2019 JB LIFE! Magazine Spring Edition

Chili Paste County
Words & photos by Natalya Yan
淳
昌
Type “Sunchang” in Naver's search bar
and I bet the second line of suggested
requests will be "Sunchang Gochujang",
a red pepper paste. As a matter of fact,
the Sunchang Fermented Food Festival is held
annually in the Traditional Gochujang Folk Village
in Sunchang County. The place has been known for
the paste for so long that only legends about its
origins have survived until now. The truth is that
the most delicious red paste in Korea - even in the
whole world - is produced there, in Sunchang.
in her hometown. A bag with a brown pot full of
gochujang only strengthened the feeling.
The afternoon I arrived, I tried to make some gochujang
on my own at the Sunchang Jang (Sauce) Experience
Center. At first, the visitors were divided into teams of
four people and provided all the ingredients in proper
proportions. Then a lovely old lady, who seemed to be
a household expert, demonstrated the paste making
process step by step, explaining every detail. The
traditional components needed are:
As it is usually explained, the specificity of the
flavor is a unique combination of many factors:
• the clearest in Korea bedrock water is used,
• an agreement with local farming families about the
supply of the best pepper and beans is made,
• and the climate is slightly different from other
regions: the air is wet year-round. This is what
makes the fermentation bacillus constantly
revitalize and results in the richest taste.
Each ingredient appears to be something of “the
best.” That’s what it takes for this kind of reputation
to stand.
I went to the Gochujang Village on a regular
non-festival day to learn something exciting. But
I did not expect I would go home with my heart
warmed up. It felt like having visited my granny
• Rice or barley steamed into a thick liquid
• Fermented soy beans
• Barley malt
• Rice flour
• Red pepper powder
• Salt
Sunchang gochujang's unique taste is owed to the
proper balance worked out over centuries. The only
variable ingredient is the red pepper powder. It is
obvious that the more pepper you add, the redder
and hotter paste will turn out. (Side note: mass
producers of gochujang use a scale of 5 levels on a
tub of gochujang to specify its pungency: Level 1 is
mild and Level 5 is extremely hot.) However, even
the hottest red pepper paste cannot be described
as just a spicy supplement to ordinary food. The
taste is indeed one-of–a–kind. It is a bit sweet,
smoky, savory, and truly Korean.
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