Samgyetang(summer)

Basic Info
Samgyetang is a variety of Korean soup, which primarily consists of a whole young chicken and Korean ginseng.

                                                                                    History
Samgyetang has long been the most favored invigorating food of Korea, particularly in summer.They are called ‘three Boks,’ covering the hottest days in Korea. During these periods, people sweat heavily and lose their appetite, thus easily falling into nutrition deficiency. To overcome the sultry season, Korean ancestors had cooked and enjoyed samgyetang since the early days, and the tradition has continued to the present day.In Chinese culture, similar to Korean culture, it is believed that this soup can prevent illness. The one main difference is that in Chinese culture, ginseng is not consumed when one is sick because it is believed that the ginseng will trap the sickness within the person. In Contemporary, Korea start import Samgyetang to China and Japan. It because Samgyetang is fit on Asian’s appetite and forein people also hear that effectiveness of Samgyetang.

Purpose
samgyetang can cure common sickness and prevent physical ailments . Proteins, minerals, and hormones of the chicken mixed with the beneficial properties of Samgyetang makes it a revered culinary item in Korea. Samgytang has high nutrient content is eaten to regain the loss of stamina in the summer heat

Experience
On one summer day my dad took me to the Samgyetang restaurant. It is traditional for all Koreans to eat this food and relieve summer heat. According to my dad eating something hot was supposed to cool our body temperature. I didn't believe him. How is eating boiled chicken instead of freezing ice cream supposed to cool us off? But when I put a spoonful of Samgyetang my dad was right. With every drop of my sweat dripping on my face I felt relived.

Fusion Food

History of Fusion Foods:
Over time, unique distinguishable foods of different countries started to affect each other and Korea was not an exception. As a result, a new cuisine called "fusion" was created. The very first fusion food was founded in L.A., during the period when there was an uprising population of Asians and Europeans in America. Many American chefs were curious and they tried using various new foreign ingredients in their meals, thus creating fusion food.

Kimchi Burrito

Historical Facts:
Korea followed America's example and in the last century, Korea has been creating many fusion foods. When fusion foods were first introduced, Koreans were somewhat wary to accept changes, but over time, foreign and fusion foods gained popularity and now, they are more popular than traditional Korean foods among the new generations.

Examples:
Examples of Korean fusion foods include bulgogi burger, jajangmyun, kimchi burrito, and kimchi dumplings. Bulgogi burger is a fusion of western style burger and Korean bulgogi. Jajangmyun was invented by Koreans using Chinese sauce. Kimchi burritos and kimchi dumplings are Mexican and Chinese foods that use kimchi as their main ingredient.

Bulgogi Burger

Jajangmyun

Experience:
I think that fusion foods are a great way to approach Korean foods for foreigners, because they have some characteristics of foreign foods as well as characteristics of Korean foods. However, I also think that people should try traditional Korean foods, because it seems like traditional foods are being neglected and it it important to preserve Korean culture for the future generations.

Interview @ Insadong

Thank you to Mr. France! Interview with him was very interesting.

Sellongtang (Winter)

Basic Info

Seolleongtang is a Korean soup made from ox bones during the winter. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper. In other word seolleongtang is Ox bone soup.

                                                                                    History

In the Joseon Dynasty, Koreans regularly made nationwide sacrifices to their ancestors. The nationwide sacrifice was called Seonnongje King SeongJong had visited the sacrifice himself, and had eaten a meal with the people of Joseon. In order to increase the food supply in Joseon, King Seongjong ordered them to invent dishes that could feed the maximum number of people using the least amount of ingredients, and seonnongtang (tang meaning "soup") was one of these . Sellongtang orient from korea and all the ingredients can find easily around of Korea, many of Korean food has similar food with Japan or China but Sellongtang is only exist in Korea. These days people eat it for their health, enjoy        anytime. In contrast, people in Joseon could eat Sellongtang only Sennongje day.   

Purpose
Sellongtang has full of protein, vitamin and calcium. It prevent osteproposis. And spring onion in the sellongtang make blood clear and heated our body to eliminate waste matter from system.

Experience
 I often eat the Samgyetang with my family. every time i eat the Samgyetang it has diffterent taste depend on how much i put the salt in it. It was very interest to me. And when i have fever or carsick, Sellongtang made me feel better.

Fried Vegetables with Potato Noodles (Japchae)

Basic Info:

            Fried vegetables with potato noodles basically have mushrooms, meat, carrot, spinach, onion and potato noodles. After frying all the vegetables and noodles, soy sauce, sault, ginger powder and olive oil are needed to make the noodles more soft and tasty. People usually have japchae when it is someone’s birthday or when they have memorial ceremonies for ancestors.

Historical Facts:

Japchae with various kinds of vegetables

            The name “Japchae” came from China where “jap” means many, various, mixed and “chae” means vegetables. The Chinese recipe book made in 1670 contains a similar food with japchae with various kinds of mushrooms and noodles fried together, which shows how japchae was influenced by Chinese traditional food.

            During Joseon Dynasty in the reign of Gwanghae-gun, a man called Lee Choong offered a bribe, japchae, to the king. Since the king had enjoyed the taste of japchae, he became nobility and the king started to order the cooks in his castle to make the same one as Lee Choong brought. This story was the beginning of how japchae got famous in Joseon Dynasty.

CCOT:

            During the time period of 1600 to 1700s, Korean recipe book explained that japchae did not have potato noodles, but a little bit of flour mixed within vegetables. Also, the vegetables included dried ginger, balloon flower root, etc. which are easily obtained in the mountains or farming places. It shows how poor peasants enjoyed having japchae as well with different ingredients. On the other hand, these days, japchae has noodles for sure with meat. It shows how Korea became wealthier than before.

Japchae made by my mother

Experience:

            I’ve always tried japchae when it was my birthday or memorial ceremonies. Since japchae has long noodles, people in the past believed that you would live a long life as those long noodles if you have japchae many times. I like it when japchae has beef in it because it tastes good with potato noodles and various vegetables.

Naengmyun (Summer)

Naengmyun

Naengmyun,meaning "cold noodles" is a Korean noodle of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients like buckwheat, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc. Varieties with ingredients such as seaweed and green tea are available. According to the 19th century documents of Dongguksesigi, it has been made since the Joseon Dynasty.

History

Originally a delicacy in northern Korea, especially in the cities of Pyongyang. Raengmyeon became widely popular throughout Korea after the Korean War. They have different way to eat between North and South Korea. North Korea never cut the noodle when they eat the Naengmyeon because noddle is symbol of anima. Naengmyeon, the traditional summer dish favored by Koreans, which have the best climate to grow buckwheat. People used to eat naengmyeon during the winter time because there was no refrigerator to cool the Dongchimi soup, one of the main ingredients, and to make it icy. But since refrigerator invented people eat it as a summer food. Although there is no clear record regarding the origin of naengmyeon, historical researchers, , people enjoyed Naengmyun since Joseon Dynasty. Naengmyeon was a food that both royals and commoners loved. A record shows that naengmyeon was served in a spring feast at the palace both in 1848, the 14th year of Hunjong’s reign, and in 1873, and the 13th year of Gojong’s reign. Especially, Gojong, who was the 26th king of the Joseon Dynasty, is known to have been a huge fan of naengmyeon. He enjoyed naengmyeon sweetened with pear and pine nuts for supper every night. One of the main items that made naengmyeon one of the most popular food in Korea was a refrigerator. It became very popular nationwide because people started to enjoy icy naengmyeon, even during the summer. In addition, the Korean War in 1950 was another event led to the proliferation of Naengmyeon throughout the peninsula. Back then, people in the northern regions enjoyed naengmyeon, but those who ran away from the communist regime in North Korea brought naengmyeon to the south. As the restaurant industry grew in the 1970s, it became one of the most popular food in Korea.

Purpose

naengmyeon is nutritious enough to serve as a meal. Buckwheat, a main ingredient of naengmyeon, is rich in protein and vegetable fat and contains three times more vitamin B1 and B2 than rice does. In addition, it is abundant in amino acids, and especially, it provides more essential amino acids, such as tryptophan, threonine, and lysine, than any other grain.it also prevents hypertension and constipation and contains rutin. When naengmyeon is severed, it always comes with a boiled egg cut in half. The reason for this is that eggs prevent the stomachache associated from eating buckwheat on an empty stomach. Thus, it would be better to eat the egg garnish first. Also, hot mustard neutralizes the cold nature of naengmyeon, and the vinegar kills colon bacteria.

Experience
Recently I have tasted Naengmyun with my team while we were in Insadong. The cool soup that was perfectly salty quenched my dry throat and chewy noodles were dancing on my tongue. The weather was warm that day and Naengmyun was very appropriate food to eat : p 

Interview @ Gwangjang Market

Justin&Jenna&the ladies :pp

Donchimi (Winter)

Basic Info:

Dongchimi is a variety of kimchi made of daikon, cabbage, scallions, green chili, and ginger. It is made by soaking the ingredients in brine during winter. Dongchimi is different from other types of kimchi, because it is stored in water and it is like a soup. Dongchimi originated in Pyongyang and it is similar to all other variations of kimchi in the way that dongchimi was a great way to keep vegetables fresh for a long time.

History:

Spicy Dongchimi

During the Chosun dynasty, the records show that there were no red peppers in Korea yet. Therefore, dongchimi is a prime example of a salt-seasoned kimchi that was made before red pepper came to Korea. This also shows how trade between Korea and foreign countries allowed Korea to develop a large portion of its traditional food, because most of them used red peppers as the main ingredient. Dongchimi are still popular today, and it is one of the common types of kimchi that you can find in modern day Korea.

Purpose:

Dongchimi was usually eaten with other Korean foods, because it helped with digestion. It is also said that dongchimi helped soothe sulfur poisoning during winter times, when Koreans used coals to heat up their houses. People also ate dongchimi when they were sick, because it provided them with vitamins, which helped them recover faster. Dongchimi was not only a delicious food for Koreans, but it also had many medical uses.

CCOT:

One thing that changed over time is that back in the old days, dongchimi was mostly eaten in winter time, but in modern day, it is eaten during summer time to endure the heat.

Experience:

Dongchimi was cool, spicy and fresh for me. Unlike other side dishes, I think that dongchimi is nutritious enough to be a meal on its own. However, I strongly recommend that you eat dongchimi with greasy and warm foods, because it really improves the overall taste of the meal.

Poor- 2. Kimchi

Basic Info:

Whoever doesn’t know Kimchi (even if they are not Koreans) are no human who live in this planet. Kimchi is the food that represents Korea and had been famous for many years. Its spiciness not only attract Koreans but also foreigners. The most famous type of kimchi is the one made with cabbage but there are hundreds of others such as the ones made with radish, cucumber, even the ones without the spice. Kimchi is year-long side dish and goes along with almost anything- even with carbonara. :)))   

History:

According to the history, people began to eat kimchi since the era of Sinla. In order to ㄴstore the vegetables longer people preserved them with salt. During Koryo Era, more vegetables were preserved with more spices were added to improve the scent and taste. That was only a beginning. The real red, spicy kimchi that we know today was created when Japanese invasion of Korea occurred. That was when red pepper had dispersed to Korea from the Columbian Exchange. Red pepper reduced the amount of salt that was used to make kimchi and fishlike smell. Peasant women in same village or neihborhood used to gather around and make kimchi before winter came. 

CCOT:

The spice that came from Columbian Exchange and passed to us through Japan seem to have changed the recipe and view of others of our food. The spice added more interesting and addicting flavor that kimchi was now popular food all around the globe. Korea used to be unknown to the foreign countries but with kimchi many tourists visit Korea and always compliment how good kimchi is. However from the past to present nothing really changed about kimchi. People of Korea seem to have been conservative about the recipe that our ancestors had passed on to us.

Experience:

As Korean I LOVE eating Kimchi. Its quite good even if there is only kimchi and hot cooked rice. With chopstick I would wrap the red cabbage around white steaming rice grains and pop it into my mouth. As I chew on the food, spicy and salty flavor would balance with flavorless rice and it would be neither hot nor cold. I also have tried old kimchi (it’s called Mu Geun Ji) which is kimchi that has been preserved for very long time and been washed in clean water. Salty and spiciness were could be detected still and when you eat it with beef or pork you will feel like you are in heaven. 

Mu Geun Ji wrapped around rice and pork

Time to Eat!

Grateful and kind tourists enjoying their meal : )

Nang Myeon (Cold Noodle)

Place where they sell sweets (this one is called string sweet)

Process of making it

Inside view 0_0

Insadong Traditional Tea House!

Traditional Korean rice cake and snack (Hangwa)

Jenna&Justin @ the tea house and Korean traditional background

Sujunggwa (right) and Ohmija tea (left)

Me drinking Tea

Jenna drinking Tea

Structure of traditional Korean House

Sin Yet Tea House is where we went 

@ the entrance

As soon as you step in... 

Yejin : )

Together

Red Bean Gruel/ Soup (Patjuk)

Basic Info:

            Red bean soup/ gruel is made with red beans, rice and glutinous rice ball cake. People in the past used to put glutinous rice ball cakes as much as the number of age that the elders got more rice cakes in their gruel. These days, red bean gruel has honey or sugar to make it sweet, but some still enjoy the bitter taste of red beans. Koreans used to have patjuk during the 11^th and 12^th months of the lunar calendar, when it is winter solstice.

Historical Facts:

Red Bean Gruel with Glutinous Rice Ball Cakes

            Koreans have red bean gruel when it is winter solstice because they thought the red bean gruel can get rid of ghosts or goblins. Since the winter solstice was the day when a dead man called “Gong-gong-cy” went back alive as a ghost and he didn’t like red beans, such belief that red beans will get rid of those ghosts led Koreans to have red bean gruel every 11^th and 12^th months. The legend of “Gong-gong-cy” was from China, and the old poems, such as Ikjae Collection, mentions about having patjuk during winter solstice. It shows that such old custom was started from Goryeo Dynasty since the poems were from that time period.

            People also used to put patjuk in front of the gate (house’ door) or on furniture because they believed that patjuk would exorcise the evil spirits and keep the family safe. When moving to another place, they put patjuk on their furniture and shared the rest of it with neighbors. When a person was sick or having a disease, they would put patjuk on the road in front of houses so the red beans can get rid of the illness since Koreans had the images of goblins for illness or diseases at that time period.

CCOT:

            Patjuk was very common in the past that many peasants, especially those who were poor, had patjuk for meal. Koreans had patjuk in any time, whether it was summer or winter, because red beans were considered as medicine that gets rid of any evil spirits or diseases. However, people these days usually have patjuk when they are sick, just as any gruel. They don’t put any specific meanings on having patjuk as before. Some Buddhists or the elders have patjuk in winter solstice, but most of the teenagers or adults don’t follow such ritual.

Experience:

Red Bean Gruel

            In my case, my grandmother always cooked patjuk for our family when it was winter solstice because she was Buddhist and she believed in such ritual that red beans keep us safe from evil spirits and diseases. I personally like to have patjuk with honey or sugar to make it sweet because its sweetness with rice ball cakes tastes nice.

Trip to Gwangjang Shijang