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Vinegar from Korea

Changpo-cho (창포초, 菖蒲醋), sweet-flag vinegar창포초

A Joseon vinegar flavoured with sweet flag (Acorus calamus), recorded in household books from the 16th century on. The Suun japbang (about 1540) lists it among its vinegars, and the Sallim gyeongje (1715) records it as a vegetable vinegar. No method with steps could be read this round.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Changpo-cho itself. Its own sources do not record how it is made, so the steps and scenes below are those of Day-named and sajeolcho vinegars (병정초 丙丁醋, 사절초 四節醋), the closest documented vinegar ferment, shown as a guide to the method, not as a record of Changpo-cho.

Short entryVinegar

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
sweet flag (Acorus calamus) white stems or roots
nuruk
glutinous rice (Suun japbang version)
Starterkoji/qu/mold-starter (nuruk)
Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: On a byeong day, roasted nuruk powder and water are sealed in an earthenware jar

Step 1 of 4 · steps of Day-named and sajeolcho vinegars (병정초 丙丁醋, 사절초 四節醋)
On a byeong day, seal roasted nuruk powder and water in an earthenware jar
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: nuruk water.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

A Joseon vinegar flavoured with sweet flag (Acorus calamus), recorded in household books from the 16th century on. The Suun japbang (about 1540) lists it among its vinegars, and the Sallim gyeongje (1715) records it as a vegetable vinegar. No method with steps could be read this round.

What makes this one different

A Joseon vinegar flavoured with a herb root. The Sallim gyeongje groups it with bellflower as a vegetable vinegar (채초 菜醋), apart from the grain and fruit vinegars.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Suun japbangListed among the book's non-alcohol recipes, next to four-season, byeongjeong and akebia vinegars [ek-suun]. Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) say it uses finely cut white stem or root with nuruk and glutinous rice [lim2010].
  • Sallim gyeongjeRecorded as a vegetable vinegar [ek-sikcho]. Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) say it is much simpler and gives no amounts [lim2010].
  • Sangayorok and Imwon simnyukjiEarlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) give 3 Sangayorok methods with different other ingredients, and 2 Imwon simnyukji methods quoted from the Samsanbang [lim2010].

Safety

Sweet flag, Acorus calamus, is a flavouring in this vinegar. The US treats food with added calamus, its oil or extract as adulterated, and its rule names β-asarone as the compound to test for. The sources give no dose, so do not copy it at home.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) count seven records, the second most common named vinegar after wheat vinegar [lim2010].

  1. [ek-sikcho] Kim Chan-jo, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, article 식초 (食醋, vinegar), written 1995, read 2026-10book
  2. [ek-suun] Jeong Hye-gyeong, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, article 수운잡방 (Suun japbang), read 2026-10book
  3. [lim2010] Lim E.-J., Cha G.-H. 2010, Study on manufacturing of vinegar through literatures of the Joseon Dynasty, Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture 25(6):680–707paper
  4. [cfr-calamus] US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 189.110, Calamus and its derivativesgov