Since the three sides of the Korean Peninsula are facing the sea, we have been eating a variety of seafood since ancient times. Among the various seafood dishes, “Gejang” is unique among traditional Korean dishes and is famous all over the world.

Gejang is a food made by salting and fermenting crabs such as blue crabs and snow crabs. In Korea, there are various types of gejang, such as soy sauce gejang, seasoned gejang, and spicy gejang, which are characterized by their spicy and salty taste and flavor. Crab paste is eaten with rice, or used in soups or hotpots.

Source: https://www.mangoplate.com/

According to history, it is estimated that crab sauce began to be eaten at least around the year 1600.

It can be seen that the first record of crab is from the Joseon Dynasty, such as Gyuhapchongseo, Kitchenmun, and Siuijeonseo. Pickled soy sauce was one of them.

In the Joseon Dynasty, it was called Gejeot, and in Chinese characters, it was called Haejang (蟹醬) or Haehae (蟹醢).

Source: https://www.coupang.com/

Until modern times, the name referring to this food is gejang, and “ganjang” is a modifier added around 1990 to distinguish it from “seasoned gejang.” ”, there are quite a few cases where you don't know what food you're referring to. However, in the standard Korean dictionary, it is described that crab sauce is also made into a sauce.

(Source: Namu Wiki Reference and Arrangement)

The taste of gejang can vary according to personal taste, so it is difficult to generalize about exactly which region makes the tastiest gejang. Traditionally, however, Yangyang in Gangwon-do, Hongseong in Chungcheong-do, and Suncheon in Jeolla-do are known as regions famous for crab sauce. In addition, there may be differences in taste due to different fermentation methods and ingredients used in each region.

Source: https://m.blog.naver.com/FeedList.naver

If you search for gejang restaurants on Naver, you can get a lot of information, and you will be able to find gejang restaurants in Korea according to the evaluation. According to a blog, a restaurant for gejang-jeongsik in Suncheon, Jeolla-do is introduced, and the entire menu is detailed, so you can refer to it.

Web link: https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?isHttpsRedirect=true&blogId=sjg831007&logNo=221239708894

Now, let's taste the unique flavor of crab sauce and introduce it to other foreign friends, knowing that "Korean traditional cuisine" is not just "kimchi", but "gejang" also occupies an important place among traditional Korean dishes!