thumb|upright|Soup soy sauce
Soup soy sauce or "guk-ganjang" () is a type of Korean soy sauce () made entirely of fermented soybeans (meju) and brine. It is also a byproduct of doenjang production. Both lighter and saltier than other Korean varieties, soup soy sauce is used mainly in guk (soup) and namul (a seasoned vegetable dish) in modern Korean cuisine.
Names
Soup soy sauce is referred to by many different names. In the English-speaking world, it is most commonly known as "soup soy sauce", which is a direct translation of (). The name "soup soy sauce" is used because it is used mainly for soup in modern Korean cuisine. Also, it is the name used by many popular soy sauce brands such as Sempio, Daesang's Chung Jung One, and CJ Cheil Jedang's Beksul. Other names for the sauce include:
- Hansik ganjang () – "Korean-style soy sauce" is a name used by the South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
- Jaeraesik ganjang () – "traditional soy sauce" is a name used for soup soy sauce when compared to gaeryang ganjang (, "modernized soy sauce"), which is now the most widely used (and considered "regular") type of soy sauce in modern Korean cuisine.
- Joseon-ganjang () – "Joseon soy sauce" is a name used for soup soy sauce, when compared to Wae-ganjang (, "Japanese soy sauce"). The term "Wae soy sauce" is used to refer to modernized gaeryang ganjang, which was introduced to Korea during the era of Japanese forced occupation.
- Jip-ganjang () – "home soy sauce" is a name used for home-brewed soup soy sauce.
History
The earliest soy sauce brewing in Korea seems to have begun prior to the era of the Three Kingdoms. The Records of the Three Kingdoms, a Chinese historical text written and published in the 3rd century, mentions that "Goguryeo people are good at brewing fermented soy beans", in the section called Dongyi (Eastern foreigners), in the Book of Wei. Jangdoks used for soy sauce brewing are found in the mural paintings of Anak Tomb No. 3 from 4th century Goguryeo.
In the Samguk sagi, a historical record of the Three Kingdoms era, it is mentioned that ganjang and doenjang along with meju and jeotgal were prepared for the wedding ceremony of King Sinmun in February 683. Sikhwaji, a section from Goryeosa (History of Goryeo), recorded that ganjang and doenjang were included in the relief supplies in 1018, after a Khitan invasion, and in 1052, when a famine occurred. Joseon texts such as Guhwangchwaryo and Jeungbo sallim gyeongje contain detailed procedures on how to brew good-quality ganjang and doenjang. Gyuhap chongseo explains how to pick a date for brewing, what to forbear, and how to keep and preserve ganjang and doenjang.