South Korean cuisine is quite spicy and famous for its variety: vegetables, seafood and soups are usually present on the table.
National cuisine of South Korea
The basis of Korean cuisine is rice, prepared in all sorts of ways: for example, one can distinguish compressed rice porridge (“dad”) and rice chops (“chhaltok”). Separately, it is worth talking about Korean soups - in South Korea, “maeuthan” (a dish in the form of a spicy fish soup), “sundubu chige” (a dish in the form of soy soup made from shellfish and egg yolk), “twenjan chige” (thick soup made from fermented soybean paste). If you are interested in desserts, then here you will be offered to feast on candied or fruit boiled in syrup, as well as “khodukwacja” cookies.
Popular Korean dishes:
- Bulgogi (beef fried over an open fire);
- "Kimpap" (a sandwich made from rice, omelet and vegetables);
- “Khemul chongol” (saltwort with seafood);
- “Oktomkui” (fried sea carp);
- "Kalbi" (a dish in the form of fried pork or beef ribs);
- Takkalbi (stew of chicken, seaweed, rice and potatoes).
Where to try Korean food?
When placing an order in Korean restaurants, you need to prepare for the fact that you will be served rice or noodles, soup (often made from pickled beef, so the dish will have a spicy taste) and salad. Seeing a plate with a red dish in front of you, you should be on your guard - overly spicy food, flavored with red pepper, can be dangerous for the European stomach. If you decide to try dog meat dishes, you will be able to find them exclusively in expensive restaurants (certain breeds of dogs are used for cooking, specially bred for slaughter).
You can satisfy your hunger in Seoul in “Myeongdong Kyoja” (invites guests to taste popular Korean dishes, as well as order a set lunch or dishes from the chef) or “Si-Wha-Dam” (here visitors are treated with rice cakes with bulgogi, kimchi, noodles with broth).
Cooking classes in South Korea
In Seoul, you will be offered to attend a culinary master class (a group is formed of 3-7 people, the lesson lasts 2-3 hours and is conducted in Korean, English or Russian) on the preparation of a national dish - kimchi. After the dish is cooked with your own hands under the guidance of the chef, you will be offered to taste it, as well as dress up in the Korean national Hanbok outfit, and capture yourself in it in a photo.
A trip to South Korea can be timed to coincide with the Goisan Red Pepper Festival (August), the program of which includes the picking of the pepper harvest, competitions among gardeners and cooks, and a bare-handed fishing competition; Fish Festival (Busan, April); Korean Ginseng Festival (Seoul, November); Trout Festival (Pyeongchang, December-January); Crab Festival (Uljin, February-March).
