Ember & Grain · Field Notes · Salts · Origin Atlas · Nº 09
Bamboo Salt
Jugyeom · 죽염
Hamyang, South Korea. Sea salt sealed in bamboo and red clay and fired nine times over pine, until it runs like lava.
35°31′ N · 127°43′ E
Salt begins on the west coast of Korea, in the sun-dried salt fields along the Yellow Sea. It ends in the mountains of the south, near Jirisan, in kilns that burn pine all day and all night. In between, it is packed into bamboo, sealed with red clay and put to the fire. Then it is crushed and packed and fired again. The Koreans call it jugyeom: bamboo salt.
Field notes
| Origin | Hamyang, Jirisan, South Korea |
| Position | 35°31′ N · 127°43′ E |
| Salt from | West-coast salt fields, Yellow Sea |
| Method | Fired in bamboo nine times over pine |
| Heat | About 800°C; the ninth past 1,300°C |
| Color | Deep violet (purple bamboo salt) |
| Taste | Smoky, savory, a hint of egg yolk |
Continue in The Origins Atlas
The rest of this chapter lives in the book: the full story of the place, how the salt is made, the people who keep the tradition, and the hand-drawn map.
- The Place · from temple to kiln
- The Fire · nine times over pine
- The Purple · earth, wood and fire
Sources: Wikipedia, “Bamboo salt”; Korea Post (Insan); Dong-A Journal. Imagery is illustrative and AI-generated.