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Sauces and condiments from Korea, especially Gangwon-do

Makjang (Gangwon soybean paste)막장

Makjang is a soybean paste from Gangwon-do. The authors of a study of 12 commercial products name meju, barley and red pepper seeds as the main raw materials and say the blending ratio changed the content and effects. The finished pastes hold 11.1–16.9 % salt at pH 4.43–5.69.

Fully documentedSauces and condiments3 months

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedNo source gives a fixed recipe or amounts for makjang. A study of 12 commercial Gangwon products says the blending ratio of its raw materials (meju, barley, red pepper seeds) changed the content and effects.
MejuNamed by the authors as a main raw material of the commercial Gangwon products[kim2015]
SaltThe products measured 11.1–16.9 % salt[kim2015]
BarleyA main raw material of the commercial Gangwon products[kim2015]
Red pepper seedsA main raw material of the commercial Gangwon products[kim2015]
Startermeju (soybean blocks fermented by moulds and bacteria)

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 months

Start
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shapes, not to countMoulds

What changes: Moulds and bacteria grow over the soybean blocks for weeks

Step 1 of 4
Make and ferment meju
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Moulds
Yeasts
Lactic acid bacteria
Aspergillus tubingensis

Output: meju blocks.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
darkens as it ferments

Microbes at work in this step

moulds and bacteria grow over the blocks

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

Makjang is a soybean paste from Gangwon-do. The authors of a study of 12 commercial products name meju, barley and red pepper seeds as the main raw materials and say the blending ratio changed the content and effects. The finished pastes hold 11.1–16.9 % salt at pH 4.43–5.69. Made in 4 steps over 3 months. The longest step, pack into a jar and ferment, takes 3 months (Park J 2023) and runs at 13.9–35 °C (Park J 2023). Salt is 12 % (Park J 2023). Lactic acid bacteria and Aspergillus tubingensis and A. niger do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3 monthsReported[park2023]Pack into a jar and ferment
Temperature13.9–35 °CReported[park2023]Pack into a jar and ferment
Salt12 %Reported[park2023]Grind the meju and mix it with brine
AciditypH 4.4–5.7Measured[kim2015]Ripen

What makes this one different

Hansik doenjang is the meju left after soy sauce is drawn from the brine. The Gangwon makjang products studied add barley and red pepper seeds to the meju, and their salt, pH and colour vary widely from maker to maker.

Related ferments

Safety

The 12 commercial products measured 11.1–16.9 % salt and pH 4.43–5.69. Meju, the mould-ripened soybean block that makjang starts from, can carry aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus. A Korean survey of meju found A. flavus and A. parasiticus only rarely and said aflatoxin is not thought a significant problem in meju fermentation (Hong 2015). That survey identified mould strains; it did not measure aflatoxin in meju, and no source we read measured it in makjang.

Hazards the sources name: Aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus flavus (14 of 533 Aspergillus strains) and A. parasiticus (2 strains, from meju powder, possibly from the environment) in a survey of Korean meju, the soybean block makjang starts from; the authors call them rare and say aflatoxin is not thought a significant problem in meju fermentation.

History and sources

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

Park et al. (2023) note that no Joseon-era document uses the word makjang. They say the quick sauces geupjang and geupjojang, made by pounding meju, mixing it with brine and eating it after about fifteen days, resemble today's makjang. They give the name as coming from how quickly the paste is made.

  1. [kim2015] Kim B.-M. et al. 2015, Biological activities and physicochemical properties of Gangwon-do endemic makjang products, J. Korean Soc. Food Sci. Nutr. 44(6):862–873, doi:10.3746/jkfn.2015.44.6.862 (abstract)paper
  2. [yoo1998] Yoo J.-Y., Kim H.-G., Kim W.-J. 1998, Physico-chemical and microbiological changes of traditional meju during fermentation in Kangweondo area, Korean J. Food Sci. Technol. 30(4):908–915 (abstract)paper
  3. [park2023] Park J., Han M.-H., Jeong W., Yeo S.-H. and Kim S.-Y. 2023, Changes in quality characteristics of makjang depending on fermentation location and complex starters, Korean J. Food Preserv. 30(6):1056–1071, doi:10.11002/kjfp.2023.30.6.1056paper
  4. [hong2015] Hong S.-B., Kim D.-H., Samson R.A. 2015, Aspergillus associated with meju, a fermented soybean starting material for traditional soy sauce and soybean paste in Korea, Mycobiology 43(3):218–224paper