Korean Food

In my blog I have talked a lot about food and the different things I have eaten since I got here but I thought it might be time for a list of a few of the different dishes… This is by no means a comprehensive list and in no particular order.



  Budae Jjigae

Budae Jjigae is also known as "Army Stew". It orginated during / after the Korean war in the 50's. Meat was scarce and the people were hungry, so they used to take the left over meat from the American Army bases, but it made them sick because the meat was old so they began to take the meat and boil it, adding chilli and vegetables to the mix. Now it has become a favourite dish, though obviously the meat is fresh, and they sometimes add noodles and cheese and ground beef into the mix.




  Galbi 
Galbi is a type of Korean BBQ, usually referring to Beef or Pork short ribs cooked over a BBQ grill in the centre of the table at a restaurant. The meat is marinated and while there are a few different types of marinade the most traditional is a marinade made from Korean Soy Sauce, garlic and sugar. When you go to eat this sort of meal you are also given a range of different side dishes. The side dishes vary depending on which restaurant you go to but Kimchi is a standard. The meat is brought out on a metal plate and then cooked on the grill, as the customer you take over from there, you are given tongs and a pair of scissors so that when the meat is cooked you can cut it into smaller portions that are easy to eat with chopsticks. It is also generally eaten with an onion and vinegar based salad.


  Samgyeopsal
Samgyeopsal is a similar concept to Galbi but with thick fatty slices of pork belly meat - it looks like and has a similar taste to thick slices of bacon - and it is delicious. Like Galbi it is cooked over a grill in the centre of the table and a number of side dishes are served with the meat.







  Dukbokki
Dukbokki is a dish which is usually bought from street vendors, though there are a number of shops, usually with windows facing the street where it can be purchased as well. It is a dish of sliced rice cake, sometimes with a little meat or fish cake, in a very spicy sauce made from chilli peppers. It is ridiculously cheap, costing between 2 and 3 thousand won for a large serve, which converts to around $2 US or a little less. If it is served for school lunches then the Korean teachers will warn you again and again that it is really spicy, and if you can eat it, or better yet actually enjoy it they are amazed!



  Kimchi 
Kimch is a traditional Korean dish, usually made from cabbage, though they often use other vegetables as well, mixed with varied seasonings and then left to ferment. Some o the oldest historical references to Kimchi are from approximately 3000 years ago though the name has varied slightly over time. The Kimchi Museum in Seoul has documented approximately 187 historical and current variations of Kimchi, meaning that depending on where you go to eat it will decide what the ingredients are in the Kimchi you are eating. Different types of Kimchi are made at diferent times of the year depending on which ingredients are readily available at the time. It is served as a side dish with almost every meal in Korea.



Jajangmyeon

Jajangmyeon is a dish made from thick wheat noodles with a thick, black, soybean paste sauce, also mixed with diced vegetables and meat. The dish originated in Incheon and may have been brought by the Chinese that migrated to the area in the 19th century. The dish has also been incorporated into the South Korean "Black Day" which is celebrated April 14th and is the single person's version of Valentines day - where people eat the back noodles together to bemoan their single"ness" and hope to find their soul mate over the bowl.



Ramyeon
 
Instant noodles with packet flavouring! 2-minute noodles Korean style.











Bibimbap
 
Bibimbap is a dish of rice served with various mixed ingredients like; meat, vegetables, a raw egg and chilli pepper paste. When the dish is served the ingredients are neatly arranged on top of the rice but are mixed into the rice before eating. This dish seems to be very popular with foreigners for some reason (I don't particularly like it because I think it is pretty borig compared to some of the other amazing Korean foods.) Bibimbap is first recorded in an anonymous cookbook fromt he late 19th cenutry and is now a common food served in Korean houses due to the ease of preparation and ability to use many different ingredients.



Gimbap
Gimbap appears to be the Korean equivalent to sushi, it is made from steamed rice and various other ingredients, rolled in a sheet of dried seaweed and served in bite-size sections.







Mandu
Mandu are Dumplings! There are two schools of thought as to how dumplings were brought to Korea, the first says that they were originally brough to Korea by the mongols, when they invaded in the 14th century. The second suggests that they came to Korea much earlier, by way of the silk road, from the middle east. There are many different types of Mandu in Korea, as well as different ways of cooking and serving the various types. Some are steamed or fried while others are served in a thick soup called Manduguk. However they are served...they are delicious! You can get them frozen if you would like to cook them at home or you can also get them from many of the street vendors.

  For a more complete list (and recipies) please click here.