish, and in its liquid form it seasons kimchi. Varieties with small pieces, such as saeujeot made from shrimp, are served as a dipping sauce with pork dishes like jokbal and sundae, Korean blood sausage with glass noodles.

In everyday cooking it flavors stews (jjigae) and soups (guk and tang) in place of salt or soy sauce. Families and regions have their own preferences, and the type varies with the main ingredient and place of origin. Shrimp harvested in May (ojeot) or June (yukjeot) show how the season shapes quality. Tohajeot, made from freshwater shrimp, is a local specialty of Jeolla.