Soy and Bean Paste Making, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Korea

Pyongyang, November 11 (KCNA) -- Soy and bean paste making is one of the Korean nation's cultural heritage.

The Korean people have long used in diet soy and bean paste made from beans.

Their ancestors discovered that the fermented soybean tastes good than the boiled one. In the course of purposefully developing this dish, they created soy, fermented soybean food.

Soy, based on the principle of fermentation, had been used before the period of Koguryo.

Originally, people wrapped the boiled soybeans in straw, fermented them in hot Korean hypocaust, and then mixed them with salt to take it.

Afterwards, they dried the fermented soybeans and powdered and then soaked in salt water.

In the period of Koguryo, it was developed into the ball-shaped soybean malt and divided into soy sauce and bean paste.

Later, this method was also divided into two types - fast-fermenting and long-fermenting soy. And then various kinds of soy with different taste and fragrance appeared according to regional characteristics.

Korean soy and bean paste, traditional foodstuff, are recognized as a health food in the world as they are rich in nutritive ingredients and good for health.

The soy and bean paste making was registered as one of the national intangible cultural heritage in November 2013. -0-