 | |
| Alternative names | Jjajangmyeon |
|---|---|
| Type | Korean Chinese cuisine,Myeon |
| Place of origin | China (original) Korea (introduced)[1] |
| Region or state | East Asia |
| Main ingredients | cumian,chunjang,meat,vegetables, sometimesseafood |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 자장면 |
| Hanja | 자장麵 |
| RR | jajangmyeon |
| MR | chajangmyŏn |
| IPA | [tɕa.dʑaŋ.mjʌn] |
| Alternate name | |
| Hangul | 짜장면 |
| Hanja | 짜장麵 |
| RR | jjajangmyeon |
| MR | tchajangmyŏn |
| IPA | [t͈ɕa.dʑaŋ.mjʌn] |
Jajangmyeon (Korean: 자장면) orjjajangmyeon (짜장면[2]) is aKorean Chinese noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made ofchunjang, dicedpork, andvegetables.[3] It is a variation of the Chinese dishzhajiangmian; it developed in the late 19th century, during theJoseon period, whenChinese migrant workers fromShandong arrived inIncheon. The Korean variant of the dish uses a darker and sweeter sauce than the Chinese version. Variants of the dish useseafood, or other meats.[4][5]
Jajang orjjajang is borrowed from the Chinese wordzhájiàng (炸醬), which means "fried sauce", whilemyeon (면; 麵) means "noodles", itself a Sino-Korean loanword in place of the nativeguksu (국수). TheChinese characters are pronouncedjakjang (작장) in Korean, but the noodle dish is calledjajangmyeon, not*jakjangmyeon, because its origin is not theSino-Korean word, but a transliteration of the Chinese pronunciation. As the Chinese pronunciation ofzhá sounded likejja (rather thanja) to Korean ears, the dish is known in South Korea asjjajangmyeon, and the vast majority ofKorean Chinese restaurants use this spelling.
For many years, until 22 August 2011, theNational Institute of Korean Language did not recognize the wordjjajangmyeon as an accepted idiomatic transliteration.Jjajangmyeon did not become the standard spelling because the transliteration rules for foreign words announced in 1986 by theMinistry of Education stated that the foreignobstruents should not be transliterated using doubled consonants except for some established usages.[6] The lack of acknowledgment faced tough criticism from the supporters of the spellingjjajangmyeon, such asAhn Do-hyeon, aSowol Poetry Prize winning poet.[7][8] Later,jjajangmyeon was accepted as an alternative standard spelling alongsidejajangmyeon in the National Language Deliberation Council and, on 31 August 2011, included as a standard spelling in theStandard Korean Language Dictionary.[9]
Jajangmyeon was brought toIncheon, Korea during the late nineteenth century by migrant workers fromShandong province,China.[10] At a time when both Qing and Japanese businesses were competing against each other,jajangmyeon was offered at the Chinese restaurantGonghwachun inIncheon Chinatown, which was founded in 1905 and run by an immigrant from theShandong region. The restaurant is now theJajangmyeon Museum.[11]
Both the name and dish originate from the Chinese dishzhájiàngmiàn (炸醬麵). The common copied features of both are pork, long wheat noodles, and a sauce made from fermentedsoybean paste.[10] Originally the sauce that was introduced from China to make the noodle dish was saltier, richer, and of a deep brown color. Chefs at Incheon, Korea later added in caramel to sweeten the sauce, and added grains that darkened the sauce to copy the jet-black-brown color over time.[12]
In the mid-1950s in South Korea, immediately after theKorean War,jajangmyeon was sold at low prices so that anyone could eat it without economic burden.[13] The new Korean-stylejajangmyeon became popular among merchants visiting the port ofIncheon, the center of trade, and the many dock workers working in the fish market, and quickly spread throughout the country, being recognized as its "own dish" rather than a copied version of the traditional Chinese one.[13]
Jajangmyeon uses thick, hand-made or machine-pulled noodles made fromwheat flour, salt,baking soda, and water.[14] The sauce, jajang, is made with friedchunjang with other ingredients, such assoy sauce (oroyster sauce),meat (usuallypork, but sometimesbeef),seafood (usuallysquid orshrimp), aromatics (scallions,ginger, andgarlic),vegetables (usuallyonions,zucchini orKorean zucchini, orcabbage),stock, andstarchslurry.[14]
When served,jajangmyeon may be topped withjulienned cucumber,scallions,egg garnish,boiled orfried egg, blanchedshrimp or stir-friedbamboo shoot slices.[14] The dish is usually served withdanmuji (yellow pickled radish), sliced rawonions, andchunjang sauce for dipping the onions.[14]
Variations of the jajangmyeon dish includegan-jjajang,jaengban-jjajang,yuni-jjajang, andsamseon-jjajang.[15]
There can be combinations. For example.samseon-gan-jjajang may refer to seafood jajangmyeon made without adding water.
Dishes such asjajang-bap andjajang-tteok-bokki also exist.Jajang-bap is essentially the same dish asjajangmyeon, but served with rice instead of noodles.Jajang-tteok-bokki istteok-bokki served withjajang sauce instead of the usual spicy sauce.Bul jajangmyeon is a spicy variation ofjajangmyeon.
Instantjajangmyeon products, such asChapagetti,Chacharoni, andZha Wang, areinstant noodle versions ofjajangmyeon consisting of dried noodles that are boiled in the same manner asramyeon, using dried vegetable pieces that are drained and mixed withjajang powder or liquidjajang sauce, as well as a small amount of water and oil.
In 1905, these Chinese immigrants introduced a black-bean noodle to Koreans, and the salty food (zhajiangmian in Chinese) soon metamorphosed into a sweet one called 'jajangmyeon,' with the addition of caramel into it, putting Chinese cuisine on a new course in Korea.
Most people describe the taste of Jajangmyeon as sweet and savory at the same time. The onions and black soybean paste have a slightly sweet flavor, but the soy sauce and stock make the dish deliciously savory at the same time. The noodles are thicker than usual and very soft and silky.
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