Doenjang Facts for Kids

Doenjang with beans

Doenjang is a special Korean soybean paste. It tastes salty and savory. People use it to season many different kinds of Korean food. It's a bit like Miso, which is a Japanese soybean paste.

The History of Doenjang
How Doenjang is Made
Different Kinds of Doenjang
How Doenjang is Used
Health Benefits of Doenjang
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The History of Doenjang

Doenjang has been around for a very long time in Korea. Its history goes back even before the time of the Three Kingdoms.

Old books from the Chosun dynasty in Korea talk about how to make good Doenjang. They even said that if the Doenjang in a house tasted bad, then all the food in that house would taste bad too! This shows how important Doenjang has been for Korean meals for hundreds of years.

How Doenjang is Made

The main things needed to make Doenjang are salty water (like sea water) and something called Meju. Meju are blocks of fermented soybeans.

Here's the basic way to make it:

First, the Meju blocks are put into big jars with salty water.
To keep out bad bacteria and smells, people add charcoal and sun-dried chili peppers.
After some time, a liquid is taken out from the jar. This liquid is used to make Korean soy sauce. This part takes about 20 to 30 days.
Then, the Meju blocks are taken out of the jar and mashed up.
Salt and some of the soy sauce are added to this paste.
The paste is put back into jars.
After drying in the sun for several days, it finally becomes Doenjang!

Different Kinds of Doenjang

There are many types of Doenjang, and each is made a bit differently. They might use different ingredients or be made at different times of the year.

Some examples include:

Chungukjang: This type is made very quickly, in just two to three days. Most other types take much longer.
Patjang: This kind uses red beans in its recipe.
Makjang: This type is usually made during the Spring season.

People are also trying to make new kinds of Doenjang by adding other ingredients, like green tea, to make it even better.

How Doenjang is Used

Doenjang is a key ingredient in many traditional Korean dishes. These foods are known for being very healthy.

Two famous examples are Doenjang Jjigae and Chungukjang JJigae. These are delicious stews that use Doenjang as their main flavor.
Koreans also eat Doenjang with dishes like Ssambop and Samgyupsal. They often put a little Doenjang on a piece of meat or rice wrapped in a lettuce leaf.

Health Benefits of Doenjang

Recent research shows that Doenjang has good things in it that might help prevent cancer. Doenjang is also very nutritious, meaning it's full of good things for your body.

Doenjang is a fermented food, just like yogurt and cheese. Because of this, some people say that the older Doenjang gets, the better it tastes and the more beneficial it becomes!