JEMINYOSUL is an agricultural book written by Kasahyup in about 530-550 A.D. in China. This book is regarded as the oldest agricultural book that is valuable to the study of Korean food history. In this paper, methods of various fermented vegetables r...
JEMINYOSUL is an agricultural book written by Kasahyup in about 530-550 A.D. in China. This book is regarded as the oldest agricultural book that is valuable to the study of Korean food history. In this paper, methods of various fermented vegetables recorded in the JEMINYOSUL are studied and are compared to Korean Kimchi. They are summarized as follows: The fermented vegetables in the JEMINYOSUL are classified as 16 classes of fermented vegetables and 17 classes of pickles. Fermented vegetables were preserved mainly with salt and cereals (rice-gruel, boiled rice, or Koji). They were also preserved with salt and spirits or draft or salt and fermented soybeans, but rarely with salt alone, Pickles were often preserved with vinegar and salt vinegar and salt and spice. Sometimes they were preserved with vinegar only or vinegar and soy sauce and spice. There was a fermented vegetable with mutton and pork which is similar to the "pheasant Kimchi" reported in the SOOWOOMJABBANG. Compared to Korean fermented vegetables, similar methods in the JEMINYOSUL (preserved with salt or salt and vinegar or salt and spirits) had been used before Koryo dynasty. After Koryo, dynasty, they were divided into two classes and have been progressed as Kimchi and Jangachi. Now Kimchi is mainly preserved with salt, and Jangachi is fermented with salt, vinegar, spirits, and fermented soybeans as was used in the JEMIMYOSUL. As far as pre-methods for processing concerned, boiled or dried vegetables were used in the JEMINYOSUL, while fresh vegetables are used in the Korean Kimchi.