Korean cuisine

November 10, 5:56 PMSeattle Ethnic Foods ExaminerMichael Davis

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Seattle Ethnic Foods Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Map of South Korea

What most of us know about Korea is that we fought a war over there; North Korea seems to cause a lot of trouble; and they eat this stinky vegetable dish called Kimchi.

A peninsula, Korea’s climate is much like that of the upper Midwest in the United States – warm summers and cold snowy winters. A country of micro climates created by a diverse terrain of mountains, valleys, and seacoasts, the food of Korea reflects that diversity.

Until the 20th century, Korea was a largely a rural and farming society. Farmers worked hard, and the heartiness of their food is quite different from neighboring China and Japan. Rather than just a bowl of rice for breakfast, Koreans might have a rich soup made of either beef ribs or pork intestines (tripe). A typical breakfast might be Doenjang soup (soybean soup vegetables), cooked rice, kimchi, bean sprout side dish, spinach side dish, steamed egg, roasted small fish..etc.

Fish is a large part of the Korean diet. Those from the Yellow Sea differ from the Eastern Sea (Sea of Japan) and the south coast (East China Sea) differs from the others. Koreans seek out the specialties of each region.

The European conquest of the Americas brought the hot chili to the world. Chile pastes are absolute staples of all Korean tables and cooking.

A typical Korean meal is called Pansang, with steamed rice, soup, and side dishes (banchan). Examples of banchan are pickled cabbage - Kimchi; Korean Potato Salad; Seasoned Seaweed - Japchae; Glass noodles - Kongnamul: Soybean sprouts  - Gaji namul: Eggplant dish - Gyeranjjim: Steamed egg dish - and Sigeumchi namul: Spinach dish.

Insert photo caption or credit here

Changkuksang is the main dish and is arranged with kimchi, cold greens, mixed vegetables, pan-fried dishes, confectionary, fruit and fruit punch. Typical main dishes are; Gamjatang – pork bone stew with potatoes and vegetables; Samgyeopsal gui – grilled pork belly; Tangsuyuk (or tang soo yook, tang su yook, tang soo yuk, tang su yuk, tangsooyook, tangsooyuk; many words have different spellings) – sweet & sour beef (or pork); Maeuntang – spicy fish soup; Galbi jjim – beef short ribs; Mandu – dumplings; or Bulgogi – barbecued beef and kimchi fried rice.

Beef was banned by the Buddhist ruling class of the Goryeo period. The Mongols dispensed with the ban of beef during the 13th century and promoted the production of beef cattle. Beef is now the most prized of all meats, with cattle holding an important cultural role in the Korean home. At one time, the cattle were regarded as servants and seen as an equal to human servants. Cattle were given their own holiday during the first 'cow' day of the lunar New Year. The variety of foods in Korea is immense, and tasty.

A Chuangsang meal involves alcohol (chu) and side dishes (an) that are matched to the alcohol being served. Soju is the best-known liquor, but there are well over 100 different alcoholic beverages such as beers, rice and fruit wines, and liquors produced in South Korea. Soju, at around 22% ABV is a favorite beverage of poor college students, hard-drinking businessmen, and blue-collar workers.

Insert photo caption or credit here

Koreans eat a wide variety of vegetables, often served uncooked in salads or pickles, and cooked in various stews, stir-fried dishes, and other hot dishes. Vegetables include daikon, Napa cabbage, cucumber, potato, sweet potato, spinach, scallions, garlic, chili peppers, seaweed, zucchini, mushrooms, and lotus root. Wild greens, known collectively as chwinamul (such as Aster scaber), are a popular dish, and wild vegetables like bracken fern shoots (gosari) or Korean bellflower root (doraji) are eaten in season. Medicinal herbs such as ginseng, wolfberry, Codonopsis pilosula, and Angelica sinensis are often used as ingredients in cooking.

From ancient times, Koreans have used a spoon and chopsticks are their eating utensils. The spoon was for scooping steamed rice, soup and stew, while chopsticks were used to eat a variety of prepared side dishes. Koreans are trained to use the spoon and the chopsticks correctly from childhood. Using both of these utensils at the same time is considered bad manners.

If would not be difficult to go on for pages about the variety and history of Korean food, so if you'r curious about more, check out the links below.