Gochugaru

Where it comes from

Gochugaru is dried Korean red chili pepper coarsely flaked or finely ground. The peppers — a milder, fruitier Capsicum annuum cultivar than most Western chilies — are sun-dried until they turn a deep red, then de-stemmed, seeded, and milled to a flake. South Korea grows substantial volumes; large amounts of Chinese gochugaru also flood the market at lower prices.

Flavor & pairing

Gochugaru is fruity, sun-bright, mildly smoky from the drying process, and moderately hot (around 10,000 Scoville). The flake gives off a deep red color without the harshness of cayenne. It pairs with garlic, ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, salted shrimp, scallion, and napa cabbage.

How it’s used

Korean kimchi cannot exist without gochugaru — the paste of cabbage, scallion, garlic, and chili flake ferments around its color and flavor. Tteokbokki spicy rice cakes use it. The fermented paste gochujang starts as gochugaru blended with rice flour and soybean koji. Bibimbap, kimchi stew, and Korean fried chicken all depend on it. The flake’s color and texture distinguish authentic Korean dishes from those made with substituted chili powders.

Trade history

Chili arrived in Korea via Portuguese traders in the 16th century; what is now the most “Korean” flavor of all is barely 400 years old.