https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwnBy16W0E
After arriving in Korea for the first time after 12 years, our family headed straight for my maternal grandparents’ house in the countryside north of Seoul. When we arrived, I saw beautiful fields, an old storage building, and many odd-looking jars that were so big that I could probably fit in them. I asked my parents about the interesting containers and they responded by telling me that the onggi (옹기) were traditional Korean earthenware mainly used as storage for fermentation processes. I was able to open a couple of them with my grandparents and saw kimchi and some soybean paste. My parents mentioned that we could also call these jars hangari (항아리) which reminded me about an old Korean tale called Kongjwi and Patjwi where a hangari was used as part of a chore.
As I was looking back at some old pictures, I came across the picture above and decided to do some more research on onggi and how they’re made. I also found a video that goes through the making process of onggi which is also included at the top.
Although the origin of onggi can be traced back to 4000-5000 BC, the current form’s popularity rose in the 18th century. Since the materials to make the vessels (clay and sand) could be conveniently found near the mountains, onggi was affordable and was not limited to just the upperclass. There are four types of onggi which are classified due to the different firing and finishing processes. The oji onggi is the preferred style that is glazed after the molding of the onggi. A jil onggi is one that is unglazed which helps with air flow and can be used to store water. The ban onggi is salt-glazed before baking at a high temperature. The reaction with the salt creates a lighter yellow-brown color. Finally, the phu-rae onggi is one that is salt-glazed and involves a reduction-cooling process. (Who know there would be so much chemistry involved!) This style creates an even more durable vessel but was not commonly produced do to the long, tiring process. Due to the porous material, all onggi are cleaned with just water. Other factors such as soap could get into the microscopic holes and affect the next material placed inside. Furthermore, onggi are traditionally kept outside together in a common area called a jangdokdae. In the picture above, one can see that inside of being scattered around, they are on top of a mini underground storage room. The kimchi is usually located in an onggi that’s underground to prevent it from freezing. Onggi can still be bought today, but due to the advances of technology, the traditional ways that require physical labor of creating an onggi is slowly disappearing. According to the video linked above, there are only about 20 people in Korea who are certified to create a Korean onggi that follows the traditional, proper guidelines.
Now that I understand the history and process of making an onggi, I’m excited to check them out again once I visit Korea… hopefully in the next 3 years!
Comments
Hi, So Myung! Thanks for your post! I know Korea has a long history of making onggi, I've always wanted to see a real one and how it was made. I've only seen this kind of big jar used for fermentation on reality shows, and the underground storage room on TV shows and reality shows. I really enjoyed your post!