Why Do Koreans Turn Chili Peppers Into Powder? – The Story of Gochugaru
Gochugaru, or Korean chili powder, is one of the most important seasonings in Korean cooking. Koreans dry chili peppers, grind them into powder, and use them in kimchi, stews, seasoned vegetables, stir-fried dishes, and sauces. But why did Koreans turn chili peppers into powder instead of using them only fresh? In this post, we'll look at how gochugaru became part of Korean food culture, why it is connected with kimjang, and how Korean families still use and store it today.
Coarse, medium, and fine Korean gochugaru used in everyday cooking.
A Question That Started on My Rooftop Garden
In a previous post, I wrote about the Korean chili peppers growing on our rooftop garden. This year, we planted chili peppers again, and as I picked them little by little, I noticed something interesting. Fresh green chilies are wonderful when dipped in ssamjang, but in everyday Korean cooking, we often use far more chili powder than fresh chilies.
That made me wonder: why did Koreans go beyond eating fresh chilies and start drying them, grinding them, and using them as powder?
I once saw an interesting scene in a historical drama. In the story, a plant growing in a royal garden was treated as something dangerous, and later it turned out to be a chili pepper. I do not know whether that scene matches actual history, but it made me think about how unfamiliar chili peppers must have felt when they first arrived in Korea. Today, chili peppers feel completely ordinary to us, but to people seeing them for the first time, they must have seemed unfamiliar and unusual.
Many countries use chili peppers, of course. But Korea developed a particularly deep culture around drying chilies, grinding them into powder, and using that powder in everything from kimchi and stews to seasoned vegetables and fermented sauces. Today, let's talk about gochugaru, the ingredient that helped create the red color of the Korean table.
Korean Food Was Not Always Red
When many people think of Korean food today, they picture red dishes like kimchi, tteokbokki, spicy pork, or spicy braised chicken. But Korean food was not always this red.
Before chili peppers became common, Koreans used ingredients such as garlic, ginger, black pepper, and Korean peppercorn to add flavor and heat. The red kimchi we know today did not exist in the same form. Chili peppers are generally believed to have entered Korea around the time of the Imjin War in the late 16th century. At first, they were used as medicinal or ornamental plants, but over time, they became part of Korean cooking.
Eventually, this one ingredient changed the color, flavor, and identity of Korean food.
Why Did Koreans Turn Chili Peppers Into Powder?
Many countries eat chili peppers, but Korea developed a strong tradition of drying them and grinding them into powder. One of the biggest reasons was preservation.
In the past, there were no refrigerators, and Korean winters were long. People had to preserve ingredients harvested in summer and autumn so they could use them throughout the year. Fresh chilies spoil quickly, but dried chilies can be stored for much longer. Once dried chilies are ground into powder, they become even easier to use in daily cooking.
Gochugaru spreads evenly through food. A small amount can add flavor, aroma, heat, and a beautiful red color to soups, stews, sauces, and vegetable side dishes. In that sense, gochugaru was not just a spice. It was a practical result of Korea's food preservation culture.
Why gochugaru became so useful in Korean cooking:
• It lasts much longer than fresh chili peppers.
• It spreads evenly through soups, stews, and sauces.
• It gives food both heat and red color.
• It can be used in kimchi, side dishes, broths, and fermented sauces.
Kimjang and the Age of Gochugaru
One reason gochugaru became so important in Korea is kimjang, the traditional practice of making a large amount of kimchi before winter.
In the past, fresh vegetables were harder to get during the cold months, so many families made a large amount of kimchi at once. Even today, some families still make dozens of heads of napa cabbage kimchi during kimjang season.
My mother-in-law still makes kimchi using about 70 to 100 heads of napa cabbage every year. Because of that, she buys a large amount of gochugaru at once and stores it for the year. The cost of chili powder alone can exceed 500,000 Korean won. Watching the process always reminds me that kimchi is much more than a simple side dish. It requires a surprising amount of time, effort, and ingredients.
For that kind of large-scale food preparation, dried chili powder is much more practical than fresh chili peppers. It is easier to store, easier to measure, and easier to mix evenly into a large amount of seasoning. In that sense, gochugaru can be seen as one of the ingredients shaped by Korea's kimjang culture.
Koreans Use More Gochugaru Than You Might Think
When I talk with foreign friends about Korean food, they sometimes ask, “Do Koreans really eat spicy food every day?”
The truth is, not every Korean dish is spicy. But it is true that gochugaru appears in many everyday dishes. Kimchi, tteokbokki, spicy pork, spicy braised chicken, stir-fried squid, seasoned vegetables, and many stews all use gochugaru in different ways.
One interesting thing is that not all kimchi is red. Dongchimi, for example, is a clear water kimchi made with radish, green onion, and sometimes fruit. For English-speaking readers, it may be easiest to understand it as a kind of “radish water kimchi.”
In some homes, people place gochugaru inside a cotton cloth and let it sit in the dongchimi broth. This gives the broth a gentle reddish color without making the chili flavor too strong, while still keeping its clean and refreshing taste.
What Kind of Gochugaru Do Korean Families Use?
In Korea, people care not only about how fine or coarse the chili powder is, but also what kind of chili peppers were used to make it. Just like fresh chilies can be mild or very spicy depending on the variety, gochugaru also differs in heat, aroma, color, and flavor. This is one reason kimchi can taste different from one household to another.
One type many Koreans still prefer is taeyangcho, or sun-dried chili peppers. It is not simply valued because it is believed to be healthier. What people often care about more is the color and aroma. When chilies are slowly dried under the sun, they tend to keep a brighter red color and a fuller chili fragrance. That is why some families still prefer taeyangcho for kimchi, even though it is usually more expensive than regular dried chilies.
When I was young, it was not unusual to see chilies drying in alleys, rural roads, or on the rooftops of homes. After the chilies dried well, people took them to a local mill to be ground into gochugaru. That chili powder was then used throughout the year for kimchi and everyday cooking.
I still see a little of that culture in my neighborhood. About three years ago, an elderly neighbor across the street asked if she could use our rooftop to dry chilies because she had so many to dry. At that time, we had not yet started growing chili peppers on the rooftop ourselves, so there was enough open space. Seeing the red chilies spread out under the strong sunlight made me feel like I was watching a small piece of old Korean food culture right in front of me.
Our rooftop gets a lot of sunlight. Maybe that is why the chili peppers we harvested last year grew well and tasted especially spicy to me.
| Type | Texture | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Coarse gochugaru | Larger flakes with more visible texture | Kimchi |
| Medium gochugaru | The most versatile type | Stews, soups, everyday cooking |
| Fine gochugaru | Fine powder that blends easily | Gochujang, sauces, seasoned vegetables |
How Koreans Store Gochugaru
Gochugaru is sensitive to light, air, and moisture. If it is kept at room temperature for too long, its bright red color can become darker and its aroma can fade.
That is why many Korean families divide gochugaru into smaller portions and store it in the freezer. Freezing helps slow down the loss of color and aroma better than keeping it in the refrigerator for a long time. If you open a Korean freezer, it is not unusual to find gochugaru stored in airtight containers or zipper bags.
A small tip from Korean kitchens:
• Keep it away from light, air, and moisture.
• Divide it into small portions before storing.
• Store it in the freezer for longer freshness.
• Use airtight containers or zipper bags.
Final Thoughts
Chili peppers came to Korea about 400 years ago. Since then, Koreans have dried them, ground them into gochugaru, and used that powder in kimchi, stews, seasoned vegetables, and fermented sauces.
Maybe the red color of Korean food is not just a color. It may also carry traces of preservation, fermentation, long winters, and the wisdom of everyday life. When I think of red chilies drying on rooftops and bags of gochugaru prepared for kimjang season, gochugaru feels like more than a seasoning. It feels like an ingredient filled with Korean seasons and family memories.
In the next post, we’ll talk about another essential Korean seasoning made when chili powder meets fermentation: gochujang.
COMING UP NEXT
What Is Gochujang? – Korea’s Famous Fermented Chili Paste
After gochugaru became an essential seasoning in Korean kitchens, it also became part of another iconic Korean ingredient: gochujang. In the next post, we’ll look at how chili powder, fermentation, and time created one of Korea’s most famous sauces.
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