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KOREAN FOOD & KOREA CUISINE GUIDE

Types of Korean Food

A diverse array of foods and dishes can be found throughout Korea.
Korea was once primarily an agricultural nation, and Koreans have cultivated rice as their staple food since ancient times. These days Korean cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of meat and fish dishes along with wild greens and vegetables. Various fermented and preserved food, such as kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), jeotgal (seafood fermented in salt) and doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) are notable for their specific flavor and high nutritional value.

The prominent feature of a Korean table setting is that all dishes are served at the same time. Traditionally, the number of side dishes varied from 3 for the lower classes to 12 for royal families. Table arrangements can vary depending on whether a noodle dish or meat is served. Formal rules have developed for table setting, demonstrating the attention people pay to food and dining. Compared to neighboring China and Japan, a spoon is used more often in Korea, especially when soups are served.

Kinds of Traditional Korean Food

1. Bap (steamed rice) and Juk (porridge)
Boiled rice is the staple of Korean cuisine. Most people use sticky rice, which sometimes has beans, chestnuts, sorghum, red beans, barley or other cereals added for flavor and nutrition. Juk is thought of as highly nutritious and light. Many varieties of juk exist, for example, juk made of rice, red beans, pumpkin, abalone, ginseng, pine nuts, vegetables, chicken, mushrooms and bean sprouts.

2. Guk (soup)
Soup is an essential dish when rice is served. Ingredients of different soups include vegetables, meat, fish, shellfish, seaweed, and beef bones.

3. Jjigae (stew)
Jjigae is similar to guk but is thicker and hardier. The most famous jjigae is made from fermented soy bean paste. Jjigae is usually spicy and served piping hot in a heated stone bowl.

4. Jjim and Jorim (simmered meat or fish)
Jjim and jorim are similar dishes which are prepared with vegetables and soaked in soy bean sauce, then slowly boiled together over a low flame.

5. Namul (vegetables or wild greens)
Namul is made from slightly boiled or fried vegetables and wild greens mixed with salt, soy sauce, sesame salt, sesame oil, garlic, onions, and other spices.

6. Jeotgal (seafood fermented in salt)
Jeotgal is a very salty food made of naturally fermented fish, shellfish, shrimp, oysters, fish roe, intestines and other ingredients.

7. Gui (broiled/barbecued dishes)
When cooking gui, marinated meats are barbecued over a charcoal fire. The most popular meats of this type are bulgogi and galbi. There are also many fish dishes which are cooked this way.

8. Jeon (pan-fried dishes)
Jeon is a kind of pancake made from mushrooms, pumpkin, slices of dried fish, oysters, unripe red peppers, meat or other ingredients which are mixed with salt and black pepper, dipped in flour and egg and fried in oil.

9. Mandu (dumpling)
Mandu is dumplings stuffed with beef, mushrooms, stir-fried zucchini, and mungbean sprouts. Pork, chicken, or fish is sometimes used instead of beef.

What to Eat (Don't miis it) :

Kimchi
Ingredients: Cabbage (or radish, cucumber, etc), julienne radish, minced garlic, diced green onion, salted fish, salt

Taste:
Description: Cabbages and other vegetables are soaked in salt water, then seasoned with different spices before being fermented. There are many different types of kimchi, such as cabbage kimchi (the most common), cucumber kimchi, radish kimchi, cubed radish kimchi, green onion kimchi, and more. It is a health food filled with vitamins, minerals, and more.

Bibimbap (Boiled rice mixed with vegetables)
Ingredients: Rice, fernbrake, roots of balloon flower, bean sprout, beef, red pepper paste, sesame oil

Taste:
Description: A dish made by mixing rice with various other cooked vegetables. Great for experiencing with different vegetables, pleasing to the eye, and full of nutrients. Jeonju's variation of the bibimbap is most famous.

Bulgogi (Marinated, barbecued beef)
Ingredients: Beef (or pork), pear juice or sugar, soy sauce, minced garlic, diced green onion, sesame oil

Taste:
Description: Beef or Pork is sliced thinly then marinated in seasoning before being grilled.

Grilled Galbi (Seasoned ribs)
Ingredients: Beef rib (or pork rib), sugar, soy sauce, diced green onion, minced garlic, sesame oil

Taste:
Description: Ribs of beef or pork are sliced into easy to eat portions, then marinated in seasonings before being grilled. Suwon galbi is popular.

Samgyetang (Chicken soup)
Ingredients: Young chicken, sweet rice, ginseng, garlic, chestnut, jujube

Taste:
Description: A young chicken is cleaned out the stuffed with various ingredients before being boiled to draw out a delicious broth.

Naengmyeon (Buckwheat noodles in a cold broth))
Ingredients: Noodles made of buckwheat or starch, beef broth, thin slices of beef, julienne cucumber, julienne pear, boiled egg

Taste:
Description: Noodles served in cold beef broth- the soup is refreshing. There is also the 'bibim naengmyeon', which doesn't have soup but is mixed with red pepper paste instead.

Haemultang (Seafood stew)
Ingredients: Crab, clam, shrimp, fish, radish, red pepper paste, red pepper powder, green onion, garlic

Taste:
Description: Various seafood is boiled before adding red pepper paste and red pepper power. The broth is both refreshing and very spicy.

Kimchi jjigae (Kimchi stew)
Ingredients: Kimchi, pork, sesame oil, green onion, garlic

Taste:
Description: First the pork is browned in the bottom of the pot before water and kimchi is added. If sour kimchi is used, it makes a better tasting stew.

Dakgalbi (Chicken ribs)
Ingredients: Chicken, red pepper paste, pear juice, molasses, sugar, minced garlic, diced green onion

Taste:
Description: Chicken is seasoned with various spices, then grilled before eating. Chuncheon chicken ribs are famous.

Seolleongtang (Beef bone soup)
Ingredients: Rice, beef, beef broth, diced green onion, minced garlic, red pepper power, pepper, salt

Taste:
Description: Beef is added to beef broth and stewed for a long time before being served with rice and various seasonings. The deep taste of the broth, boiled for over 10 hours, is delicious.

Galbitang (Beef rib soup)
Ingredients: Beef rib (or pork rib), radish, diced green onion, minced garlic, pepper, sesame oil, sesame seed

Taste:
Description: Ribs are boiled with radishes to create a savory soup. Eaten together with rice, the broth is a delight.

Juk (Porridge)
Ingredients: Various grains

Taste:
Description: Water (6 or 7 times the amount of grain) is poured over grain and boiled for a long time. There are many variations of 'juk' such as pine nut juk, sesame juk, jujube juk, red bean juk, beef juk, pumpkin juk, abalone juk, and more.

Art of eating Korean Food

Table Manner

- When having a meal with the elderly, wait for the elders to hold their spoon first.

- Do not hold the spoon and chopsticks together in one hand. When using chopsticks, the spoon is rested on the table. Spoon and chopsticks are not rested on any bowl or dish. Do not hold the rice bowl or soup bowl in the hand.

- At first, taste soup or kimchi juice, and then try rice or other dishes. Use spoon for rice and foods with liquid such as kimchi, stew, or soup; use chopsticks for other foods.

- Do not make noises while eating and using spoon or chopsticks.

- Do not rummage rice or side dishes with spoon, and do not pick out what you don't like or shake off seasonings.

- Do not leave any trace of foods on spoon while eating. Pour sungnyung (boiled water in the rice cooker or scorched-rice tea) into the rice bowl, and drink it at the end.

- Use individual plate for foods served for a crowd, and also for sauces such as soy & vinegar sauce or sweet & sour hot pepper soybean paste.

- During a meal, uneatable parts such as bones or fish bones are quietly discarded by wrapping them in a paper. Do not put them on the table or floor.

- When coughing or sneezing during a meal, cover the mouth with hand or napkin.

- Try to keep pace with others by eating not too fast or too slow. When having a meal with the elderly, wait for them to put the spoon and chopsticks on the table at the end of the meal.

- After a meal, put spoon and chopsticks on the spot where they were placed first and put used napkins on the table as it is.

- When using a toothpick, cover mouth with hand.

When Serving Korean Foods To Foreigner

Table setting for foreigners is not much different from that for Koreans.
First, decide the type of the table.
Traditional meal table is either square or round.
Depending on the number of people eating, it is divided into a table for one, a table for two, a table for three, a table for four, and dureban or gyojasang (big table) for more than four people.

Food will be served according to the traditional Korean way. However, for foreigners are more accustomed to sitting on chairs than on the floor, serving food on a tall table with chairs will make them feel more comfortable, especially when there are more than four people.

Table cloths, table mats, spoon holders, spoons, forks, knives, napkins, water glasses, liquor glasses, and other utensils such as scissors for cutting foods or dish cloths for wiping tables should be always kept clean. Cleanliness is as important as the taste of the food.

Tablecloths and Tablemats

Traditional Korean table does not need a tablecloth or table-mats. These days, However, tablecloths and table-mats are widely used under the influence of western table-setting. Using tablecloths and table-mats for individual guests are recommended, especially to restaurants, for sanitary and other reasons.

White is the best and most widely used color for tablecloth. In some cases, a colored square cloth is placed on the white tablecloth to enliven the atmosphere and to prevent the cloth from being soiled easily. Tablecloth is usually hung about 30 cm below the table so that it does not touch the knees. It should be shorter when sitting on a cushion on the floor.

If a tablecloth is not used to cover the whole table, it is recommended to use table-mats or at least paper-mats for individual guests. Then, without spoon and chopstick holders, the table looks cleaner and more orderly.

In general, the size of a table-mat should be big enough to hold an individual plate, spoon and chopsticks, knives, and a water glass. Usually, the size of a table-mat is 30x45 cm, with rectangular or oval shape. Some restaurants use table-mats on which their name, menu, or patterns are printed. Plain white paper-mat is also used.

Spoon and Chopstick Holders

Spoon and chopstick holders are made from a variety of materials such as porcelain, wood, or silver. Regardless of the material, inexpensive ones with simple shape will do their function. Spoon and chopstick holders add to the elegance of the table when they are properly set on the tablecloth.

Spoon, Chopstick , and Forks

People from China, Japan, or countries in Southeast Asia are accustomed to using chopsticks. When serving them, spoon and chopsticks are placed as they are for Koreans. For those who do not use chopsticks, it is better to place the knife and fork along with the spoon. The knife is placed on the left side of the spoon. Put the fork on the left side of a plate, so that it can be appropriately used by the left hand.

Napkins

There is a wide variety in the kind and size of napkins. Ones made of the same cloth as the tablecloth, with a diagonal size of 50-60cm, will be the best choice. However, for reasons of convenience, most restaurants use paper napkins. The size of paper napkins should be at least 30cm diagonally. Smaller ones are for tea tables or refreshment tables.

Water Glasses and Liquor Glasses

For water glasses, ones made of porcelain are recommended. In general, cold drinking water is served before the food. When the guests are from China or Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, hot water is served along with cold one for they drink hot water all the year round.

When serving alcoholic beverages, glassware or crystal glassware are placed. When serving rice wine or Korean traditional folk liquor to foreigners, porcelain-ware are prepared.

Food-cutting Scissors and Dish Cloths

Dishcloths for wiping off tables should be white, clean, and neatly trimmed around the edges. If a dishcloth is not clean, appetite will be spoiled no matter how good the food is.

To see sharp-pointed scissors cutting noodles or meats can also scare off the appetite. Among the things foreigners have cited as bad experiences in Korean restaurants are the shape of scissors and the sanitation problems. These need to be corrected. It would be better to use scissors made of stainless steel with blunted tips.