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Guardian

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Entertainment

‘Without time, there is no flavour’: a South Korean grand master on the art of the perfect soy sauce

Guardian
Summary
Nutrition label

78% Informative

Ki Soon-do is the 10th -generation custodian of her family’s sauce-making legacy.

At 75 , she is a traditional jang maker, a term that describes a family of fermented soybean condiments.

Her process begins in winter when soybeans are boiled, crushed and shaped into blocks called meju.

These blocks are tied with rice straw and hung indoors, where the beneficial bacteria from the straw help develop unique flavours.

To share her traditional knowledge, Ki established a fermentation school in 2023 .

Ki worries about the future of traditional jang-making.

She sees herself as part of a struggle to preserve cultural knowledge in an age of convenience.

The Unesco recognition of jang making as an intangible cultural heritage has given her both pride and responsibility.

VR Score

76

Informative language

72

Neutral language

58

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

47

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

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