''Jeotgal'' () or ''jeot'' (), translated as salted seafood, is a category of salted preserved dishes made with seafood such as shrimps,

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but no ...

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

, and

roe Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...

. Depending on the ingredients, ''jeotgal'' can range from flabby or solid pieces to clear, broth-like liquid. Solid ''jeotgal'' are usually eaten as ''

banchan ''Banchan'' ( ; ; ) are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. ''Banchan'' are often set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as ''galbi'' or ''bulg ...

'' (side dishes). Liquid ''jeotgal'', called ''aekjeot'' () or fish sauce, is popularly used in

kimchi Kimchi (; ) is a traditional Korean side dish (''banchan'') consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

seasoning, as well as in various soups and stews ('' guk'', '' jijimi'', '' jjigae''). As a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

, jeotgal with smaller bits of solid ingredients such as '' saeu-jeot'' (shrimp ''jeotgal'') is commonly served as a dipping sauce with pork dishes ('' bossam'', '' jokbal'', '' samgyeopsal''), '' sundae'' (Korean sausage), '' hoe'' (raw fish), and a number of soups and stews.

History

Fermented foods were widely available in

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

, as '' Sānguózhì'', a

Jin Chinese Jin () is a group of Chinese linguistic varieties spoken by roughly 48 million people in northern China, including most of Shanxi province, much of central Inner Mongolia, and adjoining areas in Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces. The status ...

historical text published in 289, mentions that the Goguryeo Koreans are skilled in making fermented foods such as wine, soybean paste and salted and fermented fish in the section titled '' Dongyi'' in the '' Book of Wei''. The first Korean record of ''jeotgal'' appeared in the historical text '' Samguk sagi'', with a reference that King Sinmun offered rice, wine, jerky, and ''jeotgal'' as wedding presents in 683. In 1124, a Song Chinese envoy wrote that ''jeotgal'' was enjoyed by high and low alike in

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

. Twenty-four types of ''jeotgal'' appear in ''Miam ilgi'' (), a 16th-century diary written by a 16th century Joseon literatus , and over 180 types of ''jeotgal'' can be found in the coeval books '' Gosa chwaryo'' (고사촬요; ) and '' Swaemirok'' (쇄미록; ), and in 17‒18th century books '' Eumsik dimibang'', '' Sallim gyeongje'', and '' Jeungbo sallim gyeongje''.

Types

The types of ''jeotgal'' vary depending on main ingredients, regions, and family and personal preferences. In past times, due to the limited availability of transportation, regions near seas had more types of ''jeot'' compared to the inland areas.

Fish (fish innards and roe)

Shellfish and other marine animals

Gallery

Changnan-jeot (salted pollock innards).jpg, ''changnan-jeot'' (salted pollock innards) Ganjanggejang (marinated crab).jpg, '' ganjang-gejang'' (marinated crab) Guljeot (oyster jeotgal).jpg, '' guljeot'' (salted oyster) Myeongnanjeot (pollock roe).jpg, '' myeongnan-jeot'' (salted pollock roe) Ojingeojeot (squid jeotgal).jpg, '' ojingeo-jeot'' (salted

squid A squid (: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight cephalopod limb, arms, and two tentacles in the orders Myopsida, Oegopsida, and Bathyteuthida (though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also ...

) Saeujeot (fermented shrimp) jeotgal (Caridea) 3.jpg, '' saeu-jeot'' (salted shrimp) Myeolchijeot (fermented anchovies).jpg, '' myeolchi-jeot'' (salted anchovy) Korean sea food-Hwangsaegi jeot-01.jpg, ''

jogi-jeot ''Jogi-jeot'' () or salted yellow croaker is a variety of ''jeotgal'' (salted seafood), made with Larimichthys polyactis, yellow croakers. In Korean cuisine, ''jogi-jeot'' is widely used as ''banchan'' (side dish), as a condiment, or as an ingred ...

'' (salted yellow croaker)

References