Sikhae

Sikhae is a salted fermented food with grains in Korean cuisine as one of jeotgal. Sikhae is made with various fish, such as flat fish, shellfish, pollack, squid and fish intestines, and cooked grains, such as rice, glutinous rice, glutinous foxtail millet and nonglutinous millet. Sikhae is less salty than jeotgal because most jeotgal is made with seafood and salt, but sikhae is made with not only the ingredients of jeotgal but also grains, shredded radish, etc. Therefore, sikhae is stored for short-term, while jeotgal is able to be stored for rather long-term because of the large amount of salt.

Sikhae

Gajami-sikhae (fermented righteye flounders)
Place of origin	Korea
Associated national cuisine	Korean cuisine
Similar dishes	Jeotgal
Cookbook: Sikhae   Media related to Media: Sikhae at Wikimedia Commons

Korean name
Hangul	식해
Hanja	食醢
Revised Romanization	<span title=" transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">sikhae
McCune–Reischauer	<span title=" transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">sikhae

The types of sikhae can be different, depending on the main ingredients, regions, what the family and the person like. In past times, because of the limited transportation, regions near the sea had more types of sikhae compared to the inland areas. Koreans usually eat this food as a banchan (small dishes of food).

History (Documentaries on Sikhae)

Sikhae was not included in any literature before the early part of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. However, that doesn't mean there was not sikhae and rather it guesses that sikhae was not written down. After the middle of Joseon Dynasty, sikhae have been mentioned in literature.

Recipe

Sikhae is made with fish, salt, cooked rice, Korean traditional spices, etc. First, wash fishes and put drained fishes with salt in a pot. After about 10 days, take the salted fishes out of the pot, cut them into bite-size pieces and then put them with cooked rice and chili powder in the pot again. Lastly, put shredded radish into the pot after another four days and finally eat sikhae as 10 more days are passing.

Types

• Gajamisikhae (가자미식해) - gajamisikhae made with flat fish(gajami, 가자미) in Hamgyong-do

- Gajamisikhae is the typical and popular Korean sikhae. It is made mostly in the region of North Korea.

• Dorumooksikhae (도루묵식해) - dorumooksikhae made with sailfin-sandfish(dorumook, 도루묵) in Gangwon-do
• Boogasikhae (북어식해) - boogasikhae made with dried pollack(Booga, 북어) in Gangwon-do and Gyeongsangnam-do
• Mareungogisikhae (마른고기식해) - Mareungogisikhae made with dried squid(mareun ojingeo, 마른 오징어) in Gyeongsang-do
• Yeonansikhae (연안식해) - Yeonansikhae made with the flesh of a shellfish or clam meat(joegaetsal, 조갯살) in Hwanghae-do

Effects

Sikhae has a lot of effects. First, sikhae, as one of fermented food, is easily digested by creating peptone, peptide, and free amino acid through the process of decomposition of protein and so good nourishing food for patients, the old and the infirm and children. Also, millet, one of ingredients of Sikhae, helps people warm body in the winter when people have cold hands or feet due to the very cold weather.

Other websites

• (in Korean) Information about Sikhae