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JMT Creative Arts's avatar

Now every time I serve soy sauce, I like to share with people the fact that if it is aged over 3 years, it will turn lighter and less salty, which I found fascinating.

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LA Seoulite's avatar

I nominate you as an honorary Korean in the State of Maine, heh heh. That's just wonderful to hear. You just re-affirmed the purpose of my being -- spreading K-culture wherever I can reach.

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JMT Creative Arts's avatar

Look what I just came across! -4/11/2025 They are located in Portland Maine. The next time I drive south (3.5 hrs from me), I should find their place. They wrote an interesting article about Onggi Pots.

https://onggi.com/blogs/stories/ancestral-pottery-the-artistry-of-onggi#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20studies%20have%20found,bad%20bacteria%20and%20external%20contaminants.

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LA Seoulite's avatar

I've been working on a post on the Korean ceramics that's due to go out next Sunday, 4-20. How timely! Stay tuned...

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Abel Delgado García's avatar

Lovely article. Thank you! You threw me back some memories of my SK travel. I saw the "jars" when visiting Gyeongju. After reading your article and after sharing your deep knowledge I understand now the deep privilege of seeing the "jars". Thank you!

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LA Seoulite's avatar

That's wonderful to hear, and the fact that you visited Gyeongju, the ancient capital city of Shilla. The whole city is like a museum--the one that I want to write about but don't know where to start. As for those jang-doks that you saw, it's nice to know that I was able to provide some perspective.

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Trudi Brinkmann's avatar

I enjoyed this! After having learned how to cook a lot of Korean dishes, it's fascinating to learn more about the origins of the most essential ingredients. As usual, some of it I knew but your posts never fail to give me the extra details I didn't know. Hearing your personal memories is a great addition to an educational topic....

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LA Seoulite's avatar

You may have seen this somewhere, on TV or otherwise, that ladies who tend to the jang-dok take great care in looking after them. They'll wipe them down almost everyday--my grandma used to do that too. I once had soy sauce that had been aging for over 10 years, and it had this amazing flavor to it. It becomes lighter in color and less salty as it ages over 3 years, and by that time, you can't really put a dollar figure on how much that soy sauce is worth.

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WillRavenel THE STROBIS WEAKLY's avatar

Fascinating! Thanks!

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LA Seoulite's avatar

Thank you for reading and the comments!

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