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Vinegar from Korea

Joseon fruit, flower and root vinegars대추초 棗醋

Joseon household books record vinegars of persimmon, jujube, plum, peach, akebia, lotus and bellflower root beside the grain vinegars. The Sallim gyeongje (1715) has persimmon and jujube vinegars and vegetable vinegars of sweet flag and bellflower. The Eumsik dimibang's plum vinegar (매자초) is smoked plum soaked in strong vinegar, dried and powdered, so it is a flavoured vinegar powder rather than a ferment.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Joseon fruit, flower and root vinegars itself. Its own sources do not record how it is made, so the steps and scenes below are those of Persimmon vinegar (Korean gamsikcho, Japanese kakisu), the closest documented vinegar ferment, shown as a guide to the method, not as a record of Joseon fruit, flower and root vinegars.

Short entryVinegar

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
jujube
smoked plum (오매) or fresh plum
peach
persimmon
akebia fruit
lotus flowers with wheat flour
bellflower root

Total time across the steps of Persimmon vinegar (Korean gamsikcho, Japanese kakisu): 35 days – 25 years

Start
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What changes: Ripe, soft persimmons are the starting material

Step 1 of 4 · steps of Persimmon vinegar (Korean gamsikcho, Japanese kakisu)
Gather ripe or soft persimmons
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: soft, sweet fruit.

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

Joseon household books record vinegars of persimmon, jujube, plum, peach, akebia, lotus and bellflower root beside the grain vinegars. The Sallim gyeongje (1715) has persimmon and jujube vinegars and vegetable vinegars of sweet flag and bellflower. The Eumsik dimibang's plum vinegar (매자초) is smoked plum soaked in strong vinegar, dried and powdered, so it is a flavoured vinegar powder rather than a ferment.

What makes this one different

These vinegars start from fruit, flowers or roots instead of grain and nuruk. The plum vinegar of the Eumsik dimibang is not fermented at all; it is plum flesh steeped in finished vinegar.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Smoked-plum vinegar (매자초)Eumsik dimibang. 1 doe of stoned smoked plum (오매) is soaked in 5 doe of very strong vinegar, sun-dried and powdered; a little stirred into water makes vinegar [eumsik-ws, ek-sikcho].
  • Persimmon and jujube vinegars (감초, 대추초)Recorded in the Sallim gyeongje as fruit vinegars [ek-sikcho]. Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) add a Sangayorok jujube vinegar of 1 mal jujube to 1 jar of well water and several Imwon simnyukji methods [lim2010].
  • Akebia vinegar (목통초, 으름)Listed among the non-alcohol recipes of the Suun japbang (about 1540) [ek-suun]. Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) say it is ready in 3 days [lim2010].
  • Bellflower vinegar (길경초)Recorded in the Sallim gyeongje as a vegetable vinegar [ek-sikcho]. Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) give an Imwon simnyukji method of dried bellflower root in clear wine [lim2010].
  • Peach and lotus-flower vinegars (도초, 연화초)Earlier notes from Lim and Cha (2010) give Imwon simnyukji methods, ripe peaches left a week in a jar and lotus with wheat flour for 49 days [lim2010].

Safety

The sweet-flag vinegar uses Acorus calamus. 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. Do not copy it at home.

History and sources

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

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture calls the plum vinegar of the Gyugon siuibang (Eumsik dimibang) a blended fruit vinegar, made from smoked plum soaked in vinegar [ek-sikcho].

  1. [eumsik-ws] Jang Gye-hyang, Eumsik dimibang (음식디미방, also Gyugon siuibang 閨壼是議方, about 1670), section 매자초, transcription on Korean Wikisource (위키문헌, 음식디미방), read 2026-10archive
  2. [ek-sikcho] Kim Chan-jo, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, article 식초 (食醋, vinegar), written 1995, read 2026-10book
  3. [ek-suun] Jeong Hye-gyeong, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (한국민족문화대백과사전), Academy of Korean Studies, article 수운잡방 (Suun japbang), read 2026-10book
  4. [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
  5. [cfr-calamus] US Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 189.110, Calamus and its derivativesgov