cookbook_eng_chapter9.pdf

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Interesting Food Stories

People usually say Paldo Gangsan to represent the eight regions that constitute the Korean Peninsula. These regions are, Gyeonggi-

do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do, Hwanghae-do, Pyeongan-do, Hamgyeong-do, and each

has their own cultural distinctions. Now, shall we further explore the differences in the food among the eight regions?

Boasting the Food of the Eight Provinces

Seoul, Gyeonggi-do

Seoul has long been the capital of Korea, a place for many noblemen who considered

formality and stylishness to be important. The people of Seoul are often referred to as

ggakjaengi, which means they are particularly difficult to please. Interestingly, the food

they cook shows us much about the characteristics of the Seoul noblemen. Food cooked in

Seoul is not too salty or overly spicy. The most famous products of the Gyeonggi area are

Icheon rice, and samgyetang (chicken broth with ginseng), bulgogi (barbecued beef),

sinseonlo (brass chafing dish), and seolleongtang (beef soup with rice).

Chungcheong-do

Chungcheong-do has smooth mountains and a gentle climate that probably accounts for the people's slow speaking

style and firm personality. The people from other areas tend to make fun of the general slowness of the people of

Chungcheong-do. Chungcheong-do dishes are not regionally distinctive, but they are clean, simple, and delicious.

Cheonggukjang (fast fermented soybean paste stew), dotorimuk (acorn jello), and hodugwaja (small walnut-

flavored cake) of Cheonan are the representative dishes of this area. Seafood such as shrimp, oyster, and crab are also

seasonally provided from the Yellow Sea.

Jeolla-do

Jeolla-do has abundant crops and seafood compared to the other regions. Famous for their

luxuriousness, these dishes provide so much food that, as the phrase goes, the dining tables may

collapse. Through the use of various seasonings and salted fish, the foods earn their reputation as

the best in Paldogangsan with their deep and clean taste. They include Jeonju's bibimbab (rice

mixed with vegetables), kongnamul-gukbab (rice served in bean sprouts soup), Namdo-style

kimchi with generous amounts of salted fish, Sunchang's gochujang, Naju's gomtang (beef

bone soup), Heukssndo's hongeo (ray), Mokpo's sebalnakji (three legged small octopus),

Beolgyo's ggomak (cockle), and Yeonggwang's gulbi (dried yellow corvina). There are so

many great dishes that it is difficult to even name them all.

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Gyeonggi-do

Gyeongsang-do

Jeolla-do

Chungcheong-do

Gangwon-do

Hwanghae-do Pyeongan-do

Hamgyeong-do

Gangwon-do

In Gangwon-do, where people eat many potatoes and farm various

grains due to the land's high and rough mountain ranges. Some people

still call the people of Gangwon-do, Gamja-bawi (potato rock) as

a joke. There are many simple foods made with potatoes, corn, and

buckwheat in this area. Ongsimi (potato ball), makuksu (buckwheat

noodles) are also famous. On the other hand, Hoengseong is famous for

hanu (Korean beef), while pollack and cuttlefish are the representative

foods of the east sea.

Gyeongsang-do

Gyeongsang-do people are famous for being hot-tempered and hasty.

Their foods are also known for being salty and spicy. The regional

situation between the East Sea and the South Sea has also made their

seafoods popular. Busan's Jagalchi market is reputed for having the

most fresh fish. Seaweed, anchovy, and wary crab are famous here, and

agujjim (steamed monkfish), dwaejigukbab (rice served in pork

soup), and yukgaejang (hot spicy meat stew) are the Gyeongsang

people's favorite dishes.

Hwanghae-do, Pyeongan-do, Hamgyeong-do

Our wish is reunification~~! It has been 60 years since the Korean

peninsula has been divided into two after the Korean War. There are

still many people waiting for South Korea and North Korea to reunite.

Although the nation is divided, North Korean foods are gaining fame in

the South. Doubtlessly, the most famous of all North Korean foods is

naengmyeon (cold noodles). Pyeongyang-naengmyeon, a dish with

buckwheat noodles in cold soup, and Hamheung-naengmyeon, a dish

with starch noodles mixed with chili seasoning are popular favorites.

Wang-mandu (king sized dumpling), sundae (stuffed derma), and

jokbal (seasoned pork hocks) are also famous North Korean foods.

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Interesting Food Stories

Holiday Food

Seollal (New Year's Day)

January 1st in the lunar calendar is usually between the end of January and February in the solar calendar. It is the biggest holiday along with Chuseok (Korean

Thanksgiving Day) in Korea. In Seollal, Koreans dress in new clothes and hold a memorial service as a new year's greetings to their ancestors. In addition, they

visit their elders with their neighbors or family, greeting each other with deep bows in a tradition known as sebae.

Koreans eat ddeokguk (Refer to page 136) to celebrate the new year. They eat white rice cake served in beef broth, saying that this makes people gain a year

to their age. Kids often eat two dishes of ddeokguk and charmingly shout that they gained two years of age.

Jeongwol Daeboreum (15th day of January)

January is referred to as Jeongwol, and a full moon appears on the 14th of January. Koreans call this day

Jeongwol Daeboreum.

On this day, people traditionally bite into nuts like chestnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, or

peanuts, saying bureom. This tradition is according to an old saying which

goes, Do bureom, and your teeth will remain healthy and strong. On this day,

Koreans also eat ogokbab as well. This word means bab with 5 grains,

but it is not always exactly 5 gains. Depending on what you like, you may

add glutinous rice, sorghum, red bean, millet, jujube, bean, ginkgo nut,

and/or chestnut with seasoned dried vegetables.

Sambok (Hottest Period of Summer From Mid-July to Mid-August)

Of all the hot, damp days in a year, the hottest parts of the seasons are called

chobok, jungbok, and malbok. The three days when people eat dogs are called

sambok. During these days of Iyeolchiyeol, people eat hot foods to replenish

their bodies while they are saying Iyeolchiyeol (meaning that they should fight fire with

fire). The most famous dish is gaejangkuk: it is cooked dog meat with spicy red chili paste

and red chili powder. People that do not eat that eat yukgaejang cook with beef instead. As the number

of dog-eaters is decreasing, more and more people eat samgyetang (Refer to page 112) instead of gaejangguk.

Hangawi (Korean Thanksgiving Day)

On August 15th in the lunar calendar, Koreans celebrate Chuseok, also known as Hangawi. It is one of the biggest national celebrations along with Seollal.

People celebrate this time with the crops and vegetables they harvested that year. Of all the foods prepared in Chuseok, songpyeon (Refer to page 142) is the one

dish that you should not miss. Made with white or green dough, songpyeon is baked with fillings mixed from chestnut, sesame, beans, and other grains. Other

than songpyeon, pancakes and vegetables are eaten during the memorial service.

Dongji (Winter Solstice)

Dongji is the day with the shortest daytime and longest nighttime in the year. This day is around December 22nd in the lunar calendar. One thing that comes to

Koreans' minds about Dongji is patjuk (red bean porridge). It is cooked by following these steps. Soak red beans and mix them with rice to make a porridge.

Afterwards, make round balls of saealsim with sticky rice and add the porridge. The patjuk is now complete!

Samgyetang (Refer to page 112)(112 )

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Interesting Food Stories

Food and Adages

Sijangi Banchan Ida (Hunger is the Best Side Dish)Korean people say this often when they feel hungry. This means that even when there are no side dishes, any

food seems tasty when people are starving.

Dak Jabameokgo Oribal Naeminda (Eat Chicken, and Show a Duck Foot)If you secretly ate someone else's chicken, you tell him that you ate a duck, not a chicken. This is when you show

a webbed duck foot to escape from trouble. This proverb is also known by its shortened form, oribal naeminda.

Nuweoseo Ddeok Meokki (Eating Rice Cake While Lying Down)Nuweoseo ddeok meokki is a proverb that has a similar meaning to a piece of cake. This means that you can

easily grab and eat food, even without setting up a table. In reality, eating rice-cake with your back on the floor

can make you choke, proving that it is not an easy task.

Ddukbaegi Boda Jangmat (Sauce Tastes Better than the Shape of the Bowl)Ddukbaegi, also known as Dduksuri or Tugari according to different regions, is a thick bowl made from clay.

Although it is thick and ugly, the bowl is the best tool for cooking soup or stew. Thus, this proverb states that

appearance does not matter. An ugly person is a good person if he has a kind heart.

Ddeok Jul Sarameun Saenggakdo Haji Anneunde Kimchiggukbuteo Mashinda (Don't Count Your Chickens before They are Hatched)

The proverb refers to a person having false expectations. Why does it have to be kimchigguk? This is because

people usually eat rice cakes with the soup of watery kimchi made of sliced radishes or watery plain kimchi.

Kimchiggukmul allows the stiff rice cake to easily slip through the throat.

Maparame Genun Gamchudeut (Crabs Hide Their Eyes from the Wind)Maparam is an old word used to describe the wind blowing from the south. Crabs are easily frightened, and they

quickly hide their eyes under their shells at signs of even weak wind. These days, people say that eating food

very fast is like crabs hiding their eyes from the wind.

Meokdaga Gulmeo Juknunda (Starve while Eating)People say this proverb as a joke when they try to eat something that takes a long time to peel or dig in for a

while but does not offer much to eat. This is usually said when eating foods such as blue crab.

Geumgangsando Sikhugeong Ida (A hungry Man is an Angry Man) When Koreans are asked, Which mountain is the most beautiful one in Korea?, anyone would answer

Geumgangsan in North Korea. This proverb states that even the most beautiful mountain is out of one's concern

once he is hungry. In other words, eating is the most important thing on someone's mind when he is hungry.

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Interesting Food Stories

Jesa Food Food for Memorial Service

Koreans hold a memorial service to show their respect and gratitude to their ancestors.

On ceremonial days such as Seol and Chuseok, they hold a memorial service in the

morning, as well as memorial services at night on the day on which that ancestor died.

Food placed on the table of memorial service is called Jesu. Jesu includes rice, rice-

cake, clear boiled beef radish soup, various pancakes, vegetables, and dried fish, each

with names like Me (rice), Gaeng (soup), Pyeon (rice cake), Tang (soup), and

Jeok (pancakes). In this ritual, red pepper powder, ginger, and peach are not used.

This is because there is an old saying that ginger and red pepper powder keep ghosts

away. Fishes without scales are not also used in these dishes. In addition, each family

has distinctive rules for their families.

Preparing food on the ritual-table is called Jinseol, and there are different rules

based on the families or regions where the ritual is held. There are certain rules,

however, that everyone follows. Listed below in Chinese characters, they are useful,

but difficult to understand.

Hong Dong Baek Seo Place red food in the east while putting white one in the west.

Eo Dong Yuk Seo Place fish in the east while putting meat in the west.

Jwa Po U Hye Place dried fish to the left while putting sweet rice drink to the right.

Du Dong Mi Seo Place the fish with the head toward the east, and the tail toward the west.

Jo Yul I Si Place the fruits in the order of jujube, chestnut, pear, dried persimmon from the west.

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Interesting Food Stories

Appropriate Food for Special Days

On dusty days or after staying in the dusty air, eat samgyeobsal (pork belly).

On dusty spring days, after a big cleanup and after breathing in air filled with dust, people eat pork belly. People say that eating pig fat cleans up the fine dust

inside people's bodies. Long ago, mine workers in mines used to favor pork belly. In fact, every Korean enjoys samgyeopsal no matter what the occasion, but try

to grill pork belly on days with harsh yellow dust.

On days of deadly sunlight, eat naengmyeon (cold noodle) or kongguksu (cold bean-soup noodle).

Cold naengmyeon is favored on days that are so sunny that it's difficult to breathe. Especially in the middle of a hot summer day, Pyeongyang-style watery cold

noodle in cold soup is an especially desirable food. It is a dish that any Korean loves. Kongguksu is a cousin of naengmyeon. Instead of broth, kongguksu is

eaten with white, fragrant bean soup. The aromatic taste blows away the summer's heat.

On days of rain, eat pajeon (green onion pancake) and makgeolli (raw rice wine).

On rainy and cold days, pajeon (Refer to page 116) is the food for you. When staring down at the pajeon grilling on the fry-pan, thoughts of makgeolli come

rushing into Koreans' heads. Bindaeddeok, made by mixing ground starch and pig fat, kimchi-jeon (Refer to page 114), with sliced kimchi, and buchu-jeon,

made with fresh, fragrant chives, are great alternatives for pajeon.

Have gimbab (rice roll with seaweed) for children's picnic lunch-box.

When adults are asked about their memories as children, the one commonality between most

of them is their joy during picnic days and gimbab (Refer to page 134) that they ate then. Even

today, when there are thousands of foods to choose, gimbab is a favorite for picnics. Gimbab is

made by laying a wide dried-laver, putting various ingredients over it, and then rolling the laver.

Don't forget it on your child's picnic day.

Have a cake and miyeokguk (seaweed soup) on birthdays.

Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~. There is a food that comes into mind when you

hear this song: in Korea, it's called Saengil cake. Put a number of candles to match the age, sing

the birthday song amidst clapping, and blow out the candles after taking a deep breath. If birthday

cakes are common in all countries, Korea's special birthday food is miyeokguk(Refer to page 88).

Miyeokguk, a food usually eaten after a mother gave birth to a child, is also eaten on birthdays.

Birthdays are also known as gwi bbajin nal (the day on which ears get out).

The most tasty Haejangguk (hangover soup)?

What would be the best food after a day of heavy drinking? Haejangguk is a dish that can help an exhausted liver recover and take care of a burning stomach.

Haejangguk should not be too strong in taste but still have clear flavor. Although people have their own tastes, the most favored foods for hangovers are

kongnamulguk (bean spouts soup), bukeoguk (dried pollack soup), seonjiguk (ox blood soup), and siregiguk (dried radish greens soup), among others.

Other dishes such as jaecheopguk (corbicula soup), kimchitguk (kimchi soup) and dongtaetang (frozen pollack soup) are famous, too.

Gimbab (Refer to page 134)(134 )

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Interesting Food Stories

Preparing the Season Food

Korea has clear distinctions for the four seasons. All creation buds in spring, the entire world grows green in summer, and fruits are borne in fall.

Then, natures sleeps in preparation for the next year in winter. Although people can eat food whenever they want because of imported food and

development of food storage, seasonal foods are cheap and most delicious in the right season. It is also fun to wait for your favorite season and its

foods as well. Shall we look for seasonal delicacies?

Summer

In the hot summer, it is easy to lose your temper

or for foods to lose their flavor. Luckily, there

are enough sweet fruits and vegetables that

will help you overcome the heat of the summer.

Vegetables

gaji (eggplant)

putgochu (greed chili)

aehobak (young cucumber)

yeolmu (young radish)

oi (cucumber)

danhobak (sweet pumpkin)

Fruits

tomato, chamoe (yellow melon)

subak (water melon), podo (grape)

boksunga (peach)

jadu (plum), melon

Seafood

ggotge (blue crab), mineo (croaker)

nongeo (bass)

jangeo (eel)

galchi (cutlassfish)

Special Dishes in Summer

kongguksu (bean soup noodle)

naengmyeon (cold noodle)

samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng)

jangeogui (broiled eel)

Autumn

This is the season in which all things bear fruits

and cheongomabi. The meaning of this word is

that humans or even animals get fat from eating

tasty foods. Freshly harvested grains from this

season also taste better.

Vegetables

haepssal (newly harvested rice)

oksusu (corn), gamja (potato)

goguma (sweet potato)

songibeoseot (pine mushroom)

pyeogobeoseot (black mushroom)

tolan (taro)

Fruits

daechu (jujube)

sagwa (apple)

gam (persimmon)

bae (pear)

Seafood

godeungeo (mackerel), ggongchi (pacific saury),

daeha (saeu (big shrimp))

cheongeo (herring), jangeo (eel)

jeoneo (gizzard shad)

Special Dishes in Autumn

haepssalbab (rice cooked from

newly harvested crop)

jeoneogui (broiled gizzard shad)

musaengchae (seasoned radish)

Spring

This is sprouting season, and the greenery

gives the fresh flavor of spring. Fresh spring

vegetables are good to eat with seasoning,

or you can boil them in soup. It is better to

eat vegetables that directly came from the

mountains or fields.

Vegetables

naengi (shepherd's purse)

dallae (wild chive), chwi namul (groundsel)

dolnamul (sedum), ssuk (wormwood)

dureup (angelica), deodeok (mountain herb)

juksun (bamboo shoot)

bomdong (spring cabbage)

Fruits

ddalgi (strawberry)

aengdu (cherry), kiwi

cheongpodo (green grape)

salgu (apricot)

Seafood

juggumi (webfoot octopus)

haesam (sea cucumber)

jogi (croaker), byeongeo (harvest fish)

domi (sea bream), hongeo (ray)

Special Dishes in Spring

bomnamul muchim (seasoned vegetable)

namulguk (vegetable soup)

dureupsukhoe (parboiled angelica)

namulmuchim (seasoned vegetable)

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Winter

This is the season of freezing and snow.

Leaves fall from the trees and animals sleep in

hibernation. In contrast, this is the best season

for seafood, eggs, and putting on weight.

Vegetables

baechu (Chinese cabbage)

mu (radish), pa (green onion)

sigeumchi (spinach)

yeongeun (lotus root)

ueung (burdock)

sanma (wild yam)

Fruits

sagwa (apple)

gam (persimmon)

gyul (orange), yuja (citron)

gotgam (dried persimmon)

Seafood

gul (oyster), domi (sea bream)

daegu (cod), myeongtae (pollack)

okdom (titl fish), ge (crab)

ggomak (cockle)

Special Dishes in Winter

gimjang kimchi (preparing kimchi for the winter)

seokhwa (oyster)

jogae (clam dishes)

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