Born: 24 November 1598, Korea
Died: 7 Juy 1680
Country most active: Korea
Also known as: Chang Kyehyang, 장계향, 張桂香
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women creator Allison Tyra’s book Uncredited: Women’s Overlooked, Misattributed, and Stolen Work.
The oldest extant Korean cookbook, written circa 1670 by Lady Jang Gye-hyang, was passed down through generations of her descendants without it ever occurring to any of them that this held more significance than a family recipe book. It was only in the early 2000s that Jo Gwi-bun, who married into the family, brought Eumsik-dimibang to wider attention. She helped to research Comments on Eumsik-dimibang, published in 2006, which provided modern measurements and ingredients to replicate the dishes. “I couldn’t turn away from the food of my in-laws, and felt I must promote the book and keep it alive,” she says. “Once I married into this family, I had an obligation to shine a light on its legacy.”