Introduction to Korean Food

Visitors to Korea will discover a wide array of unique and delicious Korean food.
Korea was once a primarily agricultural nation, and since ancient times rice has been cultivated as Koreans' staple food. These days Korean food also contains a large variety of meat and fish dishes along with wild greens and vegetables. Various preserved Korean food, such as kimchi (fermented spicy cabbage), jeotgal (seafood fermented in salt) and doenjang (fermented soy bean paste) are particularly popular due to their distinctive flavor and high nutritional value.

In Korean food all the dishes are served at the same time. A typical meal normally includes rice, soup, and several side dishes, the number of which vary. Traditionally, lower classes had three side dishes, while royal families would have twelve.
In Korea, like in neighboring China and Japan, people eat with chopsticks. However, a spoon is used more often in Korea, especially when soups are served. Formal rules have developed for table setting, which can vary depending on whether a noodle or meat dish is served.

Food is a very important part of Korea culture, and Koreans pay great attention to the way in which food is served.

1. Bap (밥) Steamed Rice
Rice is the staple food for Koreans, it is eaten with almost every meal. In Korea, people eat short-grained rice. Korean rice is often sticky in texture, and sometimes it is combined with beans, chestnuts, or other cereals.

2. Guk (국) Soup
Korean meals traditionally consist of a soup served with rice. The soup can be made from vegetables, meat, fish, or seaweed.

3. Jjigae- Stew
Jjigae is similar to guk, but it is thicker and has a stronger taste. The most famous jjigae (doenjang-jjigae) is made from preserved soy bean paste. Jjigae is usually spicy and served hot in a heated stone bowl.

4. Jjirn- Simmered meat
Meat is prepared with vegetables and soaked in soy bean sauce. The ingredients are then slowly boiled over a low heat.

5. Namul( 남울) Vegetables
Namul consists of vegetables of wild greens which have been slightly boiled or fried and mixed with salt, soy sauce, sesame salt, garlic, and onions.

6. Gui- Broiled/Barbecued dishes
Gui is when marinated meat is barbecued over a charcoal fire. The most popular dishes are meats such as bulgogoi (불거기) and galbi (갈비) howevr there are many fish cooked this way.

7. Jeon (젼) Pan fried dishes
Jeon is a kind of Korean pancake. Mushrooms, pumpkin, fish, oysters, red peppers, meat, or other ingredients are mixed with salt and pepper, dipped in four and egg, and then fried in oil.

8. Mandu (만두) Dumpling
Mandu are Korean dumplings, which are stuffed with beef, mushrooms, stir-fried zucchini, and sprouts. Pork is sometimes used instead of beef.

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