Korean cuisine has gained popularity in many different countries throughout the world. In the United States, dishes like kimchi, bulgogi, and bibimbap have become quite popular among Americans. Restaurants have also taken a Korean spin on traditional American cuisine, such as Korean BBQ and Korean fried chicken, which I myself had the opportunity to try with my language learning group at Choong Man Chicken. Before learning Korean, I’ve always heard about these dishes, but I also realized there are many foods and ingredients that are commonly used in traditional Korean cuisine as I’ve seen when having dinner with my Korean American friends on campus. By learning about traditional Korean cuisine, you can gain a better understanding of the customs and values of Korean culture. In Korean culture, food is believed to be responsible for health and illness; in fact, Korean cuisine is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world (theworldbook.org). In fact, in Korean culture food is considered similar to medicine, so it’s common for individuals to use food to cure their illness before using medications (journalofethnicfoods). One of the most important features of Korean cuisine is the fermentation method used to store and eat foods for a long period of time (journalofethnicfoods.com). The most commonly fermented foods include doenjang (soybean paste), ganjang (soy sauce), gochujang (chili pepper paste), and jeotgal (salted seafood) (journalofethnicfoods.com). Fermenting foods has many health benefits such as helping the immune system, strengthening the liver, and “and balance the propagation of the beneficial bacteria necessary for intestinal health in the intestine” (journalofethnicfoods.com).
Some of the key ingredients in Korean cuisine include rice, noodles, vegetables, meats, and tofu (dubu in Korean) (newworldencyclopedia.org). A traditional Korean dinner meal typically consists of a main dish, rice, soup, and a variety of side dishes (theworldbook.org). This abundance of side dishes is known as Banchan, and they accompany every meal (newworldencyclopedia.org). Some examples of traditional Banchan dishes are kimchi, namul, bokkeum, jjim and jorim (theworldbook.org). These dishes are mainly comprised of vegetables but sometimes include meats and fish, and they are prepared either in a seasoned broth or sauce, fermented, steamed, marinated, or stir-fried (theworldbook.org).
Here are some examples of common traditional Korean dishes:
Source: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Korean_cuisine
- Bibimbap (비빔밥) - (literally means “mixed rice” in Korean) a rice dish after mixing with it an assortment of fresh vegetables, fried egg, minced beef, and other ingredients
- Bulgogi (불고기) - (literally means “fire meat” in Korean) grilled marinated slices of meat (beef or pork) in a sweet soy sauce
- Japchae(잡채) - boiled glass noodles with stir-fried vegetables, meat, and other ingredients
- Galbi (갈비) - pork or beef ribs, cooked on a metal plate over charcoal in the center of the table
- Jokbal (족발): pig's feet served with a red salted shrimp sauce
- Sannakji (산낙지) - live octopus, served live and still moving on the plate
- Makchang (막창): grilled pork large intestines, often served with a light doenjang sauce and chopped green onions
- Hoe (Pronounced 'hweh') \hö\ (회): raw seafood dish dipped in gochujang or soy sauce with wasabi (hot radish paste), served with lettuce or sesame leaves
Sources:
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Korean_cuisine
https://theworldbook.org/korean-food/
Oktay, S., Ekinci, E.K. Medicinal food understanding in Korean gastronomic culture. J. Ethn. Food 6, 4 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-019-0003-9
Comments
Kayla, I loved reading about your post on Korean cuisine because I am a big foodie and I find Korean food very delicious! I have tried six out of the eight dishes you posted pictures of and like any "basic" foreigner I will tell you that the Bulgogi is my favorite. I remember going to Bon Chon here in Richmond for the first time and I believe that they had one of the best fried chickens. I hope to be able to visit Korea one day and experience their diverse food culture. I am also a huge fan of Korean BBQ and Hibachi. If there are any local places in Richmond that you enjoyed, feel free to let me know!
Hi Kayla, I really enjoyed reading about your post on Korean cuisine it is truly one of my favorite things in life! I do agree that you can learn about Korean culture and tradition through food as there are lots of mannerisms and traditions held. I also have tried every dish in your image and will definitely say galbi is my favorite! I would recommend tteokbokki (떡볶이) and mool naeng myun (물냉면) as two potential dishes to try in the future as well! I also think it is neat that even for fried chicken like at Choongman they give banchan or side dishes like (조선무) or radish on the side to balance out the taste of chicken with a cleaner and lighter taste.
Hey Kayla, I really enjoyed reading your post about the different foods in Korean culture. I have tried almost every single one of these dishes and I could assure you that Bulgogi and Galbi are definitely my favorite. I think it's so interesting that Korean food culture involves so many dishes (bonchon) that accompany your main dishes like bulgogi or Galbi.
Hi Kayla! It's so interesting to see the variations in cuisine even if it was made a certain way. This made me curious enough to see what Nepali foods are fermented or what other foods that I normally consume are fermented. I will say there were some that I did not know were fermented somewhere along the process. Also, living with a Korean roommate for 2 years I have definitely wanted to try some of these foods and got the chance to and they are really good.
Kayla, I love that you touched on the abundance of fermented food in Korean cuisine. I always try new fermented food items from our local Asian supermarkets in Richmond and l love them! The relationship between food and health in Korean culture seems exemplary. I often think about my own culture Nepali where we each so much rice and very little vegetables, leading to poorer health outcomes. Or in the US here, where we eat so much processed foods and carbs, again leading to poorer health outcomes. In that regard, Korean food culture has so much to teach us about treating our body right by eating better, more balanced nutrition.
This post is so interesting! The pictures that you used definitely got me hungry~ I had no idea that Korean food is considered to be one of the healthiest cuisines in the world! I also did not know how many good benefits come out of fermenting food. I love fermented kimchi, so I’m glad to hear that it’s great for my health :))
The visual aids in this post were great and made me hungry. Its interesting to see the science behind Korean cuisine and I can see why fermented foods are such a staple in Korea. I hope to try more Korean foods in the future and widen my palette because Korea cuisine seems to be very diverse.
Hi Kayla! I didn't know that Korean cuisine is considered to be healthy. I was taught at a young age that fermented food are linked to gastric cancer. Which is very strange considering Vietnamese's traditional rural cuisine also contain a lot of fermented food. However, I know that Koreans and Japanese have one of the healthiest lifestyles and their diet includes a lot of fermented food, so that can't be it.
Hi Kayla, this is a really interesting post! I knew that Korean cuisine is healthy, but I didn’t know that people try using food before medicine to cure their illness. The use of fermented ingredients in many Korean dishes definitely contributes to the various health benefits. I’m looking forward to trying Korean food with you soon!