Emotional, spicy and salty chili pepper pickles and jjanchi

The story of spicy and salty pickled chili peppers and jjanchi

The charm of pickled foods and the flavor of traditional Korean side dishes

Jangajji, standing in the middle of raw and cooked food

Before humans used fire, they ate mainly raw food. Raw food, which is mainly composed of plant-based ingredients, has the advantage of allowing the intake of vitamins that are sensitive to heat.

On the other hand, carbohydrate foods such as rice, potatoes, and bread are difficult to digest and absorb if not heated.

A representative food that can be enjoyed without heating is **pickled vegetables**. Jangajji is a healthy pickled food that is in the middle of traditional cooked food and raw food.

Pickled chili peppers, a warm taste in saltiness

One of the most popular pickled vegetables in Korea is pickled chili peppers.

With just one salty pickled chili pepper on freshly cooked rice, you can finish a bowl of rice without any side dishes.

Jangajji is made by boiling soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a pickling broth, and adding red peppers, garlic shoots, soybean leaves, radish, onions, sesame seeds, and melons, and letting it mature for a certain period of time.

It is a traditional side dish that whets the appetite with its salty taste and crunchy texture.

What is the difference between Jangajji and pickles?

A food similar to pickled red peppers is Western pickles.

Pickles are similar to Jangajji in that they are made by pickling vegetables using vinegar and spices, and can be stored for a long time.

However, Jangajji is characterized by its salty and deep soy sauce base that suits the taste of Koreans,

and it also serves as a great side dish on its own.

The difference between Jangajji, Kimchi, and Jjanchi

Jangajji is a non-fermented pickled food, and kimchi is a fermented pickled food. According to this standard, Jangajji is a preserved food that is stored without fermentation,

and Kimchi is a fermented food that has a deep flavor through lactic acid bacteria fermentation.

There is also a similar concept called ‘Jjanji’.

Jjanji is originally a very salty food made by pickling radish in salt, and it is a pickled food that focuses on salinity rather than fermentation.

As it originated from the expression ‘salty kimchi’, it is closer to kimchi than Jangajji.

Globalization of Jangajji: Plum Pickles vs. Japanese Umeboshi

Plum pickles are loved in Korea as a summer delicacy that whets the appetite.

On the other hand, Japanese Umeboshi uses the same plums, but is very salty and has a strong acidity.

The difference is that Korean-style plum pickles aim for a sweet and sour taste,

and are made to go well with rice or meat.

Conclusion: Jangajji is not just a simple side dish

Traditional pickled foods such as chili pepper pickles and janchi are not simply side dishes to be eaten with rice,

but are healthy preserved foods and slow foods that contain the wisdom of our ancestors.

Recalling the warmth and wisdom contained in the salty taste, how about putting some chili pepper pickles on for dinner tonight?

Related keywords:

 - How to make chili pepper pickles

 - Difference between janchi and jangajji

 - Types of pickled foods

 - How to store jangajji

 - Traditional side dishes

 - Soy sauce pickled vegetables recipe