Saeujeot-gui — Salted Shrimp and the Fermentation Window (새우젓 발효의 과학)

West and South coastal Korea; Yeonggwang county (전남 영광군) and Ganghwa island (강화도) are the most celebrated saeujeot production regions; the technique traces to the Joseon period in written records

Saeujeot (새우젓) — salted fermented shrimp — is one of the most important jeotgal (젓갈) in Korean cuisine, used as the primary seasoning agent in baechu-kimchi and across the banchan tradition. Unlike fish sauce, which is a liquid extraction, saeujeot is the whole tiny shrimp (주로 젓새우, Acetes chinensis) preserved in coarse sea salt at a ratio of 1:1 by weight, fermented in earthenware crocks at cool temperatures for 1–12 months. The fermentation is a biochemical process of controlled protein autolysis — the shrimp's endogenous enzymes (proteases) break down the muscle protein into amino acids and flavour compounds (glutamic acid, inosinic acid) that are the source of Korean kimchi's umami depth.

• Vietnamese mắm tôm (fermented shrimp paste); Thai kapi (shrimp paste); Chinese xia jiang (shrimp paste) — all are fermented-shrimp preparations using high-salt protein autolysis, differing in shrimp size, salt ratio, and moisture content

Used primarily in kimchi-making as a seasoning agent; eaten directly as a banchan with pork, particularly boiled pork belly (bossam, 보쌈) — the fat-rich pork and the intensely saline, funky shrimp paste is one of the great Korean flavour pairings.