Seeking Prehistoric Fermented Food in Japan and Korea
Shinya Shoda
Abstract
As in many other parts of the world, fermentation forms the basis of both Japanese and Korean cuisine, represented by well-known fermented foods such as shoyu, miso, and kimchi. Despite its nutritional, economic, and cultural importance as well as popularity today, very little is known about the origins or development of fermentation, especially in prehistory. Based on the ingredients and cooking methods reconstructed from archaeological records from this area, and on the ethnography more broadly, this paper reviews the putative evidence of fermented foods in East Asian prehistory and considers how biomolecular and archaeological investigations could be better integrated for the robust identification of this practice in the past.