Korean Wellness
Essential Korean Cuisine Ingredients: Gochujang, Doenjang, Sesame and What to Bring Home
A handful of ingredients does most of the work in Korean cooking: three fermented soybean sauces and pastes, red pepper in powder or paste form, garlic, and toasted sesame oil. This guide explains what each one is and how it is made, what to look for when you shop in Korea, and how to pack sauces and pastes so they get through the airport and your home country’s customs.
What are the essential Korean cuisine ingredients?
The base of Korean cooking is jang, the fermented soybean sauces and pastes: ganjang (soy sauce), doenjang (soybean paste) and gochujang (red chili paste). Add gochugaru (red pepper powder), garlic, ginger, toasted sesame oil and salted, fermented seafood, and you can cook most everyday dishes. All of them are easy to find in Korean supermarkets and traditional markets. Pastes and sauces count as liquids in carry-on bags, so pack larger tubs in checked luggage and check your own country’s food import rules.
Why jang is the base of Korean cooking
UNESCO describes jang as fermented sauces, such as soybean paste, soy sauce and red chili paste, that form the basis of the Korean diet. In 2024 it added the knowledge, beliefs and practices of jang-making to its list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, covering everything from preparing the soybeans to fermenting, aging and storing the sauces.
It was Korea’s second food tradition on that list, after kimjang, the communal making of winter kimchi, in 2013. Korea has also led the work on international Codex food standards for both kimchi and gochujang.
Most jang start with meju, blocks of cooked, crushed soybeans. A 2016 review of Korean fermented foods describes the blocks being dried for about a week, tied with straw, and dried for roughly 40 more days before they go into salt water to ferment.
Jang-making is still a household skill as well as an industry. UNESCO notes that the practice is often passed down within families, from mothers to daughters-in-law, and that it covers the whole cycle of making, keeping and eating the sauces.
Ganjang, doenjang and gochujang: what is the difference?
Ganjang (soy sauce)
Made by fermenting dried meju in a clay pot with salt and water. The liquid that forms becomes ganjang, used to season soups, stews and side dishes.
Doenjang (soybean paste)
The fermented meju solids, aged in brine into a thick, savory paste. Some commercial versions add grains to the soybeans. It is the base of doenjang-jjigae, the everyday soybean paste stew.
Gochujang (red chili paste)
A fermented paste of red chili powder, glutinous rice powder, soybeans and salt, often with garlic, onion and a little syrup, aged for a long time in earthen jars. It is sweet, savory and hot at once, and goes into bibimbap, tteokbokki and marinades.
Cheonggukjang
Boiled soybeans fermented for only 2 to 4 days at about 40 to 43°C with Bacillus subtilis from rice straw. It is usually eaten as a stew, so it is easier to try in a restaurant than to pack.
The main jang and how they are used
Gochugaru, garlic and the kimchi base
Gochugaru is Korean red pepper powder, the ingredient that colors kimchi and many stews. A 2014 review of kimchi describes the standard recipe as cruciferous vegetables, mainly baechu cabbage, with garlic, ginger and red pepper powder added before fermentation.
The kimchi base also depends on salted seafood. UNESCO’s description of kimjang explains the seasonal rhythm: shrimp and anchovy are bought in spring for salting and fermenting, sea salt for the brine is bought in summer, and red peppers are dried and ground in late summer, ready for kimchi-making in late autumn.
Vegetarians and people with shellfish allergies should read kimchi labels too, because many recipes include fermented shrimp or anchovy.
Sesame oil, perilla and other finishing touches
Korean sesame oil, chamgireum, is made from roasted sesame seeds, and its amber color and smell come from that roasting, unlike the unroasted, cold-pressed sesame oil used in much of the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. A Korea Times profile of a sesame oil maker notes that Korea is among the countries that use the most sesame oil and that it is commonly added to bibimbap as a flavor enhancer.
Perilla oil, deulgireum, pressed from perilla seeds, is the other seed oil you will see beside sesame oil in Korean shops, and the same sesame oil maker counts it among the Korean condiments worth exporting.
Other useful pantry items are roasted sesame seeds, dried anchovies and kelp for soup stock, and sheets of gim (laver) for rolling or snacking. These are dry and light, which makes them easier to carry home than sauces.
Where to buy Korean ingredients in Korea
Supermarkets sell factory-sealed jang with the ingredients printed on the label, which makes them the easiest choice for anything you plan to fly with.
Traditional markets are better for browsing and for dried goods. In eastern Seoul, Jegi-dong Station (Line 1) puts several markets within walking distance: Exit 2 is about five minutes from Gyeongdong Market and the Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Market, and Exit 6 is about eight minutes from Cheongnyangni Fruit and Vegetable Market. Herbs, jujubes and ginseng are sold by the sackful there, and our ginseng buying guide explains those labels.
If you find homemade jang or kimchi sold loose by weight, enjoy it during your stay; it is harder to seal for a flight than factory-packed tubs, which are the better choice for the suitcase.
How to bring Korean ingredients home
Two sets of rules apply: the airport security rules on the way out, and your home country’s customs or biosecurity rules on arrival.
- Carry-on bags. Incheon Airport lists foods that contain liquid or are in gel form, such as gochujang and kimchi, as liquids. They are allowed only in containers of 100 ml or less, packed in one 1-liter clear bag per person.
- Checked bags. The same foods are allowed in checked luggage without a capacity limit. Seal lids with tape and double-bag jars and tubs in case of leaks, and check your airline’s own rules.
- Declare food when you land. In the United States, for example, travelers must declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds and soup products. Undeclared prohibited items are confiscated, and fines for a first non-commercial offense can reach US$1,000.
- Watch for meat. US Customs and Border Protection says products containing meat from restricted countries are usually prohibited, and gives beef broth as an example. Check instant soups, stock packets and seasoning mixes for meat ingredients.
- Check your own country. Rules differ widely, so look up your customs or agriculture department’s page on bringing food home before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between gochujang and gochugaru?
Gochugaru is dried red pepper powder or flakes. Gochujang is a fermented paste made from red chili powder, glutinous rice, soybeans and salt. Kimchi recipes usually call for gochugaru; bibimbap and tteokbokki use gochujang.
Which three Korean ingredients should a beginner buy first?
Gochujang, doenjang and toasted sesame oil cover a large share of everyday dishes. Add gochugaru if you plan to make kimchi or spicy stews.
Can I take gochujang in my carry-on from Korea?
Only in containers of 100 ml or less inside one 1-liter clear bag, because Incheon Airport treats gochujang as a liquid or gel. Pack larger tubs in checked luggage.
Do I need to declare Korean sauces at customs?
Many countries require you to declare food. The United States, for example, requires travelers to declare plant and animal products, including soup products, and usually prohibits products containing meat from restricted countries. Check your own country’s rules.
Is kimchi vegetarian?
Often not. Many kimchi recipes include salted, fermented shrimp or anchovy, so check the label or ask before buying.
Korean Cuisine Ingredients in Brief
Korean cooking rests on fermented soybean jang, red pepper, garlic and toasted sesame oil, all easy to find in Korean shops.
Ganjang, doenjang and gochujang are fermented sauces and pastes, and jang-making joined UNESCO’s heritage list in 2024.
Most jang start from meju, blocks of cooked soybeans dried for weeks before fermenting in brine.
Gochugaru, garlic, ginger and salted shrimp or anchovy make up the usual kimchi base.
Supermarkets sell sealed jang that travels well; markets are better for dried goods and eating fresh.
Pastes count as liquids in carry-on bags, and food usually has to be declared at customs on arrival.
Related guides
Sources
- Knowledge, beliefs and practices related to jang-making in the Republic of Korea, UNESCO
What jang is and the 2024 inscription.
- Kimjang, making and sharing kimchi in the Republic of Korea, UNESCO
The 2013 inscription and the seasonal buying of shrimp, anchovy, salt and red pepper.
- Patra JK et al. Kimchi and Other Widely Consumed Traditional Fermented Foods of Korea: A Review. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2016
How meju, ganjang, doenjang, gochujang and cheonggukjang are made.
- Park KY et al. Health benefits of kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables) as a probiotic food. Journal of Medicinal Food, 2014
The standard kimchi ingredients.
- Lee JG et al. Codex Alimentarius commission on ensuring food safety and promoting fair trade: harmonization of standards between Korea and codex. Food Science and Biotechnology, 2021
Korea’s role in setting Codex standards for kimchi and gochujang.
- World’s one and only sesame oil sommelier, The Korea Times (14 February 2019)
Roasted Korean sesame oil, its use in bibimbap, and perilla oil as a Korean condiment.
- Seoul Yangnyeongsi and the Seoul K-Medi Center, KOREA magazine webzine (July 2026)
Markets and walking times from Jegi-dong Station.
- Restricted items, Incheon International Airport (official)
Carry-on and checked-bag rules for gochujang, kimchi and other foods with liquid.
- Bringing Agricultural Products Into the United States, US Customs and Border Protection
Declaration rules, penalties and the restriction on products containing meat.
Links checked 10 October 2026. Airport and customs rules change, so confirm with your airline and your home country’s customs authority before you pack.
What This Page Does Not Cover
This guide covers the core ingredients a visitor is likely to buy, using UNESCO, peer-reviewed reviews, Korean government publications and official airport and customs pages listed above. It does not compare brands or prices and does not list every regional ingredient.
Customs rules are given for the United States only as an example; they are different in other countries and change over time. Last checked: October 2026.