Posts Tagged “Food”
Dining Etiquette for Eating Korean Food
When Koreans sit down to a traditional meal, they relax on a clean paper floor. The meal comes to them on a low table. Usually food is served in a nearly arranged collection of small metal bowls. Generally used is pair of chopsticks and a flat soupspoon. Foreigners may be surprised to find that Koreans will often eat a bowl of rice and may be have an extra helping even though dishes remain unfinished. Don’t let this preference for rice bother you; to Koreans, rice – not meat – is considered to be the main dish of meal. In fact, one of the most common street greetings Bam mogossoyo? Mean, “Have you eaten rice?” If you run out of a particular item, the lady of the house will bring more. When you have had enough to eat, place your chopsticks and soupspoon to the right of your bowl; do not leave them stuck in the rice or resting on any of the bowls. A dish of sliced and chilled fruit is usually served as a dessert. Depending on the season, muskmelon, strawberries, apples, pears and watermelon are among the fresh and sweet selections. At major celebrations, special steamed rice cakes are presented as a tasty style treat.
Usually in Korean the host pays for everything and if you are ever invited out for a drinking session or meal with Korean friends, you will it difficult to pay the bill or even contribute towards it. For Visitor the same applies even if it is you that doing the inviting. All manner of tricks will be used to beat you to the cashier will be ordered not to accept your money.
Ingredients: For the Broth: 3 Cups Water, 1 pack of Dried Anchovy(6 Dried anchovies), 6 Kelps (1 x 2 inch) Main : 1/4 Cup Beef, 2 Dried Shiitake mushrooms, 1/3 Cup Potato, 1/3 Cup Zucchini, 1/3 Cup Onion, 1/2 Tofu, 1 Green Onion, 1 Hot green Pepper, 1/2 Red Hot Pepper For Beef & Mushrooms: 1 Tbsp Soup Soy Sauce, 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, 1 tsp Sugar, 1 tsp Sesame Oil, 1 Pinch Black Pepper, For Soup: 2 Tbsp Soybean Paste, 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste, 1/2 Tbsp Red Pepper Powder Yield: 2~3 Poeple Music Title : 길 / 아시나요 Artist : 영턱스 클럽 Thanks PinkMartinsSF for your request again !!! I hope you like this. *^______^*
Video Rating: 4 / 5
No.1 Kimchi
Undoubtedly, one of the most recognizable images of Korea would have to be kimchi. A fermented dish that is always served at every Korean table, kimchi is a health food that is quickly gaining worldwide popularity.
Made with spicy red peppers, there are a surprising number of kimchi varieties available. There are also many dishes made with kimchi such as kimchijjigae,kimchijeon, and kimchibokkeum, to name just a few.
How to Enjoy: Since kimchi is only a side dish, it is meant to compliment the meal rather than be eaten on its own. Whether it is with rice or another dish, kimchi is a tasty addition to the table.
No.2 Bibimbap
Bibimbap is another representative dish that truly represents Korean dining. Served with grilled meats and a variety of vegetables atop white rice, it is then mixed with either red pepper paste or some other distinctive form of marinade.
Not only is the bibimbap a great-tasting health food, but it is also very simple to make and to eat, which has allowed this dish to gain popularity as it being served on airlines. Though the Jeonju region is known to be the home of the bibimbap, there are also many reputable restaurants in Seoul as well.
How to Enjoy: Use your chopsticks to mix the red pepper paste thoroughly with the rice, then, eat with a spoon, along with the available choices of side dishes.
No.3 Traditional Korea Dishes of the Royalty
Korean royal cuisines are dishes strictly prepared by experienced chefs with recipes passed down by previous generations, boasting healthy ingredients, artistic decorations, and of course, truly unique flavoring.
Korean royal cuisine was served to the nobility at the palace feasts, then, the nobility introduced these dishes to the general citizens, hence beginning the Korean food cultures. If you have some money to spare, we recommend that you try Korean royal cuisines, since it allows you to truly experience many areas of Korea’s traditional food culture.
How to Enjoy: Since there are a great number of dishes that will be served with the meal, it is a good idea to ask the waiter how to sample the dishes. Most waiters are very friendly, and will happily provide detailed answers for their guests.
No.4 Galbi
Of all the popular meat dishes, includingsamgyeopsal and bulgogi, galbi remains a best seller. Preparations call for the meat to be cut into strips, 7cm in length, and 1cm in diameter, and left to sit in a marinade made from green onions, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, sesame seed salt, and black pepper.
The meat is then left to grill on medium to high heat to sear in the flavors. Due to the effort in preparing galbi, prices are quite high and most households only eat the special meat on special occasions such as birthdays, or when dining out.
How to Enjoy: The best way to enjoy galbi is to eat it while cooking it on the spot, while cutting the meat into comfortable slices to be eaten with a chopstick in one bite, then eat the last remains of the meat on the bones by picking up the ribs with your hands.
No.5 Bulgogi
Bulgogi is either prepared using beef or pork marinated in soy sauce, honey (or sugar), green onions, garlic, sesame seed salt, and black pepper, and grilled to perfection. The meat is generally sweet and tender, making it a popular dish amongst children as well. The dish is also very easy to make at home.
How to Enjoy: The meat is very well marinated, so it is often eaten with rice. However, there are times when bulgogi is eaten by itself.
No.6 Samgyeopsal
The belly region of the pork where the meat and fat are layered into 3 parts is calledsamgyeopsal. Its popularity in Korea is remarkable, as Korea consumes the mostsamgyeopsal in the world, with the country often having to import samgyeopsal in order to meet the hunger of the citizens.
Samgyeopsal is best enjoyed grilled and wrapped in fresh vegetables. The dish is especially popular amongst men who compliment the meat with a bottle of Korea’s alcoholic beverage, soju, and is often enjoyed during the late evening.
How to Enjoy: Thoroughly cook the samgyeopsal, then wrap the meat in lettuce along with the vegetables of your choice including garlic, kimchi, green peppers, and more. You may also eat the meat alone with a sauce of your choice as well.
No.7 Samgyetang
When preparing samgyetang, thoroughly cleanse a baby chicken. Then, after stuffing the stomach with ginseng, milk vetch, jujubes, and glutinous rice, cook in lightly salted boiling water. This is an extremely popular health food especially during the summertime, where Koreans sought out for the dish during the hottest days of the summer in July and August, in order to revitalize their strength.
During these periods, lines will gather in front of Samgyetang restaurants, so be ready to wait in line.
How to Enjoy: Use your chopsticks to rip off pieces of the chicken and dip it in salt before eating. Then, use your spoon to dig out the glutinous rice from the belly and eat it with the soup. You do not have to eat the ginseng inside the Samgyetang, as all of the nutrients have already been boiled into the soup. If you feel that the Samgyetang is still bland after taking a taste of the dish, add a little salt and pepper.
No.8 Naengmyoen
Buckwheat flower is lightly mixed with starch when preparing the noodles fornaengmyeon, then put in a bowl of chilled beef broth along with thinly sliced meat, cucumbers, pear, boiled eggs, and other various vegetables. The mul- naengmyeondescribed above is the most common type ofnaengmyeon, but the spicy tastes of thebibim-naengmyeon made with red pepper paste is another favorite.
If you add raw flatfish to the bibim-naengmyeon, the dish becomes hoe-naengmyeong, and if you switch the beef broth of the mul-naengmyeon to a radish broth, it becomes dongchimi-naengmyeon. In the past, the chilled naengmyeon was eaten during the winter, but now, the dish is most commonly enjoyed during the summer.
How to Enjoy: Cut the noodles with a pair of scissors, then mix the noodles into the broth with your chopsticks and eat with the other ingredients in the bowl, while sipping on the broth from time to time. The mul-naengmyeon is typically served with a side of vinegar and mustard sauce, where you may add to your liking. When trying bibim-naengmyeon, mix the noodles thoroughly with the sauce and enjoy. The broth accompanying the bibim-naengmyeon is the broth used in mul-naengmyeon, for you to eat along with the bibim-naengmyeon.
No.9 Seafood Dishes
Three sides of the Korean peninsula is surrounded by water, making it logical that Korea’s seafood dishes have been well developed. A few of Korea’s most favorite seafood dishes include the haemulpajeon, a pan-fried dish prepared by mixing green onions and vegetables into a flour mix made with flour, eggs, and water, then fried to perfection; Hoe, a Korean raw fish delicacy; and maeuntang, a stew made with fish leftover from the hoe. The haemulpajeon is popular as a snack amongst children, or as a side dish eaten with dongdongju, an alcoholic beverage, enjoyed by adults.
No.10 Tteok
Tteok, or rice cakes, is a tasty snack enjoyed by most Koreans just as cake is enjoyed by Westerners. Rice is the main ingredient, then complimented with various ingredients such as grains, pine nuts, chestnuts, jujubes, fruits, sagebrush, wild aster, and other vegetables to make a diverse variety of rice cakes. It’s quite enjoyable choosing from a selection of over 100 different kinds of rice cakes to eat. In the past, rice cakes were never left out on birthdays, large feasts, or religious rituals.
Today, rice cakes are available at rice cake stores, at nearby markets, or even at rice cake cafes. Rice cake cafes serve beautifully decorated rice cakes that are almost too exquisite to eat, so if you decide to visit Korea, treat yourself to one of Korea’s most traditional snacks.
Related Korean Food Articles
Traditional Korean Food
Culture, defines people who share the knowledge and values within society, something as simple as food with its unique taste also separates one civilization form other.How many times have you associated culture with their famous dishes,as soon as you spoke about them, the dish appeared in front of your eyes? When we think about Korea, we almost unconsciously think of kimchi. This pickled cabbage together with other spicy dishes and rice is eaten at every meal. In older times, kimichi used to be eaten thought winter, when fresh vegetables do not exist. Korean food with the variety of dishes gained fame among tourists and food enthusiasts. Perhaps the most familiar Korean dish is spicy meat grilled on a hotplate at the table, this dish is bulgoki.
Korean food is unique and exotic. The dishes own their distinctive flavor to spices used during cooking. Korean people believe that spices and sauces determine taste of food. As a result, red pepper paste, soybean paste and soy sauce are one of the most important staples in a Korean household. A full Korean meal is called “Hanjoungshik”. People, traditionally sit on cushions on the floor at a low table. The table is set in a special order, rice and soup are located at each place, hot dishes are placed on the right, and cold dishes are situated on the left. Many feasts are prepared for special occasions such as birthdays, marriage and holidays. The feast to celebrate child first birthday is called “tol”. There are four types of food used for “tol”: baekseogi represents longevity, cleanliness and freshness, susupo-ttteok to keep bad things away, injeolmi for patience, and songpyeon for thought.
Table manners are also exclusive for the Korean culture. There are certain rules that should be obeyed when you are invited to Korean house for meal.
In Korea people pay respect to elders, so is not acceptable to leave the table before the elders have finish eating. Kids do not start eating until adults pick up their spoons. When comes to utensils, a spoon is used for both soup and rice, chopsticks are used only for site dishes. There is no dish order, so you can eat your meal in any order you like. Slurping is sometimes heard, however it is a cultural crime to blow your nose at the table in Korea.
Korean drinks. Ginseng, ginger and green tea are very popular among Koreans. Korea is also famous for the alcoholic beverages; the most known one is soju. Soju, known to Koreans as a “friend of life” is made of rice, tapioca, barley, sugar and wheat. The alcohol content varies from 20 to 40% and tastes like a sweet vodka. There is a custom in Korea regarding drinking alcohol, you do not fill your own glass, other people are expected to spot your empty glass and fill it for you.
Main Ingredients: 2 Cups Sticky Rice Cake Sticks, 2 Fried Fish Cakes, 2~3 Handfuls of Cabbage, 1/2 Onion, 1/2 Carrot, 1 Green Onion For the Broth: 2 1/2 Cups Water, 6 Pieces Kelp (1 X 2 inch), 1 Pack of Dried Anchovy (Optional) For the Sauce: 3 Tbsp Red Pepper Paste, 1 Tbsp Red Pepper Powder, 2 Tbsp Corn Syrup,1/2 Tbsp Sugar, 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 1/2 Tbsp Minced Garlic, Some Sesame Seeds (to garnish) Yield: 2 ServingsFor the video: Artist: Super Junior Title: cooking_cooking !! (요리왕)
Video Rating: 4 / 5
What did kings in the Joseon Dynasty normally eat?
Meals prepared for kings are specifically called sura, and a table set with sura is called surasang (sang means a dining table in Korean).
Sura is not a word of Korean origin. It is a Mongolian term that was introduced in the late Goryeo Dynasty when Goryeo was the country of the Mongolian king’s son-in-law. Surasang was served twice a day: at ten o’clock in the morning and at five o’clock in the evening. A light snack was served around two o’clock in the afternoon rather than lunch. Early in the morning, a bowl of porridge was served, and it was called chojoban (early breakfast).
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King Gojong, who reigned in the late Joseon Dynasty from 1863-1907, did not drink any alcoholic beverages. Instead, he enjoyed ciders and sikhye (a sweet rice drink) as a light snack before going to bed. In winter, he enjoyed seolleongtang (beef broth with rice) and warm noodles. He especially liked noodles but since he didn’t like spicy and salty foods, the cold noodles enjoyed by King Gojong were adorned with slices of boiled beef on top and slices of pear and pine nuts sprinkled around it. Pears were not sliced with a knife but shaved into thin slivers with a spoon. Rather than using beef broth, the noodles were added to water kimchi prepared with a lot of pears in it, which made the noodles taste especially sweet and refreshing.
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King Sunjong, who reigned from 1907-1910, didn’t have strong teeth or a strong stomach,Â
which dampened his appetite.Â
King Sunjong enjoyed foods that were soft and not salty such as chadoljorigae (boiled-down meat balls) or hwangbokkkitang (soup prepared with diced beef). The Kkakdugi (a type of kimchi made with radish) favored by King Sunjong was sukkkakdugi, which is prepared with boiled radish.
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Members of royal families did not share a table. Should there be two people dining together, they were served at separate tables and sat side by side. Three tables were prepared for each person: wonban, sowanban and chaeksangban.Â
At a meal prepared for a king, twelve different side dishes were served. However, the number of dishes actually placed on a table was much more. Additional dishes included two types of cooked rice (plain rice and rice mixed with red beans), two types of soups, three types of kimchi (cabbage kimchi, kkakdugi and water kimchi), two types of stew (bean paste stew and salted fish stew), three types of jang (soy sauce, seasoned soy sauce and seasoned chili paste) and one steamed dish. In principle, the ingredients and cooking methods should not overlap among dishes prepared for surasang.
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The twelve side dishes, served on small plates, consisted of nine different dishes (cooked vegetables, fresh vegetables, chilled roasted meat or fish, boiled-down food, pickled vegetables, dried meat or fish, salted fish, pan-fried vegetables, and slices of boiled beef) and three special side dishes (poached eggs, sashimi, and warm roasted meat or fish).Â
The surasang of today has been handed down orally by royal servants and royal descendents of the late Joseon Dynasty; therefore, it may not be representative of the entire Joseon Period.Â
Literature on daily foods enjoyed in the royal court is much more scarce than that on banquet foods. The only literature that elaborates on royal daily foods is Wonhangeulmyojeongriuigwe (a record of protocols) (1795). According to its records, there were meals prepared with only seven or ten side dishes.
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Taking an interest in citizens while within the royal court – the greater meaning of surasang
Preparing all these sumptuous foods for a single person in the royal court may appear absurd and wasteful; however, there was special meaning behind a meal prepared for a king. People would harvest crops, catch fish or hunt animals and present to their king only the finest quality foods appropriate for the current season.Â
The foods presented reflected the hard efforts of the people as well as their living conditions at the time. Therefore, when these foods were cooked and presented to the king, he was able to grasp the lives of his people and the seasonal conditions without roaming all over the nation.
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Months of preparations for royal banquets
Being extravagant events, a large workforce had to be mobilized for royal banquets. Such banquets were held on special occasions such as sixtieth birthdays, fortieth birthdays, fiftieth birthdays, 41st birthdays and 51st birthdays of kings, queens or queen mothers, the bestowing of a new title, a king’s admission to giroso (a home for the elderly), the formal designation of a crown prince, weddings, and receptions for foreign envoys. Banquets were categorized into jinyeon, jinchan, jinjak and sujak.Â
Once a royal sanction was obtained, a temporary office called jinyeondogam (an office for a royal banquet) was set up. The office would discuss procedures, purchase the required goods, and prepare activities, dancing and singing performances and foods for a banquet. These preparations took months. A daeryeongsuksu, a male cook specializing in banquet foods, would be invited to prepare the foods.
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Banquet foods in periods after the mid-Joseon Dynasty are described in detail in jinchanuigwe (records of protocols for jinchan), jinyeonuigwe (records of protocols for jinyeon), deungrok (records of earlier events), and menus. Currently, 27 different records of protocols and deungrok from the Joseon Dynasty have been preserved. Records of protocols for royal courts include a section on dishes served at the banquet, which describes the number of banquets held, the number and types of dishes served, and the number and types of flowers placed at the tables. Below the name of each dish, every ingredient and the amount used in cooking are documented in small lettering. These records of banquets also elaborate on all the items required for a banquet (lights, umbrellas, folding screens, floor cushions, tables, drinking cups, tablecloths, boxes for valuables, lanterns, vases, bamboo blinds, a thank you letter, etc.), musical instruments, dances, music and ceremonies.
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At the center of a table placed before the king, tall piles of foods were stacked and their tops decorated extravagantly with flowers. This was called sangwha. The flowers used to adorn the foods were all made of paper. In royal courts, menus were called changan (proposed foods) or chanpumdanja (a list of dishes). Chanpumdanja was a scroll on which items or dishes served at a meal, whether a banquet or an everyday meal, were recorded. This was equivalent to a menu in the Western world, gondate in Japan, and chaidan in China.
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For more information about Korean food and Korean culture, visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
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When cooking, we use various ingredients to create the distinctive flavor of each dish while preserving the individual taste of each food used. We call these ingredients seasonings.
In Chinese characters, “seasonings” is written as yangnyeom, which means “many things mixed equally in the hope that they may be beneficial to the body just as medicines are.” Basic seasonings can be grouped into five categories: salty, sweet, sour, spicy and bitter. Depending on the food, condiments are added to create a distinct flavor. Aromatic condiments emit a good scent or produce a spicy, bitter or nutty flavor. Their unique aromas eliminate or offset any unappetizing food odor and enhance the taste of food.
Basic seasonings used in Korean cooking include salt, soy sauce, hot pepper paste, soybean paste, vinegar and sugar. As for aromatic seasonings, ginger, mustard, pepper, hot pepper, sesame oil, perilla oil, sesame, green onion, garlic and Chinese pepper are used. A Korean dish is usually prepared using at least five or six different condiments, thereby offering a unique flavor not found in other countries.
Soy sauce and soybean paste are unique bean-based fermented foods of Korea, and important condiments for seasoning. Gan in ganjang (Korean for soy sauce) refers to the salty taste, while doen in doenjang (Korean for soybean paste) indicates its denseness. Traditionally, soybeans are boiled thoroughly in late autumn and shaped into blocks called meju. They are then kept in a warm place to ferment and dry. After the lunar New Year, they are soaked in a large jar of salted water to make jang. Once the jang is fully fermented, the liquid is separated and collected for use as soy sauce, while the solids are drained, seasoned with salt and sealed in jars to be used as soybean paste. To make hot pepper paste, glutinous rice powder is kneaded and steamed, then mixed with meju powder. When the mix thins, hot pepper powder and salt are added for seasoning. It is then stored to allow it to ferment. Depending on the region, regular rice, flour or barley is used instead of glutinous rice. When making meju specifically for hot pepper paste, rice powder is sometimes added to boiled beans and mild sauce is used as seasoning instead of salt.
Different types of soy sauce are used in cooking depending on the dish. For soups, stews and vegetables, light-colored mild soy sauce is used. A dense soy sauce is favored for boiling, drying and pickling. Soy sauce is not only used in cooking; it is also mixed with vinegar or other seasonings and served as a sauce. When it is served with a pan-fried dish, dumplings or cold dumplings, vinegar is added to the soy sauce. When making a seasoned soy sauce for use in noodle dishes or grain-based jellies, hot pepper powder, minced green onion and garlic are usually added to enhance the flavor.
Soybean paste is mainly used in soups and stews. It is also a key ingredient in the paste that accompanies wrap dishes, served with lettuce wraps or pumpkin leaf wraps, and in paste cakes. Just like soybean paste, hot pepper paste is used in soups or stews. It is also used as a condiment for flavoring fresh or boiled vegetables or other boiled or broiled foods. Hot pepper paste is also mixed with vinegar and served with sashimi or boiled green onion rolls. Seasoned hot pepper paste is prepared for use in bibimbap (a bowl of rice mixed with vegetables) or noodles mixed with vegetables.
Gomyeong (a Korean name for garnishes) is used to decorate food to improve its appearance and color rather than its taste to stimulate people’s appetites by presenting attractive dishes. It is also called utgi (meaning “toppings” in Korean) or kkumi (“decorations”). Based on the five-element principle, red, green, yellow, white and black are the basic colors used.
Korean cooking does not focus solely on taste, overlooking appearance. Korean food, which is decorated in five naturally occurring colors in consideration of attractiveness and health, is adorned with colorful garnishes in the noble spirit of suggesting that the food has been specially prepared just for you. It also seems to covey the subtle elegance appreciated by Koreans.
The natural color of each ingredient is made use of to adorn dishes. For red garnish, red peppers, shredded red peppers, jujubes and carrots are used. For white and yellow, eggs yolk and whites are separated and fried paper-thin on a greased pan. This is called jidan. Dropwort, small green onions, squash and cucumbers are used as green garnishes. Dropwort is neatly skewered, sprinkled with flour and dipped in whipped eggs and pan-fried on both sides just like jidan. This is called dropwort chodae. Manna lichen mushrooms, tree ears or shiitake mushrooms are used for black garnish. Minced manna lichen mushrooms are mixed with whipped egg whites to make jidan.
Egg jidan is shredded to garnish vegetables or japchae (glutinous noodles mixed with stir-fried vegetables) or cut in rectangles or diamonds to be used as toppings in soup, stew or casseroles. Jidan is cut into different shapes to match the dish in which it is being served.
Then meatballs are made by finely mincing lean beef, then adding seasonings and shaping the meat into small balls. They are coated lightly with flour and whipped eggs and cooked evenly on a greased pan. Meatballs are used as utgi in noodle dishes, casseroles or sinseollo (a fancy hot-pot boiled at the table). Nuts, including pine nuts, ginkgo nuts and walnuts, are also often used as garnishes.
For more information about Korean food and Korean culture, please visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
Boiled Rice, Staple of the Korean Diet
Bap, or boiled rice, is the staple of Korean cuisine. Barley, millet, beans, and red beans are sometimes mixed with rice for special taste and nutritional value. Vegetables, seafood, and kimchi are also added to rice when cooking for a better taste. One of the most famous rice dishes is bibimbap, boiled rice mixed with seasoned vegetables and meat.
Juk, or porridge, is grains boiled over time with a lot of water. Many varieties of juk exist, such as juk made of pine nuts, abalones, sesame, walnuts, and mung beans. Mieum is a thin porridge and Eungi is a thin starch porridge.
Naengmyeon (buckwheat noodles in a cold broth), manduguk (dumpling soup), tteokguk (rice cake soup) are cuisines enjoyed in everyday life and on special occasions. These dished are also often enjoyed for lunch.
Guk (soup), Tang (thick soup), Jjigae (stew)
A Korean table is never completed without soups such as guk, tang and jjigae which always accompany bowls of rice. They are made of a variety of ingredients such as beef, seafood, and vegetables, with seasonings such as salt, soy bean sauce, bean paste, and seafood fermented in salt. Soups that most frequently appear on Koreans’ tables include seaweed soup, bean paste soup, seolleongtang (beef and bone soup), yukgaejang (spicy beef soup). Jjigae, gamjeong, and jochi are similar to guk, but they are thicker in texture and stronger in taste. They are seasoned with bean paste, red pepper paste, and shrimp fermented in salt. Gamjeong refers to jjigae seasoned with red pepper paste. Jochi is the term for jjigae served during a royal meal. Casserole is a soup with seasoned meat and vegetables. It is boiled and cooked on the spot and shared by many people.
Pickled and Dried Foods for Long Storage
Jangajji is vegetables pickled in soy sauce, red pepper paste or soybean paste. They are stored for a long time and used as a side dish in winter times when vegetables are hard to get. Jeotgal and sikhae are also a type of stored foods. They include seafood fermented in salt.
Another type of stored food includes twigak (deep-fried seaweed or leaves and stems of various vegetables), bugak(deep-fried vegetables coated with starch), and po (beef or fish jerky). Yukpo, one of the most popular types of jerky, is thin slices of beef marinated in soy sauce, then dried in the shade. It is often served as a dried snack with alcohol or prepared for a wedding ceremony.
Kimchi is Korea’s most representative fermented food and the most basic side dish in the Korean diet. As it is an indispensable part of any Korean meal, some people say they cannot have a meal without Kimchi. There are many different kinds of Kimchi depending on region and its ingredients. Kimchi comes in various colors and tastes according to its ingredients, and types of jeotgal, or fermented seafood, used to make it. There is also a water kimchi with its refreshing and tangy juice.
Hoe (raw fish or meat), Ssam (vegetable leaf wraps), Muk (jelly) – Cuisines Unique to Korea
Hoe is raw meat, fish, or vegetables served with dipping sauces such as red chili pepper paste with vinegar and sugar, soy sauce with vinegar and sugar, mustard, and salt with sesame oil. Sukhoe is similar to hoe, but it uses parboiled ingredients. Some of the popular ingredients for sukhoe include parboiled parsley, small green onions, and fatsia shoots.
Ssam, vegetable leaf wraps, is an unique eating style of the Korean diet which is loved by many Koreans. Ssam is spoonfuls of rice wrapped in wide leafs such as lettuce, Chinese cabbage, sesame leafs, fresh seaweed and dried laver with soybean paste.
Also unique to Korean food is jokpyeon, pressed ox feet, and muk, firm jelly made of acorn, mung bean, or buckwheat starch
Tteok (traditional rice cake), and Hangwa (traditional sweets and cookies) for Festive and Seasonal Occasions and Ancestral Memorial Services
Koreans always prepare for tteok and hangwa for festive occasions and a variety of special occasions. They are usually enjoyed as desserts these days. There are wide varieties of tteok based on how to make it. Sirutteok is rice power mixed with other ingredients and steamed in a siru, an earthenware steamer. Jeolpyeon and injeolmi is made by steaming glutinous rice and pounding it to make a firm and sticky dough. Bukkumi and hwajeon is kneaded glutinous rice dough shaped into small circles and pan-fried. Jeungpyeon is a steamed rice cake made with white rice flour and rice wine. It is also called as Sultteok, or rice wine cake. Yaksik, also called as yakban and yakbap, is steamed sticky rice made with chestnuts, jujubes (Korean dates), honey, pine nuts and cinnamon.
Hangwa is traditional Korean sweets and cookies. It is rice or wheat flour dough mixed with honey, yeot (sticky rice sugar), and sugar and then deep-fried. It is also made by simmering fruits and plants’ roots in honey syrup until they are glazed. It is also called as jogwa, which means cookies made of natural produce by adding artificial flavor. There is a wide variety of hangwa, such as yakgwa (deep-fried honey cookies), sanja (deep-fried sweet rice cookies), ganjeong (deep-fried sweet rice puffs), yyeotgangjeong (malt toffees), dasik (traditional pressed sweets), and jeonggwa (candied fruits and roots).
For more information about Korean food and Korean culture, visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
Although Korea is currently separated into the south and the north, the nation was once divided into eight provinces according to the administrative districts of the Joseon Dynasty. The northern region included Hamgyeong Province, Pyeongan Province and Hwanghae Province; the central region consisted of Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province and Gangwon Province; and the southern region comprised Gyeongsang Province and Jeolla Province.
Topographically, Korea stretches out from north to south and is narrow from east to west. Therefore, the climate varies greatly from the northern region to the southern region. Since the northern region is mountainous while the southern region has more plains, their produce are also quite different. In each region, commoners cooked local produce generation after generation based on the local characteristics and historical tradition stemming from the unique climate, topography and produce. People traditionally acclimatized to the natural characteristics, found suitable methods through experience and incorporated them into their dietary habits and created a local food culture.
Moreover, the flavor and presentation of food are also closely associated with climate. Since the summer is short and the winter is long in the northern region, the food is not as salty or spicy as the food of the southern region. Its food itself is larger and people tend to prepare a generous amount, indicating the personality of the local people. On the other hand, dishes to the south are saltier and spicier, and seasonings and salted fish are used more.
Since the northern region is mostly mountainous, dry-field farming is common and cereal crops are produced in abundance. Meanwhile, in the central region bordering on the western coast and the southern region, rice crops are the main product. Therefore, while those living in the northern commonly ate rice mixed with cereals as their staple, those living in the south ate plain rice or rice mixed with barley.
In mountainous regions, meat and fresh fish are scarce. Therefore, salted or dried fish and seaweed and mountain plants are often used. In coastal and island regions, fish, shellfish and seaweed harvested from the sea are used as the main ingredients in dishes.
Before transportation was developed, local products were distributed within a short range and each region therefore created unique but modest foods according to local characteristics. Today, although a foreign food culture has been introduced as a result of the development of foreign civilizations and education and improved living standards offer us with opportunities to enjoy Western foods, the flavor and zest of Korea’s unique local dishes that has been passed down through generation still thrives.
Seoul
Seoul has been a capital city for over five hundred years, since the early Joseon Dynasty, and the tradition of the food culture of the royal court has survived and had a great influence on the food culture of the noble class and the middle class. Families of high-ranking officials prepared dishes based on the foods of the royal court. Naturally, the food of the nobility and of the royal court have many things in common. The nobility also stressed formality due to the influence of Confucianism. However, true-born Seoulites are frugal and don’t cook excessive amounts. Instead, they prepare a great variety of dishes and make them look attractive by preparing the foods in small and appealing shapes.
Food in the Seoul area is showy and includes splendid dishes such as sinseollo, gujeolpan (platter of nine delicacies) and tangpyeongchae (mung bean jelly mixed with vegetables and beef), which are decorated using garnishes in five different colors, such as paper-thin slices of fried egg, sliced chili peppers and manna lichen. Food is often seasoned with salted shrimp juice but moderately salted. A variety of side dishes are enjoyed, including dried salted fish and pickled vegetables. Rice served in broth, such as seolleongtang (ox bone soup) and gomtang (thick beef bone soup), is popular in Seoul. The origin of seolleongtang (ox bone soup) is the royal plowing ritual held in February at the Seonnongdan alter outside of Dongdaemun in the Joseon Dynasty. In addition, envoys and high-ranking officials returning from China brought with them pots set over a burner in which all sorts of delicacies were placed and boiled. This was called yeolgujatang, which is referred to as sinseollo (royal hot pot) today.
Gyeonggi Province
The food of Gyeonggi Province is modest but diverse. Except for dishes enjoyed in the Gaeseong area, the food is generally plain and simple. The dishes are moderately salted and similar to the food of the Seoul area. Spices are used in moderation. The barbecued beef ribs of Suwon gained popularity when cattle traders from all over the nation gathered at the cattle market that had existed since the Joseon Dynasty and barbecued rib restaurants started to open in Suwon. In the Gaeseong area, joraengi rice cake soup, a soup cooked with long, white rice cakes cut in the shape of caterpillars with a wooden knife, and yakgwa, a blend of flour, sesame oil, alcohol, ginger juice and salt pressed thin and cut in squares, deep fried and coated with starch syrup, are popular foods.
Chungcheong Province
Although the western coastal area has a rich supply of seafood, fresh fish was scarce in the northern region and inland areas. Long ago, only salted or dried seafoods were enjoyed in these regions. In the mountainous sections of the northern inland, wild vegetables and mushrooms are readily available, and dishes using these as their main ingredients are well known. Bean paste is often used to season food. The food is not lavish and seasonings are used sparingly in order to preserve the natural flavor of ingredients. In winter, beans are boiled and stored in a wooden box or basket for two or three days. When a sticky paste is formed, the beans are ground and seasoned. This is used to cook cheonggukjang (thick soybean paste soup) by adding bean curd or kimchi. Olgaengi, a freshwater shellfish found in clear and shallow brooks, is used in soups and bean paste stew or boiled and seasoned to be served with drinks. Oysters caught offshore of Seosan are rinsed with seawater and salted. After being stored for about two weeks, they are seasoned in fine chili powder. This is called eoriguljeot.
Gangwon Province
In Gangwon Province, dry-field farming is more common than rice cultivation. Therefore, corn, buckwheat and potatoes are the main products of the region. In the past, acorn and wild vegetables were consumed to relieve famine, although they are often used as fancy dishes today. By the East Sea, pollack, squid and seaweed are abundant and processed into dried pollack, dried squid, dried seaweed, salted pollack roe and salted pollack intestine. Potatoes can be served steamed or fermented to produce starch, which is used to make noodles, sujebi (soup with pulled dough morsels), porridge and songpyeon (half-moon rice cake). Buckwheat dough is pan-fried and made into rolls filled with seasoned radish. This is called buckwheat chongtteok. The original buckwheat noodle is prepared by mixing buckwheat powder with hot water, pressing the dough through a noodle frame and topping the noodles with radish kimchi and seasoned chili paste. However, this is better known as Chuncheon makguksu (Chuncheon style buckwheat noodles with vegetables) today, which is made with the liquid from water kimchi or pheasant broth.
Jeolla Province
In Jeolla Province, produce from the land, the ocean and the mountains are equally available and abundant. The ingredients are very diverse and the effort put into preparing dishes is unusually great. Therefore, the food of Jeolla Province is the most lavish and extravagant found anywhere in Korea. Every town, including Jeonju, Gwangju and Haenam, was home to members of the affluent noble class. They are towns of flavor and zest where the finest dishes of these households has been passed down from generation to generation. Since the climate is relatively warm in Jeolla province, the food is salty and strongly seasoned with salted fish, chili powder and spices. As a result, the foods are spicy, salty and pungent. Some examples are gatssam kimchi, godulppaegiji, salted fish, sliced dried octopus, boiled pork, fermented thornback and bibimbap (rice mixed with vegetables).
Today, dolsot bibimbap (bibimbap in a hot stone pot) is known as Jeonju bibimbap (Jeonju style bibimbap). However, in the past, it was not served in a hot stone pot but in a brass bowl. In addition, Jeonju bean sprout soup with rice is a hot dish of rice boiled in a bean sprout soup and seasoned with salted shrimp. This is popular early in the morning as a soup for sobering up.
Hongtaksamghap is a combination of well-fermented thornback, slices of boiled pork and sour kimchi, usually served with rice wine.
Gyeongsang Province
As Gyeongsang Province has good fishing grounds in the South Sea and the East Sea, the region is rich in marine products. Nakdong River, which meanders through North and South Gyeongsang Province, features a large volume of water and creates fertile agricultural land, which in turn provides abundant agricultural products. The food of the region is generally spicy and salty, and pungent and sweet as well. The dishes are not excessively decorated or lavishly adorned; they appear plain and modest. However, herbs and Chinese pepper are added to create a unique aroma. Fresh fish caught in the ocean are consumed raw as sashimi or cooked in soups or served steamed or broiled. Bean paste is popular in Gyeongsang Province. Makjang and dambukjang in particular are often enjoyed. In Jinju bibimbap (also known as hwaban), Andong sikhae, Dongrae pajeon (seafood and green onion pancake) and loach soup are well known.
Jeju Island
As Korea’s southernmost island, Jeju Island features a warm climate. Several unique species of fish are caught offshore there. The residents of sea villages used to fish and female divers would catch fish underwater. In mountain villages, mountains were reclaimed for farming and mushrooms, wild plants and ferns were collected at Hallasan Mountain. Rice production is scarce. Instead, bean, barley, millet and sweet potatoes are cultivated in abundance. Tangerines, abalone and breams are the most well-known specialty products.
The diligence and modesty of Jeju residents are reflected in their food. They don’t prepare food in large quantities. Seasonings are not used much and the food is relatively salty. Jeju Island has traditionally been a famous center of abalone harvesting. These can be enjoyed raw in the form of sashimi. Abalone porridge, which is cooked by stir-frying rice that has been soaked in water with sesame oil, boiling the rice after adding water and bluish fresh intestines and adding sliced abalone, is a delicacy with a unique aroma and a bluish color. Buckwheat powder is made into a soft dough and pan-fried in paper-thin slices, then made into rolls filled with white radish slices. This is called bingtteok, a local dish of Jeju Island that is central to rituals and banquets.
For more information about Korean foodand Korean culture, visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
Actress Yunjin Kim (“Sun Kwon”) describes how she is able to give input to provide the show with authentic Korean culture.
In Korea, there is a saying “gimjang (kimchi for winter use) is half of one’s winter provisions.” No matter how sumptuous a banquet may be, a banquet spread without kimchi is unimaginable. Just like rice, another staple, kimchi is an indispensable food to all Koreans, rich and poor alike.
Since the Joseon Dynasty, preparing kimchi for the winter was an enormous domestic event. As many as 100-150 cabbages were prepared at once. As gimjang season approached, relatives and neighbors would consult with each other to avoid the overlapping of gimjang days among different families. In gimjang season, it was customary to help each other out by lending a hand to one another. However, over time, and in recent decades in particular, buying ready-made kimchi ceased to be unusual or odd. There is a book from the old days that mentions that depending on others for kimchi and jang (soy sauce and bean paste) was embarrassing. InJoseonmussangsinsigyorijebeop (a cookbook from 1943), it says, “To Koreans, kimchi is next to rice. No matter how sumptuous a feast may be, it cannot be complete without kimchi. Our palate is also accustomed to kimchi; it cannot go without it. It is indeed precious. Among things we ask of others, asking for jang and kimchi is a huge embarrassment.”
History of kimchi
Kimchi was created after people began farming and producing grains as a staple of their diets. When vegetables, which couldn’t be preserved, were pickled in salt or mixed with soy sauce, bean paste or spices, new tastes and aromas were created and storage became possible. This is none other than kimchi.
The kimchi of the Goryeo Dynasty probably did not contain salted fish or meat because chili was not available yet. Although the term “kimchi” was used, it must have been different from today’s kimchi: vegetables sprinkled with salt, mixed with spices such as garlic and preserved. It would be in the form of dehydrated vegetables soaked in salty water or placed in ample salty water like dongchimi (watery radish kimchi). This was given the unique name of chimchae, which later evolved to become timchae, dimchae, and kimchae, and then finally “kimchi” as we know it today.
Ingredients of kimchi
Geographically, Korea stretches from south to north, and there is great variation between the foods of the southern and northern regions.
In the northern region, because of the lower temperatures, less salt was used and the spices were light and mild, which allowed the preservation of the freshness of vegetables. On the other hand, the food of the southern region is saltier. Simply adding a great deal of salt would not be very palatable, so salted fish was often used or meat stock was added. In particular, since salted fish was often used, sufficient garlic, ginger and chili powder were added to offset the smell of salted fish and to prevent the kimchi from becoming overly fermented by the salted fish. A paste made of glutinous rice was also mixed into kimchi to create the thick and rich taste of fermentation. In the Gyeongnam and Honam areas, salted anchovies are mostly used, while the central region favors salted croakers and shrimp. On the eastern coast, hairtail and mackerel are used in kimchi. Therefore, the kimchi of the northern region is watery, mild and fresh while that of the southern region has a reddish color, a stronger flavor and almost no liquid. The cabbage and juice of kimchi made in the central region is tinted with clear, pinkish red, like a bashful bride.
In spring, summer and fall, kimchi is made with the vegetables available in each season, such as young radish, young cabbage, cucumber and leek. Although radish and cabbage are the main ingredients of kimchi, various other greens and spices such as chili, scallions, garlic and ginger and salted fish are added. Whole cabbage kimchi is the most common, universal kimchi today.
Types of kimchi
Kimchi is relatively easily prepared without requiring a long fermentation period. There are a variety of kimchis: nabak kimchi(radish water kimchi), oi sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi), yeolmu kimchi (young summer radish kimchi), gat kimchi (leaf mustard kimchi), pa kimchi (green onion kimchi), yangbaechu kimchi (western cabbage kimchi), gul kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi mixed with oysters), and others.
In order to ensure a supply of vegetables in the cold winter, whole cabbage kimchi, bossam kimchi (wrapped kimchi), dongchimi (watery radish), godeulppaegi kimchi (Korean lettuce kimchi) and seokbakji, which can be preserved for a long period of time, are prepared. In addition, the ingredients and spices, recipes and preparation time vary greatly depending on the region, customs, preference and season, and accordingly, its flavors are tremendously diverse.
Although somewhat less common than regular cabbage kimchi, one of the main types of kimchi for gimjang was seokbakji. It was prepared by mixing slices of salted cabbage, radish and cucumber with salted fish.
In particular, in the royal court, jeotgukji, songsongi and dongchimi were always placed at the table of a king. Songsongi was called kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) by commoners, but lady attendants in the palace didn’t pronounce fortes and spoke softly without opening their mouths very wide, so they called it songsongi. Jeotgukji is a watery cabbage kimchi that contains a lot of salted fish.
Among the various types of kimchi, there is jang kimchi, which is seasoned not with salt but with soy sauce. Radish and cabbage is cut into small chunks and pickled in soy sauce. They are then mixed with various spices, pear, chestnuts, pine nuts, manna lichens and shiitake mushrooms and ample water is added. This was prepared mostly by the royal court or wealthy families in the Joseon Dynasty. It was not a common food due to the luxurious ingredients, but it was served with a bowl of rice cake soup on New Year’s Day or at a formal banquet. Well-prepared gimjang was seokbakji. It was prepared by mixing slices of salted cabbage, radish and cucumber with salted fish.
In particular, in the royal court, jeotgukji, songsongi and dongchimi were always placed at the table of a king. Songsongi was called (diced radish kimchi) by commoners, but lady attendants in the palace didn’t pronounce fortes and spoke softly without opening their mouths very wide, so they called it songsongi. Jeotgukji is a watery cabbage kimchi that contains a lot of salted fish. Entre las diferentes clases de kimchi, elAmong the various types of kimchi, there is jang kimchi, which is seasoned not with salt but with soy sauce. Radish and cabbage is cut into small chunks and pickled in soy sauce. They are then mixed with various spices, pear, chestnuts, pine nuts, manna lichens and shiitake mushrooms and ample water is added. This was prepared mostly by the royal court or wealthy families in the Joseon Dynasty. It was not a common food due to the luxurious ingredients, but it was served with a bowl of rice cake soup on New Year’s Day or at a formal banquet. Well-prepared jang kimchi was a great delicacy as the color and flavor of soy sauce created a perfect harmony.
On a cold winter day, it is a great joy to sit in a warm room heated by ondol traditional Korean room) and enjoy a bowl of dongchimi with crushed ice floating on top. There is a proverb that says “nobody is willing to offer a piece of rice cake, but you are already sipping kimchi juice” (similar to “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”). Watery dongchimi is a perfect accompaniment to rice cake. Although dongchimi is a simple kimchi made of radish fermented in salty water, various spices, fruits such as pear and citron, leaf mustard and seaweed are added to enhance its flavor and smell. In order to prepare dongchimi, small and nicely-shaped radishes must first be selected. Then, their stems are removed and the radishes are carefully washed. After salting them evenly by rolling the radishes in salt, they are neatly placed in a jar and stored overnight. The white part and roots of a green onion and ginger and garlic are sliced thinly and combined in a small sack before placing it in the jar. Then, salted water is poured into the jar and fermented chili is added. It is ready to eat after about ten days. When pear, citron, seaweed or leaf mustard is added, it smells better and tastes particularly refreshing.
Koreans don’t just eat kimchi on its own; there are also various dishes that can be prepared with kimchi, such as kimchi-jjigae(kimchi stew) and pan-fried kimchi. Kimchi stew, made of overly fermented kimchi and pork, and kimchi pancakes, which is made by mixing slices of kimchi with a flour dough and pan-frying it, have also become major dishes of Korea.
As a naturally fermented food, kimchi is rich in vitamins and minerals. Supplementary ingredients such as garlic, ginger and chili also provide various nutrients. Kimchi also has a high dietary fiber content and stimulates the bowels. It also helps lower sugar and cholesterol levels in the human body. Kimchi is a healthy food that helps promote the body’s physiological functions and that can prevent geriatric diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Recently, many Asians in Japan and Taiwan have been enjoying Korean kimchi. We all hope kimchi, which is a good representative of Korea’s profound culture and is highly nutritious, will continue to spread around the world.
For more information about Korean food and Korean culture, visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
Related Korean Culture Articles
A rite of passage is a term from folklore that refers to various ceremonies and rituals big and small that a person goes through in his or her life from the time he or she is born.
For these occasions, special ritual foods are prepared. The forms of rites vary across countries, races, cultural styles, and periods. Some customs Korean ancestors have preserved continue to be practiced today. For instance, every home in Korea prepares seaweed soup and a bowl of plain rice on birthdays. Guests at a wedding ceremony are served noodles in celebration of the occasion.
In Asian culture, there are four ceremonies that mark major occasions in one’s life and that are considered particularly important. These include a coming-of-age ceremony, a wedding ceremony, a funeral and a memorial service with the funeral and memorial services being held by one’s descendents. Among a number of ceremonies and rituals, celebratory events include birth, the first birthday, coming-of-age ceremony, a wedding ceremony, sixtieth birthday, and a golden wedding anniversary. Funerals and memorial services are sorrowful occasions. Every ritual is defined by protocol. For every rite, special foods are prepared to signify wishes, fortune, respect, and politeness.
1. Birth and Samchil day
The 21st day after a baby’s birth is called samchil day. This is probably because the number seven (chil in Korean) was considered lucky. On this day, family and friends visit to celebrate the birth of a newborn and comfort the mother after giving labor. Seaweed soup with beef broth is served to the mother.
2. Baekil
Baekil is an occasion marking the 100th day after a baby is born. One hundred is a number symbolic of completeness and maturity; therefore, baekil is an occasion for congratulating a baby on completing this phase and wishing him or her continued growth and good health for the future.
At a baekil celebration, a table is set with a bowl of plain rice, seaweed soup with beef broth and green vegetables. Steamed white rice cake, glutinous millet dumplings rolled in red bean powder and songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cake) in five different colors are also prepared. On this day, congratulatory foods were shared with others. In particular, it was believed that rice cakes prepared for baekil should be shared with one hundred families in order for the baby to be blessed with good health and longevity. The families who offered rice cakes would in turn give a bundle of white cotton thread or rice instead of returning the dish empty. White cotton thread and rice signify longevity and wealth.
3. Baby’s First Birthday
On a baby’s first birthday, people pray for his or her longevity, fortune, and success. A new outfit is made for the baby and a table is set mainly with various rice cakes and fruit for doljabi. On a first birthday, plain rice is served in a rice bowl and seaweed soup in a soup bowl, both newly prepared for the baby. Green vegetables and fruit are also served. Steamed white rice cake and millet dumplings are an essential part of the celebration. The fruit is selected to create a colorful arrangement. Various foods and a variety of items are placed on a table to allow the baby to reach for the item of his or her preference in a unique ceremony called doljabi. The baby’s destiny may be told based on the item that is picked up by the baby. For a baby boy, rice, a bundle of white thread, a book, paper, and bow and arrow are placed on the table. For a baby girl, a pair of scissors, needles and a ruler are laid out instead of a bow and arrow.
4. Wedding ceremony
The wedding ceremony is one the most important events in one’s life, marking the uniting of a man and a woman as husband and wife. According to tradition, before the wedding the bridegroom’s family sends a box containing chaedan (wedding presents sent by the bridegroom’s family for the bride’s family) and a written marriage oath to the family of his bride. This box is called ham. Once the ham arrives at the bride’s house, it is placed atop a rice-cake steamer in which bongchaetteok (steamed glutinous rice cake sprinkled with red bean powder) are prepared. At the center of the top layer, seven jujubes are placed in a radiant shape. Bongchaetteok is prepared to wish the couple a relationship that is as fast and tenacious as the glutinous rice that is made from. The rice cake is shaped in two layers to symbolize a couple. The red beans are to ward off misfortune whereas the seven jujubes represent seven sons to wish the couple many sons and prosperity.
A wedding ceremony is performed at the bride’s house involving a ritual performed by the bride and bridegroom. Guests at the reception are served noodles. On the following day, the bride and bridegroom go the bridegroom’s house and the bride formally greets his parents and other senior members of the family for the first time. This is called pyebaek. Although there are slight variations across regions, jujubes, chestnuts, beef jerky, and alcoholic beverages are usually served. Although the traditional wedding ceremony is not performed today, pyebaek is still practiced.
5. The sixtieth birthday
The sixtieth birthday is referred to as hoegap, and the children normally hold a banquet for their parents to celebrate the occasion. “Hoegap,” or anniversary, means a return to the year one was born. The occasion is also called hwangap or hwagap, as the parts of the character hwa (華) that add up to 61. (In Korea, age is counted as portions of years lived and not full years elapsed since birth, so 60 is counted as 61.)
A sumptuous table of food is prepared for the sixtieth birthday banquet. Because high piles of foods are placed on the table, it is called gobaesang (a table of high piles) or mangsang (a table to gaze at). A sumptuous table is also set for a wedding ceremony or a seventieth birthday. This is the most extravagant of Korean table-settings. Fresh fruit, pan-fried fish, dried beef or fish, rice cakes, traditional Korean baked goods and many other foods are piled in 30-60 centimeter-tall round stacks, which are then placed in 2-3 colorful rows.
6. Memorial services
Memorial services are rituals held by descendants in memory of the deceased. Koreans hold rituals on the anniversary of an ancestor’s death, New Year’s Day, and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) to express gratitude for their blessings and to pay their respects. The foods prepared for these rituals are not extravagant. On New Year’s Day, tteokguk (rice cake soup) is prepared, and on Chuseok, taro soup and songpyeon are served. The assortment of dishes and their arrangements vary from family to family and according to region. Common offerings include alcoholic beverages, fruit (both fresh and dried), dried beef, and fish. Again, rice cakes are a standard food which are prepared with mung bean powder or husked red bean powder sprinkled on top.
For more information about Korean food and Korean culture, visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
Foods enjoyed on festive days and in particular seasons in Korea
Foods for special occasions include festive foods that were enjoyed on holidays in particular months and seasonal dishes prepared with foods produced in the current season. Throughout the year, Korean ancestors prepared different foods for each holiday and enjoyed fresh foods grown in the spring, summer, fall and winter.
Days with odd-numbered dates falling in the same-numbered month were considered festive days. These include Danil (Jan. 1), Dansam (Mar. 3), Dano (May 5), Chilseok (July 7) and Junggu (Sept. 9) in the lunar calendar. Today, New Year’s Day, Daeboreum (Jan. 15th according to the lunar calendar), Hansik (“cold food” day, the 105th day after the winter solstice), Dano, Sambok (the hottest period of summer), Chuseok (Thanksgiving Day), and Dongji (winter solstice) are observed as meaningful customs, and we renew their meaning each year.
On New Year’s Day, all Koreans start the day with tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup), and wish for health, happiness and good luck. On Daeboreum, we eat ogokbap (boiled rice mixed with five grains), dried vegetables and nuts and ask for a successful year filled with vigor and good health. On Chuseok, we thank our ancestors for the joy of the harvest and fruit-bearing. We share our pleasure with others by preparing and sharing various dishes cooked with freshly harvested produce. On Dongji, we cook red bean porridge to ward off bad luck.
Similar seasonal foods were enjoyed by both royals and commoners and throughout different regions. Festive days in Korea are mostly seasonal customs related to monthly farming events. The seasonal customs of the Joseon Dynasty are described in detail in books such as Dongguk Sesigi, Kyeongdo Japji and Yeolyang Sesigi.
[Festive foods and seasonal foods]
January
New Year’s Day
Tteokguk (sliced rice cake soup), dumpling, slices of boiled meat, pan-fried dishes, raw beef, neureumjeok (beef and vegetable skewer), tteokjjim (rice dumpling stew), japchae (glutinous noodles mixed with stir-fried vegetables), cabbage kimchi, jang kimchi (kimchi pickled in soy sauce), yaksik (sweet rice cake),jeonggwa (fruit jam), gangjeong (fried grains mixed with honey),sikhye (sweet drink made of rice), sujeonggwa (fruit punch)
Daeboreum
Boiled rice with five grains, dried laver, nine kinds of seasoned vegetables, yaksik, yumilgwa (oil and honey pastry), wonso byeong (rice cake balls), nuts, nabak kimchi (water kimchi)
February
Junghwa
Rice wine, fresh fruits, beef jerky, jeolpyeon (thin, plain rice cake),yumilgwa
March
Samjit
Rice wine, fresh fruits (chestnuts, jujubes, dried persimmons), dried beef/fish, jeolpyeon, yumilgwa
April
Chopa (Buddha’s birthday)
Neutitteok (rice cake), ssuktteok (rice cake), yangsaek juak (pan-fried rice cake in two colors), fresh fruit, fruit punch, anchovy or sea bream sashimi, dropwort rolls, steamed sea bream
May
Dano (May 5th)
Jeungpyeon (fermented rice cake), surichitteok (rice cake), fresh fruit, cherry cake, cherry punch, jehotang (sweet soft drink), herring dumplings, herring soup
June
Yudu (June 15th)
Cold dumplings, sesame soup, fish dumplings, eochae (cooked fish), gujeolpan (flour wraps with nine different toppings), milssam(flour wraps), fresh fruit, hwajeon (pan-fried dough topped with petals of balsam, persimmon flower and cockscomb), Korean bramble punch, barley sudan (sweet cake), tteok sudan (sweet cake)
July
Chilseok (July 7th)
Sesame rice cake, milseolgi (white rice cake), juak (pan-fried rice cake), gyuasang (steamed dumpling), tteokguk, sesame soup, chicken soup, eochae, fresh fruit (yellow melon), yeolmu kimchi
Sambok
Yukgaejang (spicey beef soup), roasted carp, cucumber kimchi,jeungpyeon, peach punch, gujang, blowfish porridge
August
Hangawi(August 15th)
Torantang (taro soup), steamed chicken, mushroom skewers,japchae, freshly harvested rice, dried laver, seasoned vegetables, fresh fruit, songpyeon (rice cake), chestnut danja (chestnut balls), pear punch, baesuk (seasoned pear)
September
Jungyang (Sep. 9th)
Gamgukjeon (pan-fried dough with chrysanthemum petals), chestnut danja, fruit punch (citron, pear), fresh fruit, chrysanthemum wine
October
Muo
Musirutteok (rice cake mixed with radish), gamgukjeon,muobyeong (rice cake), citron punch, fresh fruit
November
Dongji
Red bean porridge, dongchimi (water kimchi), fresh fruit,gyeongdan (rice cake balls), sujeonggwa, jeonyak (herbs mixed with honey)
December
Geumeum (last day of month)
Golmubyeong (rice cake), juak, jeonggwa, various fruits, sikhye,sujeonggwa, tteokguk, dumplings, goldongban (rice mixed with vegetables), wanjatang (meatball soup), various stews, jang kimchi
Spring Foods
Tangpyeongchae, enjoyed in late spring, is a mix of green bean jelly, pork, dropwort and dried laver seasoned with soy sauce and vinegar. Tangpyeong means maintaining one’s balance. King Yeongjo allegedly created Tangpyeongchae out of a strong desire for balance among parties.
Suran, soft-boiled eggs, tastes very good when dipped lightly in soy sauce seasoned with vinegar.
Jogiguk is a soup made with short-necked clams and croakers.
Hadon means blowfish. A bowl of soup cooked with blowfish and dropwort and seasoned with oil and soy sauce tastes excellent when it is prepared before the peach flowers wither.
Domijjim(steamed sea bream) was prepared at the time when the fish were at their most flavorful. It was also called seunggiaktang, which means the dish was so delicious that it was more enjoyable than a party with the gisaengs (Korea’s Geishas).
Seoyeojeungsik consists of steamed hemp dipped in honey. It is served on a plate with fresh fruit.
Various types of rice cakes are prepared. In the book Dongguk Sesigi, rice cake dough is rolled into small balls, stuffed with red bean paste, dyed in five different colors and threaded onto a string. This is called whanbyeong, which means beaded rice cakes.
In addition, rice cakes tinted blue, white or pink were shaped into half-moons. Five small ones of them or two or three big ones are sometimes linked together, which is called sanbyeong. This is similar to what we call gaepitteok today. A larger five-colored rice cake is called majebyeong. Sirutteok (layers of steamed rice cake) made with glutinous rice and topped with jujube is another seasonal food eaten in spring.
Summer Foods
Gijutteok is a rice cake enjoyed in summer. It is prepared by mixing rice flour with liquor and then steaming the fermented dough.
In summer, hwajeon (pan-fried dough with petal toppings) is prepared by placing yellow rose petals on top of round, flat biscuits of glutinous rice dough.
Eochae is a cooked fish dish. White fish meat is shredded into small pieces, sprinkled with starch and boiled lightly in hot water. When served, it is decorated with cucumber, manna lichens and paper-thin strips of fried egg. Eomandu is a dumpling prepared with fish instead of flour dough. A beef stuffing is wrapped with thin slices of white fish meat. It is steamed and served with soy sauce seasoned with vinegar.
Dropwort rolls are prepared by boiling dropwort or soft scallions in hot water and forming each strip into a roll. Served with seasoned hot pepper paste as a sauce, it makes a perfect side dish for liquors.
Flour noodles are added to sesame soup and adorned with shredded squash and small strips of chicken. Seaweed is boiled in chicken soup and then mixed with flour noodles.
Sliced squash is coated with flour and whipped eggs and pan-fried. Heads of croakers are cooked to make jijimi (a stew).
Yellow melons are regarded as the best fruit to eat to cool off in the summer heat.
In the royal court, rice dumplings left over from New Year’s Day are soaked in water to make tteokguk. Winter foods are enjoyed in summer to chase away the heat.
Fall Foods
In fall, the harvest is at its peak and the new crop of the year is rich, as are the hearts of the people. Chuseok is also called Gabae orHangawi. In rural areas, lunar New Year’s Day and Chuseok are considered as the most important holidays. As it is the season when five different grains are fully grown, fruits are ripe and vegetables are abundant, new grain liquors are brewed from the fresh crops. Fresh fruits are picked and offerings for ancestors are prepared to be used in a rite. This is called the Chuseok rite. Festive foods for Hangawi include songpyeon (stuffed rice cake),torantang (taro soup), various seasoned vegetables and galbijjim (rib stew).
Rice cakes such as singwabyeong, mulhobaktteok, musirutteok, bam danja (chestnut balls) and jujube injeolmi (sticky rice cake), which are adorned with freshly harvested fruits such as chestnut, jujube and persimmon before being steamed, are also special dishes.
Songi sanjeok, prepared by skewering songi (pine mushrooms) and beef, is another delicacy enjoyed in fall.
Winter Foods
Dongji (the winter solstice) is the longest night and shortest day of the year. Meaning “a day that ushers in the following year,” Dongji was also called ase (sub-year) or “little New Year’s Day.”
At the homes of commoners, porridge was cooked using red beans. Glutinous rice powder was rolled into small balls to be added to the porridge, which is served with honey. Offering the first harvest of the season to one’s ancestors and spreading red bean porridge on doors were popular customs that were believed to keep evil spirits away. These days, Koreans eat a bowl of red bean porridge to ward off evil spirits. Festive foods for Dongji included red bean porridge, jeonyak (a mixture of herbs, honey, sugar and pepper), sikhye (a sweet dessert made with rice), sujeonggwa (a fruit punch) anddongchimi (water kimchi).
Jeonyak was offered to the king on Dongji, and then distributed to his followers. To prepare jeonyak, gelatin is dissolved, herbs (dried ginger, dried cloves, etc.) are ground into a fine powder and jujubes are boiled and passed through a sieve. These are mixed with honey and boiled for a long time to make them harden into a jelly. It is actually a kind of herbed jelly. It is known to protect our bodies from the cold throughout the winter.
Nanrohoe is a seasonal food enjoyed in urban areas. When the weather becomes cold, people gather around a large stove with a stew pot on top. They stir-fry marinated meats and add broth to the pot and let it boil.
Sinseollo originally meant a pot and stove in one. In this pot, various meats and vegetables were neatly arranged and a broth added for simmering. It is also calledyeolgujatang or guja, which means “pleasing to the mouth.”
Naengmyeon (cold noodles) is one of favorite seasonal choices in winter. In the late Joseon Dynasty, King Gojong was especially fond of noodles and he enjoyednaengmyeon as a nighttime snack. Since King Gojong didn’t like spicy foods, the only garnishes on the noodles were slices of boiled meat, pear and pine nuts. Instead of beef stock, the noodles were added to dongchimi (water kimchi) with a lots of pear, which gave the noodles a very sweet and refreshing flavor.
For more information about Korean food and Korean culture, visit the Official Korea Tourism Organization Website.
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