젓갈
Jeotgal — salted seafood
The hidden salt in kimchi and the tiny dishes that scare tourists first.
Seasoning, not a dare
젓갈 is salted, fermented seafood — shrimp, anchovy, clam. A spoon seasons a cabbage batch; a saucer on the table is for wrapping pork. The smell is loud; the use is precise. Vegan kimchi skips it and must find salt and umami elsewhere.