Jang Separation — The Urn Split (장 가르기)

The jang separation ceremony is integral to Korean household culture and has been documented in Joseon-era household manuals. The ritual dimension reflects the significance of jang as the household's most important preserved food.

Jang separation (장 가르기, jang gareugi) is the annual spring ritual where an onggi urn of fermented meju-in-brine is divided: the liquid strained away as ganjang (soy sauce), and the remaining solids pressed into a separate container as doenjang (fermented soybean paste). This act — typically performed in March or April — marks the formal end of the winter fermentation period and the beginning of each jang's individual aging pathway. The decision of how much salt brine to add initially, how long to ferment the whole mass, and when exactly to separate determines both the ganjang's depth and the doenjang's body.

The products of jang separation — ganjang and doenjang — are the two foundational savoury seasonings of Korean cooking, analogous in their paired importance to butter and cream in French cooking. Every Korean dish that isn't grilled or raw contains one or both.