Under the right conditions, food will ferment in just about any container, from glass jars to wooden barrels. But fermentation is more efficient, and joyous, when you use vessels especially designed for the process. None are more beautiful than traditional Korean onggi, bulbous, wide-rimmed clay pots that have been used in various forms for thousands of years. The clay of the Korean Peninsula contains a lot of sand, which makes the pots porous. Tiny amounts of brine evaporate through the pores, aerating the food inside the pot and encouraging the growth of good lactic-acid bacteria. When kimchi ferments in onggi pots, it gains complexity. 

Until the late twentieth century, most rural Korean families had a jangdokdae, an outdoor platform that held onggi in all sorts of sizes, from small to enormous. The foods slowly fermenting inside them—umami-rich preparations like kimchi, doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (chile paste), and soy sauce—were carefully monitored. On sunny days, the lids were opened to encourage fermentation; in winter, they largest pots were buried in the ground to keep the contents from freezing.

Today, most Koreans age their fermented foods in specially-designed “kimchi refrigerators” that closely regulate temperature and humidity. These refrigerators fit easily into small urban apartments, and they’ve helped revive the art of fermentation at home. But they lack the artistry and romance of onggi, with their lustrous glazes and decorative patterns. In Volume 1 of our series we offer recipes for kimchi and gochujang, which work well in any container you choose. But to achieve the most extraordinary flavors, do trying making them in onggi. We’re partial to the beautifully crafted pots from Adam Field.