Cheonggukjang
/tɕʰʌŋ.ɡuk̚.tɕaŋ/noun
A pungent Korean fermented soybean paste or stew base made by fermenting cooked soybeans, traditionally with Bacillus bacteria.
Did you know?Cheonggukjang can ferment in only a few days, unlike slower soybean pastes, because Bacillus bacteria rapidly break down the beans’ proteins and produce its characteristic ammonia-like aroma.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Sino-Korean
淸國醬
“Literally, “Qing-country sauce or paste”; this character-based explanation is traditionally associated with the name, though the historical naming theory is not completely certain.”
Joseon period
Korean
청국장
“A rapidly fermented soybean paste used in Korean foodways; early historical references are difficult to date precisely.”
19th–20th Century
Korean
청국장
“A strongly aromatic, quick-fermented bean paste, commonly prepared from cooked soybeans.”
20th Century
Modern Korean
cheonggukjang
“The Revised Romanization form used to represent the Korean name in Latin script.”
Modern English
English
cheonggukjang
“A Korean fermented soybean paste or dish, increasingly discussed internationally as a probiotic food.”