The craft is the same, the standards are new
Selecting the raw material, salting it and leaving it for a long time has been the same order for centuries. What we changed is which salt is used, who sets the standards, and how maturation is stopped.
- 4 traditional craft steps
- 4 master artisans
- Bamboo salt −40%
- Finished with HPP
How jeotgal is made
Select the raw material, salt it, hold it cold for a long time, and take it out once it is fully cured. The order has been the same for centuries. Each step also carries something the traditional method cannot handle.
- 01
Raw material selection and trimming
Fish and shellfish caught in season are washed and trimmed. When they were caught and how large they are set the grade of the jeotgal, so half of the result is decided by which raw material was chosen.
If the producing region and the timing are wrong, no later step can make up for it.
- 02
Salting
Salt is layered through it. It has to be salty enough that spoilage bacteria cannot grow, which naturally pushes the salt content of traditional jeotgal up.
Keeping quality rests on salt alone — if it is not salty, it spoils.
- 03
Cold maturation
Held in a jar or a maturation tank for months or years. The lower and steadier the temperature, the more savory depth builds without unwanted microorganisms.
How long it matures, and how it turns out, rest on the experience of the person who made it.
- 04
Fermentation complete · taking it out
It comes out once the protein has turned into amino acids. Where you set that moment decides how the jeotgal tastes.
Maturation continues after it is taken out, so the taste changes in distribution.
* What the traditional method cannot handle
Four people set the standards
With bamboo salt and high pressure, salt content can be reduced by up to 40% while shelf stability is maintained. These four specialists are planned to help set and review that standard.
The eye for taste
Heo Young-man
A gourmet's palate
Cartoonist — author of Sikgaek (The Gourmet) · host of Baekban Giheang (2019–2026)
- Judging from the eater's side
- Checking the region and the maker
- Deciding its use on the table
- Making the case for reduced salt
The standard for health
Park Yong-woo
Weight-management physician
Family medicine specialist · professor at the Center for Health Promotion, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital
- Setting the salt standard first
- Redefining jeotgal as a protein side dish
- Designing the 50 g single-meal portion
- Running the verification gate
The bamboo salt tradition
Kim In-seok
Practitioner who completed Intangible Cultural Heritage transmission training
Sambo Jukyeom — Jeollabuk-do Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 23, bamboo salt manufacture
- Adjusting the firing stages
- Grain size for each raw material
- Stable fermentation
The depth of maturation
Kim Myung-soo
Seafood master artisan
Kim Myung-soo Jeotgal — fourth generation, succeeded in 1961 · Gampo, Gyeongju
- Sourcing and selecting raw material
- Reduced-salt maturation
- The reference for savory depth
- Production and quality control
* The four master artisans named on the product pouch. Select a card to see each one's background and role
The four steps behind one pack
Leave out any one of the four steps and it is not reduced-salt jeotgal. A design that takes salt out and fills the gap with bamboo salt only holds inside this structure.
- 01
A leading weight-management physician is planned to guide every stage
The planned scope covers raw material selection, target salt content, nutritional design and final review. The starting point is a reduced-salt target set one step below common practice.
DOCTOR-LED DEVELOPMENT
−40%
Target salt content set with bamboo salt
- 02
A dietitian, chef, jeotgal master artisan and bamboo-salt heritage trainee are planned to develop the recipe together
The core is bamboo salt optimized for jeotgal. The savory depth of a dedicated bamboo salt, adjusted to the maturation, fills the space the salt left behind.
MASTER RECIPE · JEOTGAL-OPTIMIZED BAMBOO SALT
Bamboo salt
Optimized for jeotgal
- 03
The HPP process brings it to completion
Non-thermal pasteurization, applying high pressure at ambient temperature through the pack. No heat is used, so texture and aroma remain, and the weak point of a reduced-salt product — keeping quality — is secured without preservatives.
NON-THERMAL HIGH-PRESSURE PROCESSING
99.9%
Pathogen reduction
- 04
A portion pouch for taste, flavor and hygiene alike
It holds one 50 g meal, and a new pack is opened each time. Nothing degrades through repeated opening, so the taste and the hygiene of the first mouthful hold to the last.
SINGLE-SERVE POUCH · 50G
50 G
Single-meal portion
Four things every item keeps
01 · FLAVOR
Flavor
Savory depth designed by a chef. A non-thermal process seals in the flavor of the raw material as it is.
02 · FRESHNESS
Freshness
Up to four times the chilled shelf life. We aim for a freshness that holds through nationwide distribution and export.
03 · SAFETY
Pasteurization
Non-thermal high pressure targets up to 99.9% reduction of specified pathogens — no cooking heat.
04 · HEALTH
Health
Salt is reduced and salt content adjusted with bamboo salt, using only 100% Korean-produced raw materials. This reduced-salt, lower-calorie jeotgal concept is scheduled for review by a physician and a dietitian.