장계향 張桂香
Lady Jeong of Andong, author of the Hangul cookbook Eumsik dimibang; a woman writer and scholar; daughter of the scholar Jang Heung-hyo
| Life | 1598 ~ 1680 |
| Era | 조선 중기 |
| Clan | 안동 장씨 |
Life & career
Jang Gye-hyang (張桂香, 1598-1680) was a mid-Joseon woman writer and scholar, commonly known as Lady Jeong of Andong. Her father was Jang Heung-hyo, a scholar of the Toegye line. 'Jeongbuin' is a title granted to wives of civil and military officials of the senior and junior second ranks; it was awarded posthumously in 1690 after her son Yi Hyeon-il rose to high office.
In 1616 she married Yi Si-myeong, a Jaeryeong Yi who served as a royal tomb keeper (chambong), and bore six sons and two daughters. Skilled in poetry, calligraphy and painting, she is known for poems such as 'Hakbalsi', and a painting 'Maenghodo' and nine classical poems are said to survive. The Seokgye Old House at Durul village, Won-ri, Seokbo-myeon, Yeongyang, is introduced as where she lived. Her sons Yi Hwi-il (Jonjae) and Yi Hyeon-il (Galam) were noted theorists of the Yeongnam Namin, and Yi Mun-yeol's novel 'Seontaek' is known to be based on her life.
Her best-known work is the Eumsik dimibang, whose title is interpreted as 'how to know the taste of food', a cookbook written entirely in Hangul around 1670. It records 146 recipes in three groups: 18 noodle and rice-cake items, 74 fish and meat items and 54 items on liquor and vinegar (jugukbangmun), and is notable for its many brewing recipes. Written to hand down to daughters and daughters-in-law, it was passed on through the head daughter-in-law, and research on it has flourished in recent times and it has reportedly entered textbooks.
Disagreements about the Eumsik dimibang
The Eumsik dimibang is often described as the oldest Hangul cookbook or the first Hangul cookbook by a woman, but this 'first' is contested. Namuwiki notes a view that the Choessi eumsikbeop is the oldest Hangul cookbook and limits the Eumsik dimibang to the oldest complete one. Item counts also differ, with some sources giving 44 fish and meat items.
The original is a manuscript of one volume in 30 leaves including the covers, reportedly held by the Kyungpook National University library, and is said to be the only copy with no duplicates.
A Family Line of Learning
Jang Gye-hyang grew up in the learning of her father Jang Heung-hyo, and her sons Yi Hwi-il and Yi Hyeon-il grew into scholars of the Toegye line. The Andong Jang founder lineage chart draws the line from Jang Jeong-pil down to Jang Heung-hyo and Jang Gye-hyang in solid and dotted lines (see the chart).
Grave
The location of her tomb was not confirmed. Seokgye Old House at Durul village, Won-ri, Seokbo-myeon, Yeongyang County, Gyeongbuk, is introduced as her home.
Descendants
She had six sons and two daughters; Yi Hwi-il and Yi Hyeon-il became noted scholars, and the line of learning continues through her grandson Yi Jae (Mirram) and his maternal grandson Yi Sang-jeong.