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