Table 1.

Different types of fermented food available in the Korean peninsula and their medicinal values.

Category	Name	Preparation process	Photo	Medicinal value	References
First category	Chongkukjang	Short term fermentation of boiled soybean seeds using Bacillus subtilis and rice straw		Rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Immunostimulant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuro-protective etc.	Kang et al., 1998; Cho et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2003; Kim et al., 2004
	Doenjang	Fermentation of cooked soybean seeds with natural occurring bacteria		Anticancer, antimutagenicity, antioxidative, and fibrinolytic activity	Lim et al., 1999, 2004; Ra et al., 2004
	Ganjang	Soybean sauce prepared from fermented soybean		Antioxidant potential	Choi et al., 1990
	Gochujang	Fermented paste of red chili powder		Antioxidant	Choi, 2012
Second category	Fish and Shellfish products	Fermented fresh fish and shellfish		Essential source of vitamins, proteins, and minerals	Prester, 2011
Third category	Kimchi	Short fermentation of napa cabbage together with other ingredients		Antioxidant, anti-obesity, anticancer, antibacterial, cholesterol lowering, immune potential, source of functional foods	Kim et al., 1997; Wu et al., 2000; Yoon et al., 2004; Han et al., 2011; Park et al., 2014