Out of countless Korean foods, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), in particular makes Koreans miss their mothers. It takes one year to plant the beans, harvest them, select good beans and boil, dry and ferment them. The finished doenjang is responsible for keeping the family members healthy all year round. These carefully made doenjang is not ordinary food to Koreans but one that brings back fond memories of their "mother" and “hometown."
With the flu rampant these days the race is on to secure more vaccines. Meanwhile many are also turning to health foods to improve the body’s immune system. In Korea, fermented dishes like kimchi (seasoned cabbage), doenjang (soybean paste) and last but not least, cheonggukjang (fermented soybean paste) are some of those top examples.
In early September Kim Han-bok, 50, a professor of molecular biology at Hoseo University, received correspondence from one of the major U.S. biographical directories, the Marquis Who’s Who in the World. It read that he and his achievements in the field of cheonggukjang would be included in the 2010 list.
“I wondered how much they know about cheonggukjang and I felt amused and grateful at the same time,” said the academic who has studied the fermented soybean-kind for the past 16 years. Cheonggukjang will be spelled “Chungkookjang” in the book, which will be published this November.
Marquis Who’s Who in the World selects people after a careful screening process after going through written research and checking the resume and career experience. The selection takes place usually in the fields of science, medicine, technology and other well known research sectors. Winning a place in Marquis’s with what is probably a very unfamiliar food is a rare case. The professor has been writing books and theses. He also lectured on television about the benefits of cheonggukjang, how it improves blood circulation, lowers the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and upgrades bone health.
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