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Vegetables from Seosan and Taean, South Chungcheong, on the west coast of Korea

Gegukji (crab-brine kimchi)게국지

Gegukji is a rough kimchi of outer cabbage leaves left over from kimjang, seasoned with the liquid of gejang made from small crabs instead of jeotgal. Once it has ripened it is boiled as a stew, and it is now better known as that stew.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Gegukji itself.

Short entryVegetables

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedHousehold practice with no fixed amounts.
Outer cabbage leaves (ugeoji), or radishThe cabbage leaves are leftovers of kimjang[nfm-gegukji]
Brine from neungjaengi gejangSmall grey crabs, 3–4 cm, that appear after the first frost; used in place of jeotgal[nfm-gegukji]
Other crabs and shrimp, chopped, or old pumpkin (optional)[nfm-gegukji]
Start
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Close-up: water moving into a piece

What changes: Small crabs are made into gejang, and the liquid is kept to season the kimchi

Step 1 of 4
Make gejang from small crabs and keep the liquid
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: crab liquid (게국).

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Gegukji is a rough kimchi of outer cabbage leaves left over from kimjang, seasoned with the liquid of gejang made from small crabs instead of jeotgal. Once it has ripened it is boiled as a stew, and it is now better known as that stew.

What makes this one different

Gegukji uses crab gejang brine instead of jeotgal and is made from kimjang leftovers. Once ripe it was boiled as a stew.

Related ferments

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

No date of origin is known. It is absent from the 1984 national survey of local foods but appears as gegukji stew in 1994 and 2008 collections; it is thought that restaurants serving tourists in Seosan and Taean made it widely known.

  1. [nfm-gegukji] National Folk Museum of Korea, Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture, Korean Food, Clothing and Housing (한국의식주생활사전), 게국지김치; KOGL type 2, facts only; read 2026-10book
  2. [kowiki] Korean Wikipedia, 김치 (게국지: crab sauce ground, mixed with cabbage or radish, aged, usually boiled), read 2026-10wiki