Known as “The Land of Morning Calm”, South Korea is a country in which tradition and modernity come face to face.
The capital, Seoul, with its 11 million inhabitants, is a centre of excellence for the full range of South Korean cuisine.
Anthropologists say, in an ever-changing world, food is one of the characteristics of a society that changes the most slowly. South Korea is no exception.
Anthropologist Joo Youngha said: “During the Josun dynasty, which lasted more than six centuries, we were very influenced by the Confucian thinking of the Chinese Yuan and Ming dynasties. The basis of good table manners was set out then and it’s in this period that the cuisine of the Royal court was also established.”
“Confucianism preached the virtues of modesty and simplicity,” Youngha continued. “At its heart, people lived frugally, except during big festivals, when sumptuous banquets were the order of the day.”
The daily Korean diet is based on rice, often served with soup and kimchi, that is fermented seasoned cabbage. Soy sauce is an essential ingredient. Many side dishes cover the table.
Over the centuries, rare ingredients and specialties from countries around the world arrived at the royal court. Their recipes were a secret known only by the chefs of the palace.
When the monarchy was abolished at the beginning of the 1900s, the royal chefs, to ward off unemployment, spread the dishes they once cooked for the king to local restaurants in areas like Insa-dong.
When Koreans are old enough to eat spicy Korean food (let’s say elementary school), this is what we start with for a life-long journey of spicy Korean food.
Some say that Kimchi is the first spicy food to them and gradually they move on to other spicy foods. To me, it was “Ddeok-boggi” that got me into spicy food for the first time.
I was sitting on a small wooden chair at a snack bar in front of my elementary school. There were a few of my friends and all of us had a handkerchief pinned to our left side.
We were only 8 years old and those handkerchiefs were a requirement of the school so that we could always clean our runny noses.
I still remember how spicy it was to me. We all had our hands close to our mouths and tried to create a breeze by shaking them hoping that the small wind would cool down our tongues that were on fire.
I have many fond memories of sharing gossip, secrets, and even math problems over a nice bowl of this dish.
A traditional Korean meal is not complete without kimchi, a mixture of various pickled vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, radish, green onion and cucumber.
Certain types of kimchi are made spicy with the addition of red chili pepper powder, while others are prepared without red chili peppers or are soaked in a tasty liquid.
However, garlic is always used in kimchi to add to its flavor. In addition to kimchi, doenjang (soybean paste), with its anti-cancer attributes, has attracted the attention of modern-day nutritionists.
Koreans used to make doenjang at home by boiling yellow beans, drying them in the shade, soaking them in salty water, and fermenting them in sunlight. However, only a few families go through this process anymore;
the majority buy factory-made doenjang.
Among meat dishes, seasoned bulgogi (usually beef) and galbi (beef or pork ribs) are the most favored by both Koreans and foreigners..
