Gejang

Infobox Korean name

---

caption="Gejang"
hangul=게장, 게젓
hanja=
rr=gejang, gejeot
mr=gechang, gechot

"Gejang" or "gejeot" is a variety of "jeotgal", salted fermented seafood in Korean cuisine, which is made by marinating fresh raw crabs either in "ganjang" (soy sauce) or in a sauce based on chili pepper powder. The term consists of the two words; "ge", meaning "a crab", and "jang" which means "condiment" in Korean.cite web|url=http://map.encyber.com/search_w/ctdetail.php?masterno=8981&contentno=8981 |title=게장 |publisher=Doosan Encyclopedia |language=Korean] Although "gejang" originally referred only to crabs marinated in soy sauce, it has begun to be called "ganjang gejang" these days to differentiate it from "yangnyeom gejang" (양념게장). The latter is relatively a new dish that emerged since the restaurant business began to thrive in South Korea. cite news|url=http://myfriday.joins.com/myfriday/article/m_article_view.asp?aid=247075&servcode=3020303 |publisher=JoongAng Ilbo |author=전필호 |date=2006-02-23 |title=(서울) 맛집 스파이 잠입! - 간장게장 편 |language=Korean] "Yangnyeom" literally means "seasoning" or "seasoned" in Korean but refers to the spicy sauce made with chili pepper powder. Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Jeju Island are famous for their own characteristic "gejang".cite web|url=http://100.empas.com/dicsearch/pentry.html?s=K&i=241830&v=42 |title=게장 |publisher=Empas / EncyKorea |language=Korean]

Preparation

To prepare this dish, crabs are first throughly cleaned using a brush whilst submerged in a bowl of water, and are then rinsed to remove the moisture. The crabs are put in a "hangari" (earthenware crock) and are salted for about six hours. To prepare the sauce, a mixture of "ganjang" is boiled briefly along with sesame oil, sugar, finely sliced scallions, minced garlic, and ginger, and finely shredded fresh red chili pepper. Once the salted crabs are removed from the "hangari" and placed in a suitable bowl, the hot sauce is poured onto the crabs. An hour later, the "ganjang" is removed from the bowl and reheated until boiling. It is again poured over the crabs, and the procedure is repeated for a third and fourth time. The dish can be eaten once the sauce is chilled. If using boiled "ganjang" after it has been chilled, the "gejang" can be eaten two weeks after preparation, and it can be preserved for longer. A variation involves adding minced beef whilst the sauce is poured over the crabs, endowing the "gejang" with a more umami taste.

Types

Types are divided by crab species, region, and cooking method. Among varieties, "beoltteok gejang" (벌떡게장) is a local specialty of Jeolla Province and is made with live "Charybdis japonica", which are called either "beoltteokge" (벌떡게) or "minkkotge" (민꽃게) in Korean. [cite web|url=http://seopo.co.kr/sub06/sub064.html |title=민꽃게 (Charybdis japonica) |language=Korean| publisher=서포사랑 ] The crab has a hard carapace with a reddish-brown color and is found in the seawater of Korea according to "Jasaneobo" (자산어보), the first Korean fisheries science book written by the scholar Jeong Yak-jeon (정약전) in 1814. To make the "gejang", the crabs are cut into several pieces or used whole if they are not large. One or two days after the "beoltteokge" have been marinated in a "ganjang"-based sauce, one can enjoy the "gejang" which has a fresh and sweet taste. However, "beoltteok gejang" can not be preserved for a long time, so it is said that the name reflects the fact; "Beotteok" means "quickly" or "immediately" in Korean.

"Kkotgejang" (꽃게장) is made with "kkotge" (horse crab, which is the most consumed crab in South Korea. It is also a local specialty of Jeolla Province, and the dish is known for the umani taste. After cleaned, the live crabs are chopped into several pieces, and a mixture of "ganjang", sliced scallions, garlic, ginger, chili pepper powder, sesame seeds, salted is poured over them. It can be eaten one day after preparation.cite web|url=http://map.encyber.com/search_w/ctdetail.php?masterno=828864&contentno=828864 |title=꽃게장 |publisher=Doosan Encyclopedia |language=Korean]

Another local speciality of Jeolla Province is "konggejeot" (콩게젓) which is indegenous to Gangjin County. The "gejeng" is made by grinding crabs as small as a bean ("kong" in Korean) with millstones. The thick ground paste is mixed with salt and chili pepper paste. In Jeju Island, "gejang" is called "gingijeot" (깅이젓) made on every fifteenth of March in the lunar calendar at low tide. It is traditionally said that "gingijeot" is good to cure every illness in the region. "Chamgejang" (참게장) is a local specialty of Gyeonggi Province and is made with "chamge" (Chinese mitten crab) which generally live in the rivers of Korea which flow to the Yellow Sea. "Chamge" harvested in the Imjin River near the Paju region is especially famous for its unique taste and having a less earthy smell, so for many centuries the crabs were presented to the King of Korea as a delicacy. As demonstrated by the fact that records on "chamge" can be found in several historical documents regarding fisheries and cuisine such as "Jasaneobo", "Gyuhapchongseo" (규합총서), and the chapter "Jeoneoji" (전어지) of "Imwon Gyeongjeji" (임원경제지), the dish has been eaten by Koreans for a long time. However, these days pollution in the rivers has decreased the crab's habitat, so "chamge" is barely found except in Imjin River. "Chamgejang" is commonly nicknamed "bapdoduk' (밥도둑, literally "a meal thief" or "a rice thief") because it is considered a good dish for arousing one's appetite. The dish is intended to preserve for long periods, so the "gejang" is saltier than other varieties.cite web|url=http://map.encyber.com/search_w/ctdetail.php?masterno=827858&contentno=827858 |title=참게장 |publisher=Doosan Encyclopedia |language=Korean]

"Chamgejang" is also widely eaten in Gyeongsang Province, and is prepared at every house during autumn to make a "banchan" (small side dish) for the next summer. The crabs are also caught in rice fields during the harvest season, and female crabs are considered the best because they contain a lot of roe and fatty tomalley.

ee also

*Jeotgal
*Jangajji
*Banchan
*Korean cuisine

References

External links

*ko [http://www.hani.co.kr/section-009100002/2003/11/009100002200311051809088.html 군산 계곡가든 꽃게장] at The Hankyoreh
*ko [http://www.hankooki.com/lpage/special/200210/se200210301436317610.htm 참을 수 없는 꽃게장의 유혹] at Hankook Ilbo
*ko [http://channel.patzzi.joins.com/channel/food/new_recipy/happy_cook.asp?id=28 Recipe] at Patzzi
*ko [http://channel.patzzi.joins.com/article/article_dynamic.asp?viewid=2007092510521918710270000270100270108 Yangnyeom gejang recipe] at Patzzi