{"id":7105,"date":"2021-05-16T06:42:01","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T11:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/?p=7105"},"modified":"2021-05-16T18:57:43","modified_gmt":"2021-05-16T23:57:43","slug":"the-analysis-of-korean-cuisine-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/korean\/the-analysis-of-korean-cuisine-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Analysis of Korean Cuisine (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you enjoy Korean food, how much do you know about Korean food? If you can think about Kimchi, Bibimbop and Bulgogi as Korean food, that is a good start.\u00a0 However, Korean food is more than these dishes. I have been noticing distinctive characteristics about my home county food as a native Korean who deeply appreciates Korean food. Today, I will share my depth of understanding of Korean cuisine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. \ubc25\uc2ec (bop-sim<\/b>: the power of eating rice)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \ud55c\uad6d\uc778\uc740 \ubc25\uc2ec\uc73c\ub85c \uc0b0\ub2e4. (Han-gook-in-eun-bop-sim-eui-roh-sahn-dah<\/b>: Koreans get energy from eating rice.) This is a copyrighted phrase I remember from an old TV commercial. I think most Koreans would agree with this phrase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Since most <\/span>\ud55c\uad6d\uc2dd\ub2e8 (han-gook-sik-dahn:<\/b> a Korean diet, menu) is comprised of rice and a main dish along with side dishes, it is not uncommon to have rice at every meal for Koreans. Although many young Koreans, nowadays, prefer a simpler way to eat meals, such as western food options. Or they try to cut back a daily portion of <\/span>\ud0c4\uc218\ud654\ubb3c (tahn-soo-hwa-mool: <\/b>carbohydrate), especially, consuming white rice. Since white rice can cause many health issues, eating <\/span>\uc7a1\uace1\ubc25 (job-gok-bop<\/b>: multi-grain rice) is prevalently favored in Korea. Whether it is white rice or multi-grain rice, we believe that rice is our main source of energy for the day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    There is a funny anecdote that many Koreans would experience themselves or hear from someone who travels abroad: a Korean, who could travel and have access to gourmet food from all over the world, would eventually look for <\/span>\ud770\uc300\ubc25 (hin-ssal-bop<\/b>: white rice) and <\/span>\uc9d1\ubc25\ucc2c (jip-bahn-chan<\/b>: homemade side dishes).\u00a0 It may not be true to some, but there\u2019s more than a little truth to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Since I left Korea a long time ago, not being able to have a Korean meal daily didn\u2019t bother me much. However, I see that I periodically crave Korean food, especially <\/span>\uc9d1\ubc25 (jib-bop:<\/b> homemade Korean meal, usually served with rice and side dishes) as I am getting older.\u00a0 I now understand why older people used to say \ubc25\uc744 \uba39\uc5b4\uc57c \uc18d\uc774 \ub4e0\ub4e0\ud558\ub2e4. (bop-eul-muk-uh-yah-sok-ee-dun-dun-hah-dah: you would have a satisfying belly-full once you have a meal with rice.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Photo taken and used with permission from the author, FlyHigh Oyster<\/p><\/div>\n

    2. The Joy of Daily Choice<\/span><\/p>\n

    Koreans enjoy a variety of food as side dishes. In traditional <\/span>\ud55c\uc2dd (han-sik:<\/b> Korean diet, Korean food), there are several types of <\/span>\ubc25\uc0c1 (bop-sang: a <\/b>dining table), It is categorized by numbers of <\/span>\ubc18\ucc2c (bahn-chan: <\/b>side dishes). Traditionally, \ud55c\uc2dd is categorized by the number of \ubc18\ucc2c. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \ubc25 (bop<\/b>: rice), <\/span>\uad6d (gook<\/b>: soup) , <\/span>\uae40\uce58 (Kimchi)<\/b>, <\/span>\uc7a5 (Jang:<\/b> traditional Korean condiments such as red chili paste or soy sauce. there are more than 200 kinds of \uc7a5 in Korean cuisine.) are the basic items on every \ubc25\uc0c1. When there are three kinds of \ubc18\ucc2c on the table, it is called <\/span>3\ucca9\ubc18\uc0c1 (sahm-chup-bahn-sang)<\/b>. The number of \ubc18\ucc2c can go up to 12 and it is called <\/span>12\ucca9\ubc18\uc0c1 (sib-ee-chup-bahn-sang), <\/b>which used to be served to kings. All \ubc18\ucc2c are supposed to be different food ingredients with different <\/span>\uc870\ub9ac\ubc95 (joh-ri-bup<\/b>: cooking style).\u00a0 It shall be hard to prepare \ud55c\uc2dd, but someone\u2019s stomach will be happy for sure. When you have many choices to enjoy a variety of \ubc18\ucc2c, <\/span>\uc778\uc0dd\uc740 \uc990\uac70\uc6cc (in-sang-eun-jul-guh-wo<\/b>: life is good).<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Photo taken and used with permission from the author, FlyHigh Oyster<\/p><\/div>\n

     <\/p>\n

    3. Sweet, Salty and Spicy<\/span><\/p>\n

    Do you perhaps think spiciness is the only character in Korean cuisine? Korean food can be spicy, but you can enjoy all kinds of flavors in Korean cuisine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The main spices in Korean cuisine are<\/span> \uac04\uc7a5 (gahn-jang<\/b>: soy sauce), which produces salty flavor,\u00a0 <\/span>\uace0\ucd94\uc7a5 (goh-chu-jang<\/b>: fermented red chili paste) which produces <\/span>\uac78\uc8fd\ud55c \ub9e4\uc6b4\ub9db (gul-jook-hahn-mae-woon-maht: <\/b>heavy volume of spiciness),<\/span> \ub41c\uc7a5 (deon-jang:<\/b> fermented soybean paste) which produces <\/span>\uac10\uce60\ub9db (gahm-chil-maht:<\/b> savory flavor), <\/span>\uace0\ucd94\uac00\ub8e8 (goh-choo-gah-roo<\/b>: red pepper powder) which produces <\/span>\uce7c\uce7c\ud55c \ub9e4\uc6b4\ub9db (kahl-kahl-han-mae-woon-maht<\/b>: refreshing spiciness). When these spices mix, they create all kinds of flavors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Unfortunately, <\/span>\uc704\uc554 (we-ahm:<\/b> stomach cancer) is the most prevalent cancer in Korea. A lot of doctors point out that consuming spicy and salty Korean food frequently could be the main culprits of stomach cancer. Anything beyond moderation always harms us. Eating less salty and spicy food has been a health principle among many Koreans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Photo taken and used with permission from the author, FlyHigh Oyster<\/p><\/div>\n

    What do you think about my thoughts about Korean cuisine? Was there anything that surprised you? Do you think the same or do you disagree? I have more things to talk about Korean cuisine in the next post. Stay tuned!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

    If you enjoy Korean food, how much do you know about Korean food? If you can think about Kimchi, Bibimbop and Bulgogi as Korean food, that is a good start.\u00a0 However, Korean food is more than these dishes. I have been noticing distinctive characteristics about my home county food as a native Korean who deeply…<\/p>\n

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