Gamjasul in the rugged terrains

 

Gangwon-do was named after the first letters of two major cities of the province during the Joseon Dynasty: 'Gangneung' and 'Wonju'. Gangneung and Wonju are major cities in Gangwon-do, with Gangneung ranked third and Wonju first in terms of populations.

What reminds you of Gangwon-do? Perhaps, you may associate the area with mountains, rugged terrains, and valleys with pristine water. Indeed, there are many attractions and parks, making it very popular summer destination.

Consequently, you may say that there are plenty of places to visit in Gangwon-do, but when it comes to culinary travel, what do you expect? Well…not much except Korean beef from Deakwanryeong ranch, Makguksu, and potatoes. And we went to some restaurants to eat beef. However, you can easily find out many places in Seoul Metropolitan areas serving Korean beef and Makguksu thus having these foods may not be unique experiences at all.

Then we found out something that was not available in the Seoul and its vicinity; Gamjasul, here, Gamja is potato and sul is alcohol in Korean. The taste is like Cheongha, Korean rice wine produced by Beakhwa Brewery Co, but unmistakable taste of potato is there. Although making alcoholic beverage is complicated process, I felt as if I added some potato in the Cheongha then I might get Gamjasul.

In 2019, Gamjasul was selected as a gift to the Blue House, presidential palace. During the banquet to pray for the successful hosting of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, this alcohol was provided for invited VIPs. Gamjasul is a fermented beverage with an alcohol content of 13%, like many rice wines. The process of making Gamjasul involves fermenting steamed potatoes with yeast, addition of rice and maturation for 15 days. In other words, it can be considered as alcohol with potatoes and rice. It was a good accompaniment to Korean beef and lamb dishes we had in a restaurant nearby the hotel we stayed.

These days, many think potato has been available since the antiquity in Korea. But the origin of potatoes is known as the Central Andes Plateau in South America. And as Spain conquered South America, it was introduced into Europe around the 16th century. However, potatoes were one of the crops that Europeans were reluctant to eat because they were not described in the Bible and were toxic when they sprouted. But eventually people realized that potatoes were agricultural products with great merits. As it grows under the ground, it can withstand cold conditions, and above all, when war broke out, all wheat and barley fields were burned down, but potatoes were able to survive under the ground.

In Korea, it is said that around 1824, the people of the Qing Dynasty secretly infiltrated into Korean peninsula to hunt wild ginseng and they cultivated potatoes for food. Later in the 1920s, German goes by Magreen developed a potato variety called Nangok in Hoeyang county, Gangwon-do, and later, many slash-and-burn farmers who lost their land in this area, emerged as the main potato producer in earnest.

These days, various alcohols made with local agricultural products other than Gamjasul are produced and served in Gangwon province. Examples include "Gondre Mandre Makgeolli" made of gondre (Korean thistle), Balwangsan Makgeolli and so on. However, I think more efforts for advertisements and wider distributions are must for commercial success. Hopefully, We will be able to have them in Seoul and Kyeonggi province soon!