Doenjang. [The Taste of Nature: Meju, Water, Onggi, Sea salt and Sunshine] #2.

Rows of musty yellow brown bricks of soybeans that are soaked, boiled, and mashed are the first thing that catches my eyes as I enter the room. I sniff, and the earthy smell of well-cooked, fresh beans is still full in the air.

    “How long do they have to sit and dry?” I ask my teacher.

    “A few days, until the outside is fairly dry with cracks showing on the surface of the bricks,” she replies, briskly wiping her wrinkled hands on a purposefully messy apron.    

    These ‘bricks’, which are the start and foundation of making traditional Doenjang, are called Meju. The history of Meju traces back to the early Three Kingdom Period, appearing in ‘The Chronicles of the Three States’ for the first time. Here it is said that King Shinmoon of Silla sent Meju as a wedding gift to the bride’s family. It proves its applauded existence in China as well through the book ‘History of the Three States’(290) where it records that ‘the people of Goguryeo have admirable skills in making Jang and brewing alcohol’. As mentioned above, being the main source of protein, the importance and value of Meju were profound back then. Naturally, households(especially those in higher social status) were required to preserve and improve their Meju of family tradition, finding pride in those that were successfully made and turned into delicious Doenjang and Ganjang.

    Unfortunately, making Meju from scrap is considered unnecessary in most of the households these days. Although the recipe itself is not as difficult as one might think, the strong smell of the Meju blocks during the process of fermentation can be more than most modern families are willing to bear. After drying the Meju blocks in the sun, it takes about 2~3 months for the blocks to thoroughly ferment while sitting on the warm spot of the ondol floor inside the house. In other words, members of the house have to stand the smell throughout the cold winter which is not something easy to do, especially when you can buy Deonjang or Ganjang as much as you like at the store.

     

    Unlike the unappealing smell of the Meju however, the potential nutrition it holds within can be described as remarkable. It all begins with the science hiding behind that rough and bumpy ugliness. Meju is made with 100% soybeans, which is the crucial difference compared to general Nuruk(traditional fermented malt blocks used to make alcohol) or Miso(Japanese soybean paste) that do not use fermented blocks in the first place. This implies that the Meju itself absorbs the entire package of the nutritional value that soybeans offer and more, making magic with the healthy bacteria and molds that later set in.