[1][2][3] Depending on the ingredients, jeotgal can range from flabby, solid pieces to clear, broth-like liquid.

Liquid jeotgal, called aekjeot (액젓) or fish sauce, is popularly used in kimchi seasoning, as well as in various soups and stews (guk, jijimi, jjigae).

[4] As a condiment, jeotgal with smaller bits of solid ingredients such as saeu-jeot (shrimp jeotgal) is commonly served as a dipping sauce with pork dishes (bossam, jokbal, samgyeopsal), sundae (Korean sausage), hoe (raw fish), and a number of soups and stews.

[8] Twenty-four types of jeotgal appear in Miam ilgi (眉巖日記), a 16th-century diary written by a 16th century Joseon literatus Yu Hui-chun,[9] and over 180 types of jeotgal can be found in the coeval books Gosa chwaryo (고사촬요; 攷事撮要) and Swaemirok (쇄미록; 瑣尾錄),[10][11] and in 17‒18th century books Eumsik dimibang, Sallim gyeongje, and Jeungbo sallim gyeongje.

In past times, due to the limited availability of transportation, regions near seas had more types of jeot compared to the inland areas.