Maejoo/메주/豆酱曲

Autumn 2012, my husband and I went to Kuangjo in Gyeonggi Do, on the way back home, we were so existed to see "Maejoo/메주/豆酱曲“ were hung under the roof of a residential house,a rural area . This is impossible to see in the city....

I believe that many readers like the " Deonjang/된장/豆瓣酱“ or " Gochujang/고추장/辣椒酱“. Maejoo is the main ingredient for making Deonjang , Gochujang and soy bean sauce.

Meju or Mae is also known asjoomaljang (말장), is a brick of dried fermented soybeans in Korean cuisine. While not consumed on its own, it serves as the basis of several Korean condiments, such as doenjang, gochujang, or ganjang. Meju is produced by boiling soybeans, then crushing them in a mortar. Frequently, other grains are also mixed in when making meju. The specific process followed when making meju varies slightly depending on which food it will be used to make.

To produce doenjang, dried soybeans are boiled and stone-ground into coarse bits. This paste is then formed into blocks, which are called meju (메주). The blocks are then exposed to sunlight or warmth. When so exposed, dried rice plants are attached to the surface of the soybean blocks. Dried rice plants are readily available in Korea and are a rich source of bacteria (Bacillus subtilis). The fermentation process begins at this stage. The Bacillus subtilis bacteria reproduce, consuming soybean protein and water in the meju. The unique smell of the meju is mainly the ammonia produced by the bacteria. One to three months later, depending on the block size, the meju are put into large, opaque pottery jars with brine and left to further ferment, during which time various beneficial bacteria transform the mixture into a further vitamin-enriched substance (similar to the way milk ferments to become yogurt). Liquids and solids are separated after the fermentation process, and the liquid becomes Korean soy sauce (Joseon ganjang; 조선간장). The solid, which is doenjang, is very salty and quite thick, often containing (unlike most miso) some whole, uncrushed soybeans.




2012年的秋天，我和先生到京畿道的光州去，归途中，路经一乡村，喜见一户人家在屋檐下高挂着豆酱曲。 在城市是难以见到的。。。

人们精选上好的黄豆，用锅文火蒸熟。出锅晾凉后，做成一尺来长，半尺来宽的长方体的酱块。做得不能太大，太大则容易伤热，太小则容易失水而发不透。发不透则没有油儿。将来作出的酱，品质也不好，不好吃。
　　这里面做多少块还有讲究。闰年做单数，平年做双数。

　　做好后，先放在室内阴凉通风处晾至酱坯外面干燥（约三、五日），
　　然后用绳子捆扎好。或挂在房梁上，或在炕稍锅台的犄角找个热乎地方放在哪里，等待发酵。每块之间距约一寸，人口多的人家，酱块多时可以分层摞起，但以细木条隔开，约一周时间将酱块调换位置，继续贮放如前。发到一定的程度，里面都长白毛了才好。

这 Maejoo 是制作豆瓣酱，辣椒酱和酱油的主要材料。。

（ source : wikipedia & Baidu)