In the plush foothills of Damyang county, South Jeolla province, rows of earthenware jars stand below the Korean sky. Inside every clay vessel, a quiet transformation is going down, one which has been occurring on this land for hundreds of years.
That is the area of Ki Quickly-do, South Korea’s sole grand grasp of conventional aged soy sauce, the place endurance isn’t only a advantage however the important ingredient in her craft.
“Right here, do this,” Ki says, eradicating the heavy lid from one of many 1,200 pots. She dips a ladle into the darkish liquid, releasing a fancy aroma. “Scent it first, then style only a droplet.”
The flavour unfolds slowly, first salty, then deeply savoury, with hints of one thing virtually floral. It bears little resemblance to the bottles labelled “soy sauce” in western supermarkets.
“Korean conventional soy sauce wants three issues: soybeans, water and salt,” Ki explains. “And care and time. With out time, there isn’t any flavour. In fashionable life, everyone seems to be dashing. However some issues can’t be rushed.”
At 75, Ki is the Tenth-generation custodian of her household’s sauce-making legacy. When she married right into a prestigious household at 23, she inherited not only a family however the accountability for preserving fermentation methods relationship again 370 years.
Ki is a conventional jang maker, a time period that describes a household of fermented soybean condiments that season nearly each Korean dish: ganjang (soy sauce), doenjang (soybean paste), and gochujang (fermented chilli paste). These aren’t simply seasonings however the foundational flavours that outline Korean delicacies.
“Our jang and doenjang are just like the roots of Korean individuals,” Ki says firmly. “Once we speak about Korean meals, we’re speaking about jang. With out it, you can’t name it Korean delicacies.”
What started as a home obligation for Ki has since remodeled right into a mission to safeguard a cornerstone of Korean culinary heritage. In December 2024, after years of devoted work by Ki and different conventional jang makers, their craft was formally recognised by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, a testomony to generations of meticulous preservation.
‘We start solely after bathing to purify ourselves’
Not like mass-produced industrial sauces and pastes, Ki’s course of begins in winter when soybeans are boiled, crushed and formed into blocks known as meju.
These blocks are tied with rice straw and hung indoors, the place the useful micro organism from the straw assist develop distinctive flavours throughout fermentation. After round 50 days, they’re submerged in brine made with bamboo salt, which Ki creates by baking sea salt inside bamboo at excessive temperatures.
“The day for boiling meju have to be day,” she says. “We start solely after bathing to purify ourselves and saying prayers. This requires extraordinary devotion, however our household has adopted these similar rituals for 370 years. It’s how we’ve all the time performed it.”
The ensuing solids that sink to the underside remodel into doenjang, whereas the liquid will change into ganjang after round a yr of fermentation. Probably the most treasured of all is her jinjang, a soy sauce aged for greater than 5 years that has developed a depth of flavour that has captivated prime cooks from all over the world who’ve made pilgrimages to her sanctuary.
Her dedication gained worldwide consideration in 2017 when her then 360-year-old “seed sauce” generally known as ssiganjang, a household heirloom repeatedly replenished with annually’s greatest batch (in a manner just like a sourdough starter), was chosen to season beef ribs served to then US president Donald Trump throughout a state banquet. The press marvelled at a sauce that was “older than American historical past”.
Ki additionally produces gochujang. Within the seventh month of the lunar calendar, she ferments meju made particularly for the paste, which is then powdered and combined with steamed glutinous rice, chilli powder, ganjang, and malt syrup from sprouted barley. Amongst her creations is a particular strawberry gochujang, which makes use of Damyang strawberries for a pure sweetness that balances the warmth and saltiness.
Ki believes that her devotion to conventional fermented meals has benefited her personal well being. “I’ve by no means been hospitalised or taken common medicine,” she says matter-of-factly. “Everybody pursues happiness, and to be pleased, that you must be wholesome. Individuals now eat quick meals, however fermented meals preserve well being. What might be higher than that?”
Immediately, Ki works alongside her household, who additionally assist handle their conventional meals firm. Collectively, they’re dedicated to preserving historical strategies whereas discovering methods to share their heritage with a wider viewers. To share her conventional data, Ki established a fermentation college in 2023.
Altering seasons
But Ki worries about the way forward for conventional jang-making. The place as soon as each Korean family had its personal jang recipes and jars, right this moment most Koreans attain for factory-produced bottles and tubs.
The local weather disaster poses one other problem. “Korea used to have 4 distinct seasons, however winter is shorter, spring passes shortly, and summer season is lengthy,” Ki laments. The warmth impacts fermentation, turning doenjang darker and accelerating moisture loss. Undesirable micro organism proliferate within the hotter temperatures, forcing variations.
“We used to make bigger meju, however too many alternative micro organism would develop,” she says. “So we lower the meju measurement in half to shorten the fermentation time. I’ve additionally planted balsam flowers across the pots to supply shade throughout the summer season. If the local weather continues to heat, we may have to maneuver our jang to cooler storage locations.”
Past her personal productions, Ki sees herself as a part of a broader battle to protect cultural data in an age of comfort. The Unesco recognition of jang-making as an intangible cultural heritage has given her each pleasure and a way of accountability.
Because the afternoon mild casts shadows throughout her treasured jars, Ki displays on her life’s work. “This isn’t nearly jang,” she says. “It was my destiny to inherit this custom, and it has change into my future to protect it.”
Supply hyperlink
