My Impression of Korea - Korea.net

FOOD
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Omegisul master Kim Eul-jung (right) shows how to
make omegisul with her daughter
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Jeju’s Traditional Liquor
Omegisul
BY LEE JI-YOON
STAFF WRITER
The traditional liquor makgeolli is
an alcohol refreshment that
Koreans have long enjoyed. The
popular combination of makgeolli and
pajeon, Korean pancakes made with
vegetable and wheat flour dough, is
beloved by visitors as well as Koreans.
Rice is widely known as the main
ingredient of makgeolli, but in the
southernmost island of Jeju-do it is
made with millet and called “omegisul.”
Because of the island’s volcanic
activity in ancient times, the soil is not
fit for rice farming and farmers have
grown alternative crops such as millet
and barley. Especially widely consumed
were steamed millet cake called
“omegiddeok,” which is also used for
making omegisul.
Ordinary millet liquor is brewed
from millet with malt, but the traditional
way of making omegisul contains
a unique process. Omegiddeok is
boiled and crushed, and the mash is
poured into a pot with malt and water
for fermentation.
After a week, the first milky color
of the liquor turns dark yellow. The
shallow layer on the upper part becomes
clean liquor called “cheongju,”
which was used for special occasions
like ancestral rites, and the muddy
part on the bottom becomes omegisul
after being strained through a sieve.
People on the far island used to
drink omegisul after a hard day’s work
in the fields. As Jeju has become a popular
tourist spot, the traditional liquor
can now be enjoyed across the nation.
Currently the production of
omegisul is mostly done by machines,
and Kim Eul-jung, 84, is considered
the only master of the traditional
liquor living on the island. Visitors
can taste and buy bottles of omegisul
made by the master.
After designating omegisul as the
third intangible cultural property of
Jeju in 1990, the local government is
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stepping up efforts to preserve the
culinary legacy through tour programs
and tasting promotions.
For more information on omegisul
and other folk custom of Jeju, visit the
multilingual website of Jeju Folk Village
Museum at www.jejufolk.com. ■
(Photos courtesy of
Jeju Folk Village Museum)
To make omegisul, omegiddeok
(1), traditional millet cake, is
boiled (2) and crushed (3), and
the mash is poured into a pot
with malt (4) and water for
fermentation (5)
52 KOREA NOVEMBER 2008
NOVEMBER 2008 KOREA 53