Jeotgal
/ˈdʒʌt.ɡɑːl/noun
A Korean side dish made by salting and fermenting seafood, often including fish, shellfish, or roe.
Did you know?Jeotgal’s fermentation preserves seafood through salt and microbial activity, echoing an ancient survival technology used long before refrigeration.
Etymological Timeline
Early Korean
Korean
jeot
“Salted or fermented seafood”
Middle Korean
Korean
젓
“A salted seafood preparation or seasoning”
Pre-Modern Korean
Korean
젓갈
“Salted seafood, with gal functioning as part of the established compound form”
20th Century
Korean
jeotgal
“Romanized form of 젓갈”
Modern English
English
jeotgal
“A Korean fermented seafood side dish or condiment”