Make Gochujang and Enjoy Fermentation Culture at the Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival

Since you've come to Sunchang, if you want to make gochujang yourself, look at Global Gochujang Making. It is a program where you experience the flow of ingredients being mixed and sauce being made, following a master's explanation. Rather than just looking at the name of the finished product, taking part while comparing the color and thickness of the ingredients by eye makes it a time to understand fermented sauces. If you go with friends or family, you could also enjoy it by talking about what was new for each of you.

The official schedule is 2 to 4 p.m. on October 16 and 4 to 6 p.m. on the 17th, at the Theme Park sub-stage. The fee is 10,000 won, and both advance registration and on-site registration are noted. However, an on-site registration label does not mean spots are always left, so find the registration desk first thing after you enter. Check the participation notice again for the exact contents of what is provided and the packaging of the finished product. Rather than arriving just at the start time, it is better to leave time to wash your hands and get seated.

If you want to see the hands that make food a little closer, keep the Global Sauce Culture School as a candidate. It is held at a manufacturer in the folk village and is described as an experience introducing sauce culture through gochujang, injeolmi, and tteokbokki. Unlike the large joint programs on the stage, you visit a manufacturer, so it is important to know exactly the place you signed up for. Asking which ingredients and tasks you will experience before choosing makes it easier to match your group's interests.

It operates on October 15 to 18 during the festival, with advance registration and a fee of 15,000 won announced. The official provision notice lists 500 g of gochujang per person, but check the detailed process you can take part in and the start time with the place you register. It is better not to assume you can take the class right away by visiting the manufacturer without signing up. While making things, wash your hands and follow the rules for sharing cooking tools, and ask how to store the food you take home, which helps when you taste it again at home.

Sunchang Fermentation Village 1997 is an event where people create a story with a number together. To commemorate the year the Gochujang Folk Village was built, it is introduced as a program in which tourists and local residents complete lettering made with rice cakes. Rather than thinking of it as a retro market selling food eaten in 1997 just from the name, it is better to understand it as a joint participation event where many people build one scene. There is also the fun of watching the overall shape take form.

It runs on October 17 and 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Open Stage, and advance registration is required. The official fee is 5,000 won, and a commemorative T-shirt is noted. Watching from around as an audience member and taking part in the work as a registrant can be different, so check the on-site area. Don't assume it is an event where you can pick up the prepared rice cakes freely or receive all of them; it is better to move according to the order of proceedings. If you have booked another activity in the afternoon, also calculate the finishing time and the distance between stages.

Even if you couldn't book a hands-on cooking experience, there is a way to take an interest in sauce culture. The UNESCO Sauce Brewing Performance is a stage event that introduces Korea's sauce-brewing culture. Pay attention not only to the ingredients and jars but also to the process of people preparing together and sharing the food. Listening to the explanation and picturing the hands that the doenjang and gochujang you eat at home go through is a good way to talk with children as well.

The official notice says it is held from 1 to 2 p.m. on October 17 at the Theme Park sub-stage, as free on-site viewing. It differs in program and time from Global Gochujang Making, which has a separate fee. When you put paid experiences before and after, don't assume your seat carries over automatically just because it is the same stage. When taking photos, watch from a position that doesn't block the stage and set aside time for your group to rest for a while. It is a good choice for visitors who want to build their day around viewing.

If you want to look at the beginning of fermented sauces starting from the raw ingredient, pick Boil, Mash, and Make Meju. It is described as an experience where you boil beans and mash them in a mini mortar to make gochujang meju (fermented soybean blocks). You can think about how the sauces you usually see on the table connect to beans, which is a different kind of fun from tasting a finished product. Focus on the shape you are making and the texture you feel with your hands, and the food story stays with you a bit more concretely.

The official main program lists it as a K-food experience running October 15 to 18, but individual sessions and fees are not given in this introduction. At the booth operating on the day you visit, first ask about the sign-up method, the age allowed to work, and what to bring. The cooking process may involve hot ingredients, so it is better for children to take part with the guide's explanation and a guardian's help. Don't think of the meju you made as food to eat right away; checking whether you can take it with you and how to store it afterward will help you understand the experience better.

If you'd prefer to watch the making and taste a little, look at the Traditional Tofu Demonstration and Tasting. The official introduction describes it as a program where Changrim Tofu shows tofu made by boiling Sunchang beans. What is interesting is that at a fermented sauce festival you can see beans turn into not only sauces but other foods as well. Looking at the surface and texture of the tofu and comparing it with what you usually eat gives you something to talk about even in a short visit.

It operates October 15 to 18, and the introduction page does not state the tasting quantity or detailed times separately. First check which session the food is prepared in and where to stand in line, and taste according to how the host hands it out. Basic courtesy is needed too: do not take several servings for others or touch the cooking area. Companions who find it hard to eat beans can enjoy mainly watching the demonstration. Rather than planning this experience as a guaranteed lunch, it is more appropriate to think of it as a food-culture stop between meals.

If you are curious how to eat Sunchang sauces at home, take an interest in the Pickles Making Experience. It is introduced as a program where you make jangajji (sauce-pickled vegetables) using gochujang, doenjang, and soy sauce. Unlike an experience of making sauces, the focus can be on the process of applying already-made sauces to other ingredients. Asking questions about which sauce gives which flavor while taking part is a good way to get ideas to carry on to your table after the trip.

The official operating period is October 15 to 18. Check again at the information booth for the ingredients used, detailed sessions, and fee, and it is right not to decide in advance that you will make all three kinds of pickles or take them all home. If you've booked several food experiences, think ahead about a bag to carry the results and your time getting home. Rather than leaving food meant for long storage at room temperature, it is better to follow the storage conditions the staff explain. It is an experience worth choosing by talking about each companion's favorite side dish.