Gejang or gejeot

Gejang or gejeot is a variety of jeotgal, salted fermented seafood in Korean cuisine, which is made by marinating fresh raw crabs either inganjang (soy sauce) or in a sauce based on chili pepper powder. The term consists of the two words; ge, meaning "a crab", and jang which means "condiment" in Korean.Although gejang originally referred only to crabs marinated in soy sauce, it has begun to be called "ganjang gejang" these days to differentiate it from yangnyeom gejang (양념게장). The latter is relatively a new dish that emerged since the restaurant business began to thrive in South Korea."Yangnyeom" literally means "seasoning" or "seasoned" in Korean but refers to the spicy sauce made with chili pepper powder. Gyeongsang, Jeolla, and Jeju Island are famous for their own characteristic gejang.

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Types

 

Served ready to eat the tomalley and roeof Gejang

Types are divided by crab species, region, and cooking method. Among varieties, beoltteok gejang (벌떡게장) is a local specialty of Jeolla Province and is made with live Charybdis japonica, which are called either beoltteokge (벌떡게) or minkkotge (민꽃게) in Korean.The crab has a hard carapace with a reddish-brown color and is found in the seawater of Korea according to Jasaneobo (자산어보 "Fishes of the Huksan Island"), the first Korean fisheries science book written by the scholar Jeong Yak-jeon (정약전) in 1814. To make the gejang, the crabs are cut into several pieces or used whole if they are not large. One or two days after the beoltteokge have been marinated in a ganjang-based sauce, one can enjoy the gejang which has a fresh and sweet taste. However, beoltteok gejang can not be preserved for a long time, so it is said that the name reflects the fact; beotteok means "quickly" or "immediately" in Korean.Kkotgejang (꽃게장) is made with kkotge (horse crab), which is the most consumed crab in South Korea. It is also a local specialty of Jeolla Province, and the dish is known for the umani taste. After cleaned, the live crabs are chopped into several pieces, and a mixture of ganjang, sliced scallions, garlic, ginger, chili pepper powder, sesame seeds, salted is poured over them. It can be eaten one day after preparation.Another local speciality of Jeolla Province is konggejeot (콩게젓) which is indegenous to Gangjin County. The gejeng is made by grinding crabs as small as a bean (kong in Korean) with millstones. The thick ground paste is mixed with salt and chili pepper paste. In Jeju Island,gejang is called gingijeot (깅이젓) made on every fifteenth of March in the lunar calendar at low tide. It is traditionally said that gingijeot is good to cure every illness in the region.

 

Yangnyeom gejang

Chamgejang (참게장) is a local specialty of Gyeonggi Province and is made with chamge (Chinese mitten crab) which generally live in the rivers of Korea which flow to the Yellow Sea. Chamge harvested in the Imjin River near the Paju region is especially famous for its unique taste and having a less earthy smell, so for many centuries the crabs were presented to the King of Korea as a delicacy. As demonstrated by the fact that records on chamge can be found in several historical 　documents regarding fisheries and cuisine such as Jasaneobo, Gyuhap chongseo (Women's Encyclopedia), and the chapter Jeoneoji (전어지) of Imwon gyeongjeji (임원경제지), the dish has been eaten by Koreans for a long time. However, these days pollution in the rivers has decreased the crab's habitat, so chamge is barely found except in Imjin River. Chamgejang is commonly nicknamed "bapdoduk' (밥도둑, literally "a meal thief" or "a rice thief") because it is considered a good dish for arousing one's appetite. The dish is intended to preserve for long periods, so the gejang is saltier than other varieties.Chamgejang is also widely eaten in Gyeongsang Province, and is prepared at every house during autumn to make a banchan (small side dish) for the next summer. The crabs are also caught in rice fields during the harvest season, and female crabs are considered the best because they contain a lot of roe and fatty tomalley.

 

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