Korean Cuisine
Explores the traditional foods and cuisines of Korea.
Location: North Korea; South Korea
Staples of the Korean Diet
Korean cuisine is heavy in vegetables, seafood, legumes, and rice. Rice and fermented cabbage, or kimchi, were staples in nearly every household. In historic Korea, peasants who could not afford to live on rice alone mixed it with grain or beans. Japgokbap, or multigrain rice, is still popular today. Korean meals feature ingredients like noodles, chili paste, garlic, onion, tofu, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, sesame, bean sprouts, bean paste, ginger, ginseng, and radish. Pork and chicken are the most common meats, but they were rare in historical cuisine.[1][2]
Traditional Korean Dishes
A traditional Korean meal consists of soup served with several sides, or banchan, and rice. Kimchi, or fermented cabbage, is almost always present. A large bowl of soup sits at the center of the table, meant to be shared by the family and complement the flavors of the sides. Hot dishes arrive at the table steaming, but many noodle dishes are chilled beforehand. As a general rule, hot dishes are preferred in summer and cold in winter.[1]
Bibimbap is perhaps the most well known Korean dish. Recipes vary by location, family, and ingredients on hand, but a typical bowl of bibimbap contains rice topped with bean sprouts, spinach, seaweed, mushrooms, carrots, and other meats or vegetables. Authentic bibimbap uses raw egg yolks and sometimes raw beef.[3]
Alcoholic Beverages in Korea
The historic alcoholic beverage of Korea is rice wine. Peasants fermented the drink in jars similar to kimchi, a drink called makkoli. Other drinks were fermented from wheat or more refined rice, with an alcohol content ranging from 6 to 25 percent. Drinking was a social activity in many Korean villages. Peasants gathered at wine shops to play drinking games, tell stories, and enjoy each other's company. Women customarily did not drink until their children reached adulthood, at which point it became socially acceptable.[4]
Street Food and Barbecues in South Korea
Today, Seoul is famous for another culinary tradition; its street food. The active, consumer-oriented lifestyle of modern South Koreans means many people only have time to grab a meal on the go. In response, vendors in Seoul's markets and streets now sell Western favorites, traditional Korean foods, and new inventions of their own.
Korean barbecue is another popular experience for diners. These restaurants typically serve large portions of meat to group tables. One diner is then tasked with cooking the meat over a grill at the table. Everyone helps themselves once the meat is ready.[5]
Bibliography
The Korea Foundation, Korean Food Guide: In English (Seoul: The Korea Foundation, 2003).
Michael J. Pettid, Korean Cuisine: An Illustrated History (London: Reaktion Books, 2008).
Benjamin Joinau and Elodie Dornand De Rouville, Sketches of Korea: An Illustrated Guide to Korean Culture (Irvine, CA: Seoul Selection, 2015).
Donald Neil Clark, Culture and Customs of Korea (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000), 106-108.
Da-Hae West and Gareth West, K Food: Korean Home Cooking and Street Food (London: Mitchell Beazley, 2016).
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