Saeujeot
Encyclopedia
Saeujeot is a variety of jeotgal
, salted and fermented
food made with small shrimp
in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed jeotgal along with myeolchijeot
(멸치젓, salted anchovy
jeot) in South Korea
. The name consists of the two Korean words, saeu (새우
shrimp) and jeot. Saeujeot is widely used throughout Korean cuisine but is mostly used as an ingredient in kimchi
and dipping pastes. The shrimp used for making saeujeot are called jeotsaeu (젓새우) and are smaller and have thinner shells than ordinary shrimp.
The quality of saeujeot largely depends on the freshness of the shrimp. In warm weather, fishermen may immediately add salt for preliminary preservation.
through April. It is called deddeugi jeot (데뜨기젓) or dotddegi jeot (돗떼기젓) in the west coast of the South Korea. Ojeot (오젓) is made with shrimp harvested in May.
family which is called gonjaeng-i or jaha (자하, 紫蝦) in Korean
. The shrimp used for it is the smallest among all saeujeot. They are harvested in August and September in small amounts where freshwater
mixes with seawater
of the abyss of the Yellow Sea
. As it ferments, the jeot changes from transparent to light violet or brown in color and becomes soft in texture. Gonjaeng-ijeot is called gogaemijeot (고개미젓) in Jeolla Province. It is a local specialty of Seosan-gun, Chungcheong Province.
Chujeot (추젓) is made with small shrimp harvested in autumn which are smaller and cleaner than the shrimp in yukjeot.
Jajeot (자젓) is commonly called japjeot (잡젓, literally mixed jeot) which is made with several types of small shrimp without special selection. Daetdaegijeot (댓대기젓) is made with shrimp that have thick, stiff, yellowish shells. It is considered to be the lowest quality saeujeot.
Saeualjeot (새우알젓) is made with the eggs of medium-sized red shrimp harvested in April. It was presented to the royal court as a local product during the late period of the Joseon dynasty and currently is only produced in Okgu-gun, North Jeolla Province.
Jeotgal
Jeotgal or jeot is a salted fermented food in Korean cuisine. It is made with various seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, shellfish, fish, fish eggs, and fish intestines....
, salted and fermented
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
food made with small shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed jeotgal along with myeolchijeot
Myeolchijeot
Myeolchijeot or myeolchi jeot is a variety of jeotgal, a salted fermented dish made with anchovies in Korean cuisine. It is the most frequently consumed variety of jeotgal, along with saeujeot in South Korea. The name consists of the two Korean words, myeolchi and jeot...
(멸치젓, salted anchovy
Anchovy
Anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
jeot) in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. The name consists of the two Korean words, saeu (새우
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
shrimp) and jeot. Saeujeot is widely used throughout Korean cuisine but is mostly used as an ingredient in kimchi
Kimchi
Kimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
and dipping pastes. The shrimp used for making saeujeot are called jeotsaeu (젓새우) and are smaller and have thinner shells than ordinary shrimp.
The quality of saeujeot largely depends on the freshness of the shrimp. In warm weather, fishermen may immediately add salt for preliminary preservation.
Types
The types of saeujeot depend on the kind of shrimp used and when they are harvested.In spring
Putjeot (풋젓) is made with shrimp harvested from the end of January in lunar calendarLunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
through April. It is called deddeugi jeot (데뜨기젓) or dotddegi jeot (돗떼기젓) in the west coast of the South Korea. Ojeot (오젓) is made with shrimp harvested in May.
In summer
Yukjeot (육젓, 六젓) is made with shrimp harvested in June and is regarded as the highest quality jeot. It is the saeujeot most preferred for making kimchi because of its richer flavor and bigger shrimp than other saeujeot. The shrimp in Yukjoet have red heads and tails. Chajeot (차젓) is made with shrimp harvested in July.In fall
Gonjaeng-ijeot (곤쟁이젓) or jahajeot (자하젓, 紫蝦젓) is made with very small shrimp-like Neomysis awatschensis, one of the opossum shrimpOpossum shrimp
Neomysis americana is an "extremely common" species of opossum shrimp along the Atlantic coast of North and South America. The species has a disjunct distribution, being present in an area extending from the Saint Lawrence River to Florida, and separately in parts of Argentina...
family which is called gonjaeng-i or jaha (자하, 紫蝦) in Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
. The shrimp used for it is the smallest among all saeujeot. They are harvested in August and September in small amounts where freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
mixes with seawater
Seawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
of the abyss of the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. As it ferments, the jeot changes from transparent to light violet or brown in color and becomes soft in texture. Gonjaeng-ijeot is called gogaemijeot (고개미젓) in Jeolla Province. It is a local specialty of Seosan-gun, Chungcheong Province.
Chujeot (추젓) is made with small shrimp harvested in autumn which are smaller and cleaner than the shrimp in yukjeot.
In winter
Dongjeot (동젓, 冬젓) is made with shrimp harvested in November. Dongbaekha (동백하젓 冬白蝦) is made with shrimp harvested in February whose bodies are white and clean.Other saeujeot
Tohajeot (토하젓, 土蝦젓) is made with toha (토하, 土蝦), small shrimp caught only in clean freshwater of valleys. It is a local specialty of South Jeolla Province. It is also called saengijeot (생이젓).Jajeot (자젓) is commonly called japjeot (잡젓, literally mixed jeot) which is made with several types of small shrimp without special selection. Daetdaegijeot (댓대기젓) is made with shrimp that have thick, stiff, yellowish shells. It is considered to be the lowest quality saeujeot.
Saeualjeot (새우알젓) is made with the eggs of medium-sized red shrimp harvested in April. It was presented to the royal court as a local product during the late period of the Joseon dynasty and currently is only produced in Okgu-gun, North Jeolla Province.
See also
- JeotgalJeotgalJeotgal or jeot is a salted fermented food in Korean cuisine. It is made with various seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, shellfish, fish, fish eggs, and fish intestines....
- MyeolchijeotMyeolchijeotMyeolchijeot or myeolchi jeot is a variety of jeotgal, a salted fermented dish made with anchovies in Korean cuisine. It is the most frequently consumed variety of jeotgal, along with saeujeot in South Korea. The name consists of the two Korean words, myeolchi and jeot...
- KimchiKimchiKimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
- Korean cuisine
- Shrimp pasteShrimp pasteShrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi in Indonesian, ngapi in Burmese, kapi in Thai, Khmer and Lao language, belacan in Malay, mắm ruốc, mắm tép and mắm tôm in...
- PadaekPadaekPadaek, sometimes Padek, Lao bagoong, is a traditional Laotian condiment made from pickled or fermented fish that has been cured. Often known as Laotian fish sauce, it is a thicker, seasoned fish sauce that often contains chunks of fish in it...
- Budu
- Fish sauceFish sauceFish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in numerous cultures in Southeast Asia and the coastal regions of East Asia, and features heavily in Thai and Vietnamese...