Global Gourmet/Korea

Appetizers

In Korea, appetizers are served in a large sectioned dish called ("kujulpan") which contains different strips of cooked meat and vegetables with a stack of Korean pancakes in the center. This is one of the most common hors d' oeuvres served in Korea.

Main Course

For centuries,Koreans have consumed the the products of the sea,the fields, and the mountains because of the features of Korean peninsula and since Korea has one of the most distinguished climates in the world, the food there seems to be more special and exotic. The most distinctive feature of Korean food is how spicy it is. Some of the most basic seasonings-red pepper,green onion,soy sauce,bean paste, garlic, ginger, sesame, mustard, vinegar,wine have been combined in various ways to enhance Korean foods. A full course Korean meal "is called a "Hanjoungshik". It is made of of grilled fish, steamed short ribs, and other meat and vegetables, there are also side dishes composed of steamed rice,salad,soup,and"kimchi". At traditional restaurants, a charcoal grill is placed in the middle of the table to cook the meat that will be served. It is surrounded by various banchan and individual rice bowls and the cooked meat is then mixed with rice, garlic and seasonings before it is wrapped with fresh lettuce leaves. A Korean diet consists of, a lot of grains and vegetables which add fiber and protein from both vegetables (bean curd, beansprouts,bean paste, ,soy sauce) and meats. Korean food is made to be healthy for whatever lifestyle the diner may have, by having moderate calories and low fat and by being well-balanced. The Korean diet is changing and the Korean food industry is developing as fast as the speed of train. Even though the Western style and fast food diet are more and more famous in Korea in terms of curiosity and convenience, the basic diet remains.

Deserts

Many Korean deserts are made to be healthy for your body by having low amounts of fat and by containing lots of vitamin C, but in more modern times snacks now consist of cookies, chips, pies, or bakery desserts. Traditional Korean crackers and chips are still sometimes used as dietary supplements due to their higher nutritional values and low fattening ingredients. Like take for instance Tteok which is a traditional Korean cake made from rice powder. Koreans prepare it for festive occasions such as birthdays and weddings as well as for ancestral memorial services and house warming occasions. They also have it on seasonal occasions such as seollal which is their Lunar New year's Day and chuseok which is their Korean Thanksgiving Day. Whenever Koreans move into a new residence they make it practice to make Tteok and distribute a plateful to their new neighbors. Tteok is a natural and healthy snack that everyone can enjoy.

Beverages

More traditional cold beverages are also made to be healthy. Traditional cold beverages are called hwachae and they are usually made with fruits or a type of grain, and water sweetened by either sugar or honey, or flavored and colored by omija which is a type of fruit. Sometimes hwachae is made from Oriental medicinal foods such as azalea or pine pollen. But as the times get more modern Koreans turn to sodas and other juices that are common to the West.

Gimbap

A popular snack or lunch dish that is eaten often in Korea. Gimbap is made from rice (bap) and laver (kim- sheets of dried seaweed), and various other ingredients such as ginger, squid,tuna,ect. The rice is lightly coated with and salt,sugar, vinegar to give it some extra taste. Other popular ingredients inclu1de bulgogi, spinach, carrots, pickled daikon radish, and egg roll which are mixed with the rice and rolled in laver and then brushed with sesame oil or sprinkled with sesame seeds on the outside of its surface. After that, Gimbap is sliced into smaller equel pieced and it is usually served with some kimchi or pickled daikon radish.

Bindaetteok

A pancake made of ground mung beans, with green onions, kimchi, or peppers cooked in a frying pan. Bindaetteok was eaten with honey for seasoning, and meat for extra flavor. According to some records in about 1670 and 1809, rich people ate meat and poor people ate the Bindaetteok. Later the pancake came to be known as Bindaetteok meaning poor person’s cake.

Kimchi

This traditional Korean dish was also known as gimchi or kimchee. Kimchi is made of fermented chile peppers and vegetables, and was often based on cabbage. The Korean word kimchi oriigianated from the meaning "steeped (or submerged) in vegetable". This popular side dish is often served with fried rice.

Hoe

A traditional Korean dish made of of thinly sliced raw fish, and other raw seafood. The fish is often dipped in a spicy gochujang-based sauce called chogochujang and then wrapped in lettuce and sesame leaves until packed tight. When the meal is done, the cook usually makes a jjigae (spicy stew) from the fish head and the leftover meat, together with various vegetables.

Seolleongtang

a traditonal Korean soup made from ox or beef bones and meat, salt, and other flavorings. It is typically maded over a period of several hours to an entire day, so you could let the flavor to be gradually to come out from the bones making it taste better. This soup is normally eaten with rice and the rice may be put directly onto the soup giving it a milky-white, cloudy appearance.