Korean regional cuisine
Encyclopedia
Korean regional cuisines (Korean: hyangto eumsik, literally "native local foods") are characterized by local specialties and distinctive styles within Korean cuisine. The divisions reflected historical boundaries of the province
s where these food and culinary traditions were preserved until modern times.
Although Korea has been divided into two nation-states since 1948 (North Korea
and South Korea
), it was once divided into eight provinces (paldo) according to the administrative districts of the Joseon Dynasty
. The northern region consisted of Hamgyeong province, Pyeongan province and Hwanghae
province. The central region comprised Gyeonggi province, Chungcheong
province, and Gangwon
province. Gyeongsang
province and Jeolla
province made up the southern region.
Until the late 19th century transportation networks were not well developed, and each provincial region preserved its own characteristic tastes and cooking methods. Geographic differences are also reflected by the local specialty foodstuffs depending on the climate and types of agriculture as well as the natural foods available. With the modern development of transportation and the introduction of foreign foods, Korean regional cuisines have tended to overlap and integrate. However, there are still many unique traditional dishes in Korean regional cuisine that have been handed down through the generations.
province is characterized as a continental style due to a lot of interaction with Manchuria from ancient times. Dishes are made into large shapes, so the table looks rich and abundant. Jobap, a bowl of mixed steamed rice and millet, is commonly served in place for ssalbap (steamed rice) and foods made with grain flour such as noodle dishes, especially naengmyeon
(cold buckwheat noodles), and mandu
(dumplings) are common Pyongan dishes. The cuisine's taste is generally bland, with fatty foods being enjoyed during winter. The form of a Pyongan meal is realistic and social. The kimchi
, or preserved pickled vegetables, eaten in the region consist mostly of dongchimi
, a water kimchi, which is frequently used as a broth for naengmyeon.
Representative main dishes include gukbap (a soup with rice), kimchi mari (cold kimchi broth with rice), dakjuk (chicken porridge), Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle soup), eobok jaengban (pressed beef
served in a brass plate), gangnyang guksu (corn noodles in a cold broth), Pyongyang manduguk (Pyongyang style dumpling soup), and gulmandu (small dumpling without a covering).
Pyongan style banchan
which are small side dishes accompanied with a main dish include ttokttoki jaban (seasoned shredded beef), mucheonggom (braised daikon
leaves and beef), deopuljang (fermented soybean paste), danggochujang bokkeum
(stir-fried dish in chili pepper paste), dwaeji gogijeon (pork pancakes), naengchae (cold salad), Yongpyon gimjang kimchi (Yongbyon style kimchi), gaji kimchi (pickled eggplant), baek kimchi
(kimchi without chili pepper), and kkotge jjim (steamed horse crab). Oi tojangguk (cucumber soybean paste soup), and naepotang (kimchi and chitterling
stew) are representative soups and stews.
Tteok
or glutinous rice cakes of the region are named with unconventional names and are larger and simpler in form than those of Seoul, such as songgi tteok which is a rice cake made with the inner bark of pine trees, golmi tteok (thimble
-shaped rice cake), kkojang tteok (tteok covered with steamed bean crumbles), ppong tteok (tteok steamed with mulberry leaves), nidoraemi (rice cake covered with azuki bean crumbles), jogae songpyeon (calm-shaped tteok with fillings). The songgi in songgi tteok refers to the inner bark of pine trees and its ground flour is mixed with glutinous rice flour and kneaded. The dough is steamed or filled with ground pine nuts and then pan fried with sesame oil. Notti is another characteristic tteok of Pyongan and Hwanghae provinces, made by pounding a saccharified dough of hulled millet flour and by pan-frying its pieces with oil.
Pyongan hangwa
or traditional confectionery are gwajul (fried honeyed confection), yeot
(candies). Taesik is also a variety of the regional hangwa, made by mixing jocheong (liquefied yeot) and misu
(steamed and dried mixed flour made from various grains and beans).
, nowadays the capital of North Korea was also the capital of Gojoseon
, and the provincial capital of Pyongan
province until 1946. Therefore, Pyongyang cuisine shares with the general culinary tradition of Pyongan province. The most famous local food is Pyongyang naengmyeon, or also called mul naengmyeon or just simply naengmyeon. Naengmyeon literally means "cold noodles", while the affix, mul refers to "water" because the dish is served in a cold soup. Naengmyeon consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in the cold broth mixed with a meat broth, and dongchimi
(watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet Korean pear. Pyongyang naengmyeon was originally eaten at home built with ondol
(traditional underfloor heating
) during the cold winter, so is also humorously called "Pyongyang deoldeori" (shivering in Pyongyang). Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as a haejangguk
which is any type of food eaten as a hangover cure while commonly a warm soup in form.
Another representative Pyongyang dish is Taedonggang sungeoguk, meaning "trout soup from the Taedong River
". The soup is made with trout
, which are abundant in the Taedong River, along with black peppercorns and salt. It is served as a courtesy for important guests visiting Pyongyang. Therefore, the question, "How good was the taste of the trout soup?" is commonly used to greet people returning from Pyongyang. In addition, Pyongyang onban (literally "warm rice of Pyongyang") is a local specialty. It is a rice dish made with freshly cooked rice topped with sliced mushrooms and chicken, and a couple of bindaetteok
(pancakes made from ground mung beans and vegetables).
province, consisting of North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong provinces, belongs to the administration of North Korea. It lies in the far northern region on the Korean peninsula
, comprising steep mountains and valleys while facing the Sea of Japan
(East Sea) to the east. Cereal crop farming is developed in the region, so diverse types of cereals in high quality are harvested such as millet
, barnyard millet, sorghum
, soybean
s, and corn
. In contrast with millet, and sorghum harvested in South Korea, those of Hamgyon provinces have more a glutinous feature, and have good and savory tastes. The quality of potatoes and corns is also high, so the starch obtained from the crops is used to make noodles. Fresh Alaska pollack and various fish are caught in the adjacent sea.
Although Hamgyong cuisine is not salty, garlic and chili pepper are heavily used as seasonings. The alternative name, dadegi, for chili powder-based sauce originates from the region. Hamhung naengmyeon, a cold noodle dish, is made with the sauce. It originates in Hamhung
, South Hamgyong province and is topped with hoe (sliced raw fish) seasoned with the hot and spicy sauce. The noodles are mixed with the hoe and sauce, so called hoe naengmyeon, which is different from naengmyeon eaten in the rest of North Korea. However, the taste of North Hamgyong province is plainer and less spicy than that of South Hamgyong province. The shape is large and a continental style, so decoration for dishes are simple and less luxurious. The nature of the locals are active, and enjoy wild foods.
Typical main dishes in Hamgyong cuisine include japgokbap (a bowl of cooked mixed multiple grains), jjinjobap (steamed sorghum), dak bibimbap (mixed rice and vegetables with chicken slices), eollin kongjuk (porridge made with frozen soybeans), and oksusujuk (corn porridge). Garitguk is a beef short rib
soup topped with yukhoe
, raw seasoned beef. Along with Hamhung naengmyeon, Mul naengmyeon, and gamja guksu (potato noodles) are common noodle dishes. Gamja makgari mandu is a dumpling made with ground potato.
province and Pyongan
province until 1954. The two mountainous, landlocked provinces border China
to the north. Indian mustard
leaves, called gat in Korean, are cultivated in place of Napa cabbage
, a main kimchi ingredient, which does not grow well in the region due to the poor geographic conditions. Indian mustard leaves have been eaten in spring and autumn as a main vegetable since ancient times, and used for making gat kimchi to preserve for winter. Gat kimchi has a refreshing and aromatic flavor, which can be retained without loss of texture for a long time. Therefore, gat kimchi is the most famous food representing the provinces. On the other hand, potatoes are also harvested in abundance, so dishes made with potatoes are diversely developed, with up to 80 distinct potato dishes. Representative potato dishes include gamja nongmal guksu, a noodle dish made with potato starch
, gamja tteok, a variety of tteok made with ground potato, gamajatang jorim made by braising
potatoes, and gamja nongmal gangjeong, a fried confectionery made with potato starch. Gamja nongma guksu has a very strong chewy texture because the main ingredient is the starch obtained from potato. The noodles are seasoned with chopped green onions, and garlic, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and a mixture of sesame seeds and salt. Slices of kimchi, marinated and steamed beef and pork, and shredded cucumbers are added as toppings on the noodles. A broth is served separately.
Susutteok is a local specialty of Chagang province, made with locally produced sorghum, glutinous corn, soybeans, sesame seeds, and azuki beans. It is served with kimchi and namul
(sauteed vegetables) collected from mountains. Various foods made of sorghum can also be found in the province such as susu jijim (sorghum pancakes). In the province, diverse types of mountain fruits
province is divided into South Hwanghae province and North Hwanghae province since 1954. Thanks to the wide Yonbaek plain and Chaenyong plain, Hwanghae province is a granary
of North Korea and is known for its cereal production in good quality. As the millet seeds produced in the region are thick and have a good taste, they are as much eaten as barley
is consumed by people of the southern region. The abundant production of cereal crops leads to the quality of feedstuff for livestock, so the quality of meat produced in the region is said to be good. Chicken raised in every household is fleshy and of good quality, so used for many dishes in Hwanghae cuisine. Chicken is used as an ingredient for wheat noodle dishes and mandu
(dumplings). The coastal area adjacent to Yellow Sea
produce a lot of salt because the tideland in the area is developed and the rainfall is small. Due to the climate, kimchi
of Hwanghae region has a clear and refreshing taste, so its brine is used as a soup in many occasions. Dongchimi brine is used as a broth for naengmyeon
(cold buckwheat noodle dish) or for mixing with a bowl of chilled rice to make a midnight snack. Hwanghae people are known for kindheartedness and rustic simplicity, so their cuisine reflects this nature. Hwanghae dishes are savory and simple, with less decoration such as mandu made in a larger size than other regions'. The general taste is moderate, similar to that of Chungcheong
province.
The most famous Hwanghae dish is Haeju bibimbap originating in Haeju
. It consists of fried rice with chopped pork, various namul
(sauteed vegetables), sliced chicken unlike other bibimbap
varieties. Other typical main dishes are ssalbap (steamed rice), seariban (steamed three grains), japgokbap (steamed various grains), kimchibap (steamed rice with kimchi), and bijibap (rice with soy pulp
, residue in the preparation of tofu).
dakgalbi, gangnaengi bap (a bowl of steamed corn and rice), makguksu
(buckwheat noodle dish), patguksu (noodles in red bean soup), gamja ongsimi
(potato dumpling soup), bangpungjuk (porridge made with Glehnia littoralis
), gangnaengi beombeok (mashed boiled corn with grains), and gamja beombeok (mashed boiled potato with grains).
was the capital of Goryeo
with almost 500 years of rule, its culinary culture was highly developed. The luxurious style of Kaesong cuisine is frequently compared with those of Seoul
cuisine and Jeolla
cuisine. Kaesong cuisine was traditionally treated as part of Gyeonggi cuisine, since Kaesong belonged to Gyeonggi province until 1949. However, it has been incorporated into the administration of North Korea after the Korean War
while Gyeonggi province is administered by South Korea. Bossam kimchi (wrapped kimchi), pyeonsu (summer mandu in square shape), sinseollo
(royal casserole), seolleongtang
(beef tripe soup), chueotang (mudfish soup), joraengi tteokguk (dumpling soup), umegi (tteok covered with syrup), and gyeongdan (ball-shaped tteok) are representative Kaesong dishes. Umegi, also called Kaesong juak is a holiday food of Kaesong, and known for the delicate style with the sweet and nutty taste. The dish is made by kneading a mixture of rice flour and glutinous rice flour with warm water, by shaping the dough into balls with either one pine nut or jujube
, by frying and coating them with syrup.
Geographically, Gyeonggi province is located in the central region of the Korean peninsula, formerly including Kaesong
, the old capital of Goryeo
until 1949. Mountain vegetables are obtained from the mountains surrounding Seoul, while fish and seafood are harvested from the Yellow Sea
, located to the west. In Gyeonggi cuisine, jeotgal (fermented salted seafood) are abundant, and among them jogijeot
(made with croaker
) and saeujeot
(made with small shrimp) are often used as ingredients in kimchi
. The climate is relatively mild and various types of cereal crops are harvested, so dishes made with grain crops are especially developed. Ogokbap
(steamed five cereal crops) and chalbap (steamed glutinous rice) are enjoyed as main dishes. Although the province borders Seoul, its cuisine is generally simple and its flavors and use of seasonings are moderate except Kaesong cuisine. Due to the sophisticated culinary culture, and diverse dishes, Kaesong cuisine is often compared with Seoul cuisine and Korean royal court cuisine
. Since Gyeonggi province borders the provinces of Gangwon
, Chungcheong
, Hwanghae
, the cuisine has much in common with the cuisines of neighboring provinces, including flavors and naming conventions for dishes.
Savory grain dishes with a large amount are numerous, such as sujebi
(dumpling soup) and beombeok (thick mixed-grain porridge). They are made with either pumpkin, potato, corn, wheat flour, or azuki beans. Noodle soups such as Jemul guksu (noodles in soybean paste soup) and memilkal ssakdugi (knife-cut noodle soup) also have a thick broth and a savory taste along with a soft texture in contrast with naeongmyeon in the clear dongchimi
broth eaten in the northern region. Naengkongguk (soybean soup with dumplings) is also a common dish which is also a local specialty of Chungcheong and Hwanghae provinces.
Cuisine in the capital city Seoul
is extravagantly presented, and prepared according to strict quality rules. Meals are served in small portions and many dishes. The cooking uses many seasonings, but the taste is not overly spicy. Typical main dishes include seolleongtang
(beef soup with rice), gukbap (soup with rice), tteokguk (rice cake soup), heukimjajuk
(black sesame porridge), jatjuk
(pine nut
porridge), memil mandu (dumpling with a buckwheat covering), saengchi mandu (dumpling stuffed with pheasant meat), and pyeonsu (square-shaped mandu with vegetable filling). Among them, seolleongtang is the most widely known Seoul dish, and is also popular nationwide. The dish is said to be strongly associated with the Seonnongdan shrine in the neighborhood of Jegi-dong
, Dongdaemun-gu
, Seoul
where the kings of Korea held an annual national ritual to pray for a good harvest. After the ritual everyone there gathered to eat a beef soup together, which was made by boiling beef and its tripe in dozens of gamasots (cauldron
s) with water.
Representative Seoul soups or stews are sinseollo
(royal casserole), gaksaek jeongol (casserole made with various ingredients) and yukgaejang
(spicy beef soup with rice).
Gujeolpan
(nine-sectioned plate), galbijjim
(braised meat short ribs), tteokjjim (boiled tteok, beef and vegetables), tteokbokki
(stir-fried tteok and vegetables), braised dishes in soy sauce
such as honghapcho and jeonbokcho respectively made with mussels and abalone, gannap (beef liver pancake), Raw dishes such as gaphoe (seasoned raw beef tripe
), gulhoe (raw oyster) are also part of Seoul cuisine. Pressed or dried dishes such as pyeonyuk
made with ox's tongue or bricket, jokpyeon
(gelatin), eochae (parboiled fish fillet), yukpo (beef jerky), suran (poached egg
), sukju namul (sauteed mung bean spouts), mugeun namul bokkeum (sauteed dried various mountain vegetables), hobakseon (steamed stuffed zucchini), gimssam (wraps with gim
, seaweed), maedeup jaban (fried kombu
in a ribbon shape), are banchan
representing Seoul cuisine. Especially, gujeolpan and sinseollo show well the sophisticated style of the Seoul cuisine.
Dried fish such as gulbi (dried salted yellow croaker), gwamegi
(half-dried Pacific herring
or Pacific saury
), amchi
(dried salted brown croaker) are grilled or panfried to make jeon
, Korean style pancakes. Seoul cuisine has a lot of mitbanchan (basic side dishes made for preservation) such as yukpo (beef jerky), jeotgal
(salted fermented seafood) and jangajji
(pickles). Unique kimchi found in Seoul are jang kimchi (water kimchi seasoned with soy sauce) and suk kkakdugi (kimchi made with parboiled daikon).
During the Joseon Dynasty
, the villages of Bukchon and Namchon were referred to as "Namju Byukbyeong" that literally means "Namchon for alcoholic beverages, Bukchon for tteok" (rice cakes) because tteok were made on many occasions in Seoul. There are many tteok made with high quality ingredients and a lot of labor in Seoul cuisine such as danja
. It is usually used as a decoration for other tteok and is shaped into a ball or a square after its dough pounded, and stuffed with a sweeten filling and covered with gomul (powder coating or sliced fruits). The danja varieties are made with jujube, Artemisia princeps var. orientalis, chestnut, yuzu
, Gingko seeds, gotgam (dried persimmon), Job's tears
and seogi (Umbilicaria esculenta). Other typical tteok include duteop tteok covered with azuki bean crumbles, sangchu tteok made with lettuce
, gaksaekpyeon made by adding color or flavors, neuti tteok made with young leaves of Zelkova serrata
, yaksik made with nuts and jujubes, hwajeon
made with flower petal
s, juak made by pan-frying and honey-glazing, mulhobak tteok made with pumpkin, and solbangul tteok made with pine cone
s.
Typical hangwa
or Korean confectioneries are yakgwa
, mandugwa
, maejakgwa
, and various types of yeotgangjeong
and dasik
. Both yakgwa and maejakgwa are fried pastries made with wheat flour and honey while each has a distinctive shape and texture; the former with a flower patten shape and a soft texture; the latter in a ribbon shape with a crispy texture. Mandugwa is a confectionery made by frying a dumpling filled with sweeten jujube. Yeotgangjeong, or taffy rice cracker is covered with sesame seeds, peanuts, or ground pine nuts. Dasik is a pattern pressed cake eaten when drinking tea, made with black sesame seeds, soybean, pollen powders, chestnut, starch, rice or a mixture of wheat flour and honey.
Various hwachae
(Korean punch
) and tea
s are also part of Seoul cuisine. Hwachae is eaten cold and made with fruits (e.g. omija hwachae
), edible flower petals (e.g. jindallae hwachae
), tteok (e.g. wonsobyeong), steamed grains (e.g. bori sudan), or traditional medical ingredients. Examples of fruit teas are yujacha
, mogwacha
, omijacha, gugijacha, and daechucha
. On the other hand, typical herbal teas can be made with spices like ginger and cinnamon
, herbs such as Ginseng radicle, Angelica
, or grains such as Senna obtusifolia
. At royal court
, jehotang
was considered the best summer drink. The cold drink is made with honey, water and the powders of dried and roasted Prunus mume fruits, Amomi Semen, Sandalwood Red, and Amomum tsao-ko. Ogwacha
that literally means "five fruits" is made with walnuts, chestnuts, Gingko seeds, jujube, and ginger.
consists of the provinces of North Chungcheong, which is landlocked, and South
Chungcheong, which faces the Yellow Sea
to its west. Although there are many differences between the two provinces' geographical conditions, the locals in both generally engage in agriculture as their occupation. The Yedang Plain, in the area watered by the Baengma River in South Chungcheong province provides an abundant harvest of grain crops, while the Yellow Sea is a good fishery. During the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (57 BC – 668 AD), barley and millet were respectively the main dishes for the Silla
kingdom (57 BC–935) and the Goguryeo
kingdom (37 BC–668), whereas rice was assumed to have been the main grain for the Baekje
kingdom (18 BC–660). Chungcheong province was the home province of Baekje.
, consisting of the provinces of North Jeolla and South Jeolla, is famous for its rich and sumptuous style, comparable with Kaesong cuisine. While Kaesong cuisine, which retains the tradition of the Goryeo
Dynasty, is very conservative, Jeolla cuisine preserves a unique culinary tradition that has been handed from Yangban
(noble class) of the Joseon Dynasty
. Jeolla region has the fertile Honam Plain that provides an abundant harvest of rice. The Yellow Sea
and East China Sea
which respectively are adjacent to the west and east offer a diverse seafood to the table.
province consisting of North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang provinces. The region has a similar climate with that of Jeolla
province because both geographically border two seas-Gyeongsang province borders Sea of Japan
(East Sea) to the east, and East China Sea
to the south. However, the types of harvested fish and seafood are different from each other, and fish are regarded as the best foodstuff in Gyeongsang cuisine. Seafood is variously cooked in the cuisine, and especially hoe
, raw sliced seafood is considered the best delicacy. Soups made with fresh fish are common in Gyeongsang province unlike other mountainous and landlock regions. Myeolchi jeot (fermented salted anchovies) is the most commonly prepared jeotgal
(fermented salted seafood), the number of jeotgal types placed on the table for a meal is the next after Jeolla province. The style of Gyeongsang cuisine is simple with less decoration, while various seasonings are heavily used, so the taste is even much more salty and hot and spicy than Jeolla cuisine's. Fields in the province produces diverse grain crops and noodles are the most enjoyed dish among the foods made with grains. The locals prefer noodles with soft texture made by mixing raw soybean powder, cut by a kitchen knife.
Andong
, a city that was once the center of Korea's Confucianist traditions, has a wide variety of local delicacies. As well as Andong jjimdak
, it is the birthplace of heotjesabap
(fake jesa food), Andong soju
, salted mackerel
, and a spicy variety of sikhye
(a fermented rice drink).
. Due to its lack of fresh water, paddy farming is only done on a small scale on the island, with the cultivation of cereal crops such as millet
, barnyard millet, buckwheat, and barley being the main feature of agriculture. Therefore, the traditional Jeju meal generally consisted of japgokbap which is a bowl of steamed multiple grains as a main dish, with various salted dried fish called jaban as banchan
(side dishes), and a soup based on doenjang
(soybean paste) such as baechuguk made with Napa cabbage
, kongnipguk made with soybean leaves, or muguk made with daikon
. Jeju dishes are made with simple ingredients, and the taste is generally salty. Raw seafood called hoe is commonly consumed as a part of the meal. The warm weather affects Jeju cuisine in that gimjang, preparing kimchi in late autumn for winter consumption, is not necessary to Jeju locals unlike the other provinces. Only a small amount of kimchi is pickled by Jeju locals. Representative main dishes in Jeju cuisine are porridge made with fish, seafood, seaweeds, or mushrooms. Examples include jeonbokjuk
made with abalone
, okdomjuk made with Red tilefish, gejuk made with crabs, gingijuk made with small crabs called bangge (Helice tridens
), maeyeoksae juk made with young wakame
, and chogijuk made with shiitake
.
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s where these food and culinary traditions were preserved until modern times.
Although Korea has been divided into two nation-states since 1948 (North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
), it was once divided into eight provinces (paldo) according to the administrative districts of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. The northern region consisted of Hamgyeong province, Pyeongan province and Hwanghae
Hwanghae
Hwanghae was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju.The regional name for the province was Haesŏ .-History:...
province. The central region comprised Gyeonggi province, Chungcheong
Chungcheong
Chungcheong was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea...
province, and Gangwon
Gangwon (historical)
Gangwon Province or Gangwon-do was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The province was formed in 1395, and derived its name from the names of the principal cities of Gangneung and the provincial capital Wonju .In 1895, Gangwon-do was replaced by the Districts of...
province. Gyeongsang
Gyeongsang
Gyeongsang was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea....
province and Jeolla
Jeolla
Jeolla was a province in southwestern Korea, one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and the Special City of Gwangju as well as Jeju Island...
province made up the southern region.
Until the late 19th century transportation networks were not well developed, and each provincial region preserved its own characteristic tastes and cooking methods. Geographic differences are also reflected by the local specialty foodstuffs depending on the climate and types of agriculture as well as the natural foods available. With the modern development of transportation and the introduction of foreign foods, Korean regional cuisines have tended to overlap and integrate. However, there are still many unique traditional dishes in Korean regional cuisine that have been handed down through the generations.
Pyongan province
Pyongan cuisine, based on PyonganPyongan
P'yŏngan was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. P'yŏngan was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was P'yŏngyang.-History:P'yŏngan Province was formed in 1413...
province is characterized as a continental style due to a lot of interaction with Manchuria from ancient times. Dishes are made into large shapes, so the table looks rich and abundant. Jobap, a bowl of mixed steamed rice and millet, is commonly served in place for ssalbap (steamed rice) and foods made with grain flour such as noodle dishes, especially naengmyeon
Naengmyeon
Naengmyeon is a Korean dish of long and thin hand-made noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients: buckwheat , potatoes, sweet potatoes, 칡냉면, naengmyun made with the starch from arrowroot , and kudzu...
(cold buckwheat noodles), and mandu
Mandu (dumpling)
Mandu are dumplings in Korean cuisine. They are similar to pelmeni and pierogi in some Slavic cultures. The name is a cognate to the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings in Central Asia, such as Turkish manti, Kazakh manty, and Uzbek manti.In Korean cuisine, mandu generally denotes a...
(dumplings) are common Pyongan dishes. The cuisine's taste is generally bland, with fatty foods being enjoyed during winter. The form of a Pyongan meal is realistic and social. The kimchi
Kimchi
Kimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
, or preserved pickled vegetables, eaten in the region consist mostly of dongchimi
Dongchimi
Dongchimi is a variety of kimchi consisting of daikon, baechu , spring onions, fermented green chili, ginger, bae and watery brine in Korean cuisine...
, a water kimchi, which is frequently used as a broth for naengmyeon.
Representative main dishes include gukbap (a soup with rice), kimchi mari (cold kimchi broth with rice), dakjuk (chicken porridge), Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle soup), eobok jaengban (pressed beef
Head cheese
Head cheese , or brawn , is a cold cut that originated in Europe. A version pickled with vinegar is known as souse. Head cheese is not a cheese but a terrine or meat jelly made with flesh from the head of a calf or pig , and often set in aspic. Which parts of the head are used can vary, but the...
served in a brass plate), gangnyang guksu (corn noodles in a cold broth), Pyongyang manduguk (Pyongyang style dumpling soup), and gulmandu (small dumpling without a covering).
Pyongan style banchan
Banchan
Banchan refers to small dishes of food served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. This word is used both in the singular and plural....
which are small side dishes accompanied with a main dish include ttokttoki jaban (seasoned shredded beef), mucheonggom (braised daikon
Daikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
leaves and beef), deopuljang (fermented soybean paste), danggochujang bokkeum
Bokkeum
Bokkeum is a generic term to refer to a Korean dish made by stir-frying ingredients in a sauce. According to Korean dictionaries, the verb form of bokkeum, "bokkda" means "cooking dried ingredients over heat." However, bokkeum not only refers to dishes made by stir-frying ingredients to a dry...
(stir-fried dish in chili pepper paste), dwaeji gogijeon (pork pancakes), naengchae (cold salad), Yongpyon gimjang kimchi (Yongbyon style kimchi), gaji kimchi (pickled eggplant), baek kimchi
Baek kimchi
Baek kimchi is a variety of kimchi made without the chili pepper powder commonly used for pickling kimchi in Korean cuisine. Baek kimchi has a mild and clean flavor, which appeals to children and the elderly, to whom the regular kimchi might be too spicy...
(kimchi without chili pepper), and kkotge jjim (steamed horse crab). Oi tojangguk (cucumber soybean paste soup), and naepotang (kimchi and chitterling
Chitterlings
Chitterlings are the intestines of a pig, although cattle and other animals' intestines are similarly used, that have been prepared as food. In various countries across the world, such food is prepared and eaten either as part of a daily diet, or at special events, holidays or religious...
stew) are representative soups and stews.
Tteok
Tteok
Tteok is a class of Korean rice cakes made with glutinous rice flour , by steaming. Normal rice flour can be used for some kinds of tteok. There are hundreds of different kinds of tteok eaten year round...
or glutinous rice cakes of the region are named with unconventional names and are larger and simpler in form than those of Seoul, such as songgi tteok which is a rice cake made with the inner bark of pine trees, golmi tteok (thimble
Thimble
A thimble is a small hard pitted cup worn for protection on the finger that pushes the needle in sewing.The earliest known thimble was Roman and was found at Pompeii. Made of bronze, its creation has been dated to the 1st century AD...
-shaped rice cake), kkojang tteok (tteok covered with steamed bean crumbles), ppong tteok (tteok steamed with mulberry leaves), nidoraemi (rice cake covered with azuki bean crumbles), jogae songpyeon (calm-shaped tteok with fillings). The songgi in songgi tteok refers to the inner bark of pine trees and its ground flour is mixed with glutinous rice flour and kneaded. The dough is steamed or filled with ground pine nuts and then pan fried with sesame oil. Notti is another characteristic tteok of Pyongan and Hwanghae provinces, made by pounding a saccharified dough of hulled millet flour and by pan-frying its pieces with oil.
Pyongan hangwa
Hangwa
Hangwa is a general term for Korean traditional confectionery. Common ingredients in hangwa are grain flour, honey, yeot, sugar, fruit or edible root.-Types of hangwa:*Yumilgwa : made by frying and kneading....
or traditional confectionery are gwajul (fried honeyed confection), yeot
Yeot
Yeot is a variety of hangwa, or Korean traditional confectionery. It can be made in either liquid or solid form, as a syrup, taffy, or candy. Yeot is made from steamed rice, glutinous rice, glutinous sorghum, corn, sweet potatoes, or mixed grains...
(candies). Taesik is also a variety of the regional hangwa, made by mixing jocheong (liquefied yeot) and misu
Misu
Misu is a kind of Korean traditional drink made of grain powder. It is usually served in the hot summer days to quench thirst and also as an instant nutritious drink fulfilling the lost energy because of heat....
(steamed and dried mixed flour made from various grains and beans).
Pyongyang
PyongyangPyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
, nowadays the capital of North Korea was also the capital of Gojoseon
Gojoseon
Gojoseon was an ancient Korean kingdom. Go , meaning "ancient," distinguishes it from the later Joseon Dynasty; Joseon, as it is called in contemporaneous writings, is also romanized as Chosŏn....
, and the provincial capital of Pyongan
Pyongan
P'yŏngan was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. P'yŏngan was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was P'yŏngyang.-History:P'yŏngan Province was formed in 1413...
province until 1946. Therefore, Pyongyang cuisine shares with the general culinary tradition of Pyongan province. The most famous local food is Pyongyang naengmyeon, or also called mul naengmyeon or just simply naengmyeon. Naengmyeon literally means "cold noodles", while the affix, mul refers to "water" because the dish is served in a cold soup. Naengmyeon consists of thin and chewy buckwheat noodles in the cold broth mixed with a meat broth, and dongchimi
Dongchimi
Dongchimi is a variety of kimchi consisting of daikon, baechu , spring onions, fermented green chili, ginger, bae and watery brine in Korean cuisine...
(watery kimchi) and topped with a slice of sweet Korean pear. Pyongyang naengmyeon was originally eaten at home built with ondol
Ondol
An ondol, also called gudeul, in Korean traditional architecture, is underfloor heating which uses direct heat transfer from wood smoke to the underside of a thick masonry floor...
(traditional underfloor heating
Underfloor heating
Underfloor heating and cooling is a form of central heating and cooling which achieves indoor climate control for thermal comfort using conduction, radiation and convection...
) during the cold winter, so is also humorously called "Pyongyang deoldeori" (shivering in Pyongyang). Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as a haejangguk
Haejangguk
Haejangguk refers to all kinds of guk eaten as a hangover cure in Korean cuisine. It means "soup to chase a hangover" and also called sulguk in pure Korean...
which is any type of food eaten as a hangover cure while commonly a warm soup in form.
Another representative Pyongyang dish is Taedonggang sungeoguk, meaning "trout soup from the Taedong River
Taedong River
The Taedong River is a large river in North Korea. It rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north. It then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o. In between, it runs through the country's capital, Pyongyang. Along the river are landmarks such as the Juche Tower and Kim Il-sung...
". The soup is made with trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, which are abundant in the Taedong River, along with black peppercorns and salt. It is served as a courtesy for important guests visiting Pyongyang. Therefore, the question, "How good was the taste of the trout soup?" is commonly used to greet people returning from Pyongyang. In addition, Pyongyang onban (literally "warm rice of Pyongyang") is a local specialty. It is a rice dish made with freshly cooked rice topped with sliced mushrooms and chicken, and a couple of bindaetteok
Bindaetteok
Bindaetteok is a variety of jeon, a Korean style pancake...
(pancakes made from ground mung beans and vegetables).
Hamgyong province
HamgyongHamgyong
Hamgyŏng was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng.-History:...
province, consisting of North Hamgyong and South Hamgyong provinces, belongs to the administration of North Korea. It lies in the far northern region on the Korean peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
, comprising steep mountains and valleys while facing the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
(East Sea) to the east. Cereal crop farming is developed in the region, so diverse types of cereals in high quality are harvested such as millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, barnyard millet, sorghum
Sorghum bicolor
Sorghum bicolor, commonly called sorghum and also known as durra or jowari, is a grass species cultivated for its edible grain. Sorghum originated in northern Africa, and is now cultivated widely in tropical and subtropical regions. S. bicolor is typically an annual, but some cultivars are...
, soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s, and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
. In contrast with millet, and sorghum harvested in South Korea, those of Hamgyon provinces have more a glutinous feature, and have good and savory tastes. The quality of potatoes and corns is also high, so the starch obtained from the crops is used to make noodles. Fresh Alaska pollack and various fish are caught in the adjacent sea.
Although Hamgyong cuisine is not salty, garlic and chili pepper are heavily used as seasonings. The alternative name, dadegi, for chili powder-based sauce originates from the region. Hamhung naengmyeon, a cold noodle dish, is made with the sauce. It originates in Hamhung
Hamhung
Hamhŭng is North Korea's second largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. In late 2005, nearby Hŭngnam was made a ward within Hamhŭng-si. It has a population of 768,551 as of 2008.-Geography:...
, South Hamgyong province and is topped with hoe (sliced raw fish) seasoned with the hot and spicy sauce. The noodles are mixed with the hoe and sauce, so called hoe naengmyeon, which is different from naengmyeon eaten in the rest of North Korea. However, the taste of North Hamgyong province is plainer and less spicy than that of South Hamgyong province. The shape is large and a continental style, so decoration for dishes are simple and less luxurious. The nature of the locals are active, and enjoy wild foods.
Typical main dishes in Hamgyong cuisine include japgokbap (a bowl of cooked mixed multiple grains), jjinjobap (steamed sorghum), dak bibimbap (mixed rice and vegetables with chicken slices), eollin kongjuk (porridge made with frozen soybeans), and oksusujuk (corn porridge). Garitguk is a beef short rib
Short ribs
Short ribs are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, pork spare ribs...
soup topped with yukhoe
Yukhoe
Yukhoe refers to a variety of hoe , which are usually made from raw ground beef seasoned with various spices or sauces. It is basically a Korean steak tartare. Usually the most tender part of beef will be used...
, raw seasoned beef. Along with Hamhung naengmyeon, Mul naengmyeon, and gamja guksu (potato noodles) are common noodle dishes. Gamja makgari mandu is a dumpling made with ground potato.
Chagang and Ryanggang provinces
The Ryanggang and Chagang provinces of North Korea were formerly part of HamgyongHamgyong
Hamgyŏng was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng.-History:...
province and Pyongan
Pyongan
P'yŏngan was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. P'yŏngan was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was P'yŏngyang.-History:P'yŏngan Province was formed in 1413...
province until 1954. The two mountainous, landlocked provinces border China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to the north. Indian mustard
Brassica juncea
Brassica juncea, also known as mustard greens, Indian mustard, Chinese mustard, and leaf mustard, is a species of mustard plant. Subvarieties include southern giant curled mustard, which resembles a headless cabbage such as kale, but with a distinct horseradish-mustard flavor...
leaves, called gat in Korean, are cultivated in place of Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage , also known as celery cabbage, is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine. In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as "Chinese cabbage"...
, a main kimchi ingredient, which does not grow well in the region due to the poor geographic conditions. Indian mustard leaves have been eaten in spring and autumn as a main vegetable since ancient times, and used for making gat kimchi to preserve for winter. Gat kimchi has a refreshing and aromatic flavor, which can be retained without loss of texture for a long time. Therefore, gat kimchi is the most famous food representing the provinces. On the other hand, potatoes are also harvested in abundance, so dishes made with potatoes are diversely developed, with up to 80 distinct potato dishes. Representative potato dishes include gamja nongmal guksu, a noodle dish made with potato starch
Potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains . To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells...
, gamja tteok, a variety of tteok made with ground potato, gamajatang jorim made by braising
Braising
Braising , is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour...
potatoes, and gamja nongmal gangjeong, a fried confectionery made with potato starch. Gamja nongma guksu has a very strong chewy texture because the main ingredient is the starch obtained from potato. The noodles are seasoned with chopped green onions, and garlic, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and a mixture of sesame seeds and salt. Slices of kimchi, marinated and steamed beef and pork, and shredded cucumbers are added as toppings on the noodles. A broth is served separately.
Susutteok is a local specialty of Chagang province, made with locally produced sorghum, glutinous corn, soybeans, sesame seeds, and azuki beans. It is served with kimchi and namul
Namul
Namul is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul....
(sauteed vegetables) collected from mountains. Various foods made of sorghum can also be found in the province such as susu jijim (sorghum pancakes). In the province, diverse types of mountain fruits
Hwanghae province
HwanghaeHwanghae
Hwanghae was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju.The regional name for the province was Haesŏ .-History:...
province is divided into South Hwanghae province and North Hwanghae province since 1954. Thanks to the wide Yonbaek plain and Chaenyong plain, Hwanghae province is a granary
Granary
A granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
of North Korea and is known for its cereal production in good quality. As the millet seeds produced in the region are thick and have a good taste, they are as much eaten as barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
is consumed by people of the southern region. The abundant production of cereal crops leads to the quality of feedstuff for livestock, so the quality of meat produced in the region is said to be good. Chicken raised in every household is fleshy and of good quality, so used for many dishes in Hwanghae cuisine. Chicken is used as an ingredient for wheat noodle dishes and mandu
Mandu (dumpling)
Mandu are dumplings in Korean cuisine. They are similar to pelmeni and pierogi in some Slavic cultures. The name is a cognate to the names of similar types of meat-filled dumplings in Central Asia, such as Turkish manti, Kazakh manty, and Uzbek manti.In Korean cuisine, mandu generally denotes a...
(dumplings). The coastal area adjacent to Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
produce a lot of salt because the tideland in the area is developed and the rainfall is small. Due to the climate, kimchi
Kimchi
Kimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
of Hwanghae region has a clear and refreshing taste, so its brine is used as a soup in many occasions. Dongchimi brine is used as a broth for naengmyeon
Naengmyeon
Naengmyeon is a Korean dish of long and thin hand-made noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients: buckwheat , potatoes, sweet potatoes, 칡냉면, naengmyun made with the starch from arrowroot , and kudzu...
(cold buckwheat noodle dish) or for mixing with a bowl of chilled rice to make a midnight snack. Hwanghae people are known for kindheartedness and rustic simplicity, so their cuisine reflects this nature. Hwanghae dishes are savory and simple, with less decoration such as mandu made in a larger size than other regions'. The general taste is moderate, similar to that of Chungcheong
Chungcheong
Chungcheong was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea...
province.
The most famous Hwanghae dish is Haeju bibimbap originating in Haeju
Haeju
Haeju is a city located in South Hwanghae Province near Haeju Bay in North Korea. It is the administrative centre of South Hwanghae Province. As of 2000, the population of the city is estimated to be 236,000. At the beginning of 20th century, it became a strategic port in Sino-Korean trade...
. It consists of fried rice with chopped pork, various namul
Namul
Namul is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul....
(sauteed vegetables), sliced chicken unlike other bibimbap
Bibimbap
Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul and gochujang . A raw or fried egg and sliced meat are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating...
varieties. Other typical main dishes are ssalbap (steamed rice), seariban (steamed three grains), japgokbap (steamed various grains), kimchibap (steamed rice with kimchi), and bijibap (rice with soy pulp
Okara (food)
Okara or Soy Pulp is a white or yellowish pulp consisting of insoluble parts of the soybean which remain in the filter sack when pureed soybeans are filtered in the production of soy milk...
, residue in the preparation of tofu).
Gangwon/Kangwon province
Gangwon (or Kangwon) cuisine is simple and plain and consists of dishes made with potato, corn, buckwheat, or seafood. Typical main dishes are also based on potatoes and maize with various cooking methods such as ChuncheonChuncheon
Chuncheon is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the northeast of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River. There are some large lakes around the city, most notably Lake Soyang and Lake Uiam...
dakgalbi, gangnaengi bap (a bowl of steamed corn and rice), makguksu
Makguksu
Makguksu is a Korean buckwheat noodle dish served in a chilled broth. It is a local specialty of the Gangwon province of South Korea, and its capital city, Chuncheon.-Ingredients and preparation:...
(buckwheat noodle dish), patguksu (noodles in red bean soup), gamja ongsimi
Gamja ongsimi
Gamja ongsimi is a variety of sujebi in Korean cuisine, consisting of dumplings made from ground potato and chopped vegetables in a clear broth. It is a local specialty of Gangwon province, South Korea, where a lot of potatoes are cultivated and harvested due to the cold weather. It has a...
(potato dumpling soup), bangpungjuk (porridge made with Glehnia littoralis
Glehnia littoralis
Glehnia littoralis is a species of plant in the "carrot family", Apiaceae, known by several common names including beach silvertop and American silvertop in English, and bei sha shen and shan hu cai in Chinese...
), gangnaengi beombeok (mashed boiled corn with grains), and gamja beombeok (mashed boiled potato with grains).
Kaesong
As KaesongKaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
was the capital of Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
with almost 500 years of rule, its culinary culture was highly developed. The luxurious style of Kaesong cuisine is frequently compared with those of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
cuisine and Jeolla
Jeolla
Jeolla was a province in southwestern Korea, one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and the Special City of Gwangju as well as Jeju Island...
cuisine. Kaesong cuisine was traditionally treated as part of Gyeonggi cuisine, since Kaesong belonged to Gyeonggi province until 1949. However, it has been incorporated into the administration of North Korea after the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
while Gyeonggi province is administered by South Korea. Bossam kimchi (wrapped kimchi), pyeonsu (summer mandu in square shape), sinseollo
Sinseollo
Sinseollo or yeolguja tang is an elaborate dish consisting of meatballs, small and round jeonyueo , mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a rich broth in Korean royal court cuisine. The dish is a form of jeongol...
(royal casserole), seolleongtang
Seolleongtang
Seolleongtang or Sul Lung Tang is a Korean broth soup made from ox bones , brisket and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, or chopped spring onions...
(beef tripe soup), chueotang (mudfish soup), joraengi tteokguk (dumpling soup), umegi (tteok covered with syrup), and gyeongdan (ball-shaped tteok) are representative Kaesong dishes. Umegi, also called Kaesong juak is a holiday food of Kaesong, and known for the delicate style with the sweet and nutty taste. The dish is made by kneading a mixture of rice flour and glutinous rice flour with warm water, by shaping the dough into balls with either one pine nut or jujube
Jujube
Ziziphus zizyphus , commonly called jujube , red date, Chinese date, Korean date, or Indian date is a species of Ziziphus in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae, used primarily as a fruiting shade tree.-Distribution:Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation,...
, by frying and coating them with syrup.
Gyeonggi province
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, the old capital of Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
until 1949. Mountain vegetables are obtained from the mountains surrounding Seoul, while fish and seafood are harvested from the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, located to the west. In Gyeonggi cuisine, jeotgal (fermented salted seafood) are abundant, and among them jogijeot
Jogijeot
Jogijeot is a variety of jeotgal, a salted fermented dish made with croaker in Korean cuisine. Jeotgal is widely consumed in South Korea. The name consists of the two Korean words, jogi and jeot...
(made with croaker
Sciaenidae
Sciaenidae is a family of fish commonly called drums, croakers, or hardheads for the repetitive throbbing or drumming sounds they make...
) and saeujeot
Saeujeot
Saeujeot is a variety of jeotgal, salted and fermented food made with small shrimp in Korean cuisine. It is the most consumed jeotgal along with myeolchijeot in South Korea. The name consists of the two Korean words, saeu and jeot...
(made with small shrimp) are often used as ingredients in kimchi
Kimchi
Kimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, green onions or cucumber. It is the most common...
. The climate is relatively mild and various types of cereal crops are harvested, so dishes made with grain crops are especially developed. Ogokbap
Ogokbap
Ogokbap or five-grains rice is a kind of Korean food made of a bowl of steamed rice mixed with grains including barley, foxtail millet, millet and soy beans. Ogokbap usually served during the end of winter, especially on the first full moon of the year...
(steamed five cereal crops) and chalbap (steamed glutinous rice) are enjoyed as main dishes. Although the province borders Seoul, its cuisine is generally simple and its flavors and use of seasonings are moderate except Kaesong cuisine. Due to the sophisticated culinary culture, and diverse dishes, Kaesong cuisine is often compared with Seoul cuisine and Korean royal court cuisine
Korean royal court cuisine
Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
. Since Gyeonggi province borders the provinces of Gangwon
Gangwon-do (South Korea)
Gangwon-do is a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Korea in 1945, Gangwon and its North Korean neighbour Kangwŏn formed a single province.-History:...
, Chungcheong
Chungcheong
Chungcheong was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea...
, Hwanghae
Hwanghae
Hwanghae was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju.The regional name for the province was Haesŏ .-History:...
, the cuisine has much in common with the cuisines of neighboring provinces, including flavors and naming conventions for dishes.
Savory grain dishes with a large amount are numerous, such as sujebi
Sujebi
Sujebi or milgaru ddeudeo guk is a Korean traditional soup consisting of dough flakes roughly torn by hand, with various vegetables. The flavor and recipe resemble kalguksu, except that the latter is made with noodles rather than wheat flakes...
(dumpling soup) and beombeok (thick mixed-grain porridge). They are made with either pumpkin, potato, corn, wheat flour, or azuki beans. Noodle soups such as Jemul guksu (noodles in soybean paste soup) and memilkal ssakdugi (knife-cut noodle soup) also have a thick broth and a savory taste along with a soft texture in contrast with naeongmyeon in the clear dongchimi
Dongchimi
Dongchimi is a variety of kimchi consisting of daikon, baechu , spring onions, fermented green chili, ginger, bae and watery brine in Korean cuisine...
broth eaten in the northern region. Naengkongguk (soybean soup with dumplings) is also a common dish which is also a local specialty of Chungcheong and Hwanghae provinces.
Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
is extravagantly presented, and prepared according to strict quality rules. Meals are served in small portions and many dishes. The cooking uses many seasonings, but the taste is not overly spicy. Typical main dishes include seolleongtang
Seolleongtang
Seolleongtang or Sul Lung Tang is a Korean broth soup made from ox bones , brisket and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, or chopped spring onions...
(beef soup with rice), gukbap (soup with rice), tteokguk (rice cake soup), heukimjajuk
Heukimjajuk
Heukimjajuk is a juk made of ground black sesame seeds and rice. Heukimja means black sesame. Heukimjajuk has a unique flavor, and since it is a high calorie food and easy to digest, it is usually eaten to aid the body in repairing itself after an illness...
(black sesame porridge), jatjuk
Jatjuk
Jatjuk or jaht jook is a variety of juk , or Korean porridge, made by boiling finely ground pine nuts and rice flour or soaked rice in water. It is seasoned with salt and garnished with pine nuts and sliced jujubes. The dish has been regarded as a quality food in Korea because of its rich and...
(pine nut
Pine nut
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines . About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food....
porridge), memil mandu (dumpling with a buckwheat covering), saengchi mandu (dumpling stuffed with pheasant meat), and pyeonsu (square-shaped mandu with vegetable filling). Among them, seolleongtang is the most widely known Seoul dish, and is also popular nationwide. The dish is said to be strongly associated with the Seonnongdan shrine in the neighborhood of Jegi-dong
Jegi-dong
Jegi-dong is a dong, neighbourhood of Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul, South Korea.- See also :*Administrative divisions of South KoreaJegi-dong is an area of Dongdaemun-gu. It is known for its traditional markets, Gyeongdong Market and Dongseo Market...
, Dongdaemun-gu
Dongdaemun-gu
Dongdaemun-gu is one of the 25 gu of Seoul, South Korea. It is located to the north of the River Han. Its district office is in Yongdu-dong where is close to the underground station of branch of Line 2....
, Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
where the kings of Korea held an annual national ritual to pray for a good harvest. After the ritual everyone there gathered to eat a beef soup together, which was made by boiling beef and its tripe in dozens of gamasots (cauldron
Cauldron
A cauldron or caldron is a large metal pot for cooking and/or boiling over an open fire, with a large mouth and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger.- Etymology :...
s) with water.
Representative Seoul soups or stews are sinseollo
Sinseollo
Sinseollo or yeolguja tang is an elaborate dish consisting of meatballs, small and round jeonyueo , mushrooms, and vegetables cooked in a rich broth in Korean royal court cuisine. The dish is a form of jeongol...
(royal casserole), gaksaek jeongol (casserole made with various ingredients) and yukgaejang
Yukgaejang
Yukgaejang is a spicy, soup-like Korean dish made from shredded beef with scallions and other ingredients, which are simmered together for a long time. It is a variety of gomguk, or thick soup, which was formerly served in Korean royal court cuisine...
(spicy beef soup with rice).
Gujeolpan
Gujeolpan
Gujeolpan refers to either an elaborate Korean dish consisting of nine different foods assorted on a wooden plate with nine divided sections in an octagon shape or the plate itself. The name is composed of three hanja words: gu , jeol , and pan in Korean...
(nine-sectioned plate), galbijjim
Galbijjim
Galbijjim or kalbijjim is a variety of jjim or Korean steamed dish made with galbi . Beef galbi is sometimes referred to as "gari" , so the dish can be called "garijjim". Galbijjim is generally made with beef or pork short ribs. In the latter case, it is called dweji galbijjim...
(braised meat short ribs), tteokjjim (boiled tteok, beef and vegetables), tteokbokki
Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki, also known as Ddeokbokki is a popular Korean snack food which is commonly purchased from street vendors or Pojangmacha. Originally it was called tteok jjim , and was a braised dish of sliced rice cake, meat, eggs, and seasoning. Tteok jjim an early variant of modern tteokbokki, was...
(stir-fried tteok and vegetables), braised dishes in soy sauce
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
such as honghapcho and jeonbokcho respectively made with mussels and abalone, gannap (beef liver pancake), Raw dishes such as gaphoe (seasoned raw beef tripe
Tripe
Tripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
), gulhoe (raw oyster) are also part of Seoul cuisine. Pressed or dried dishes such as pyeonyuk
Pyeonyuk
Pyeonyuk refers to thinly sliced meat which has been boiled and pressed in Korean cuisine. It can be either made with beef or pig, usually tough parts of meat. The pyeonyuk made with beef is called suyuk pyeonyuk while jeyuk pyeonyuk is named for pyeonyuk made with pork...
made with ox's tongue or bricket, jokpyeon
Jokpyeon
Jokpyeon is a jelly-like Korean traditional dish that is traditionally eaten around Seolnal throughout Korea. It is made by boiling offal or tough meat containing a great deal of collagen, such as the hooves, skull, and skin of a cow, for a long time. Shank and tendon can be added to make the dish...
(gelatin), eochae (parboiled fish fillet), yukpo (beef jerky), suran (poached egg
Poached egg
A poached egg is an egg that has been cooked by poaching, that is, in water.-Preparation:The egg is cracked into a bowl of any size, and then gently slid into a pan of simmering water and cooked until the egg white has mostly solidified, but the yolk remains soft...
), sukju namul (sauteed mung bean spouts), mugeun namul bokkeum (sauteed dried various mountain vegetables), hobakseon (steamed stuffed zucchini), gimssam (wraps with gim
Gim (food)
Gim , also spelled as kim, is the Korean-word for edible seaweed in the genus Porphyra. In Welsh this food is called laver...
, seaweed), maedeup jaban (fried kombu
Kombu
Kombu or konbu , also called dashima or haidai , is edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae widely eaten in East Asia....
in a ribbon shape), are banchan
Banchan
Banchan refers to small dishes of food served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. This word is used both in the singular and plural....
representing Seoul cuisine. Especially, gujeolpan and sinseollo show well the sophisticated style of the Seoul cuisine.
Dried fish such as gulbi (dried salted yellow croaker), gwamegi
Gwamegi
Gwamegi is a Korean half-dried Pacific herring or Pacific saury made during winter. It is mostly eaten in the region of North Gyeongsang Province such as Pohang, Uljin, and Yeongdeok where a large amount of the fish are harvested...
(half-dried Pacific herring
Pacific herring
The Pacific herring, Clupea pallasii, is a species of the herring family associated with the Pacific Ocean environment of North America and northeast Asia. This species is a silvery fish with unspined fins and a deeply forked caudal fin...
or Pacific saury
Pacific saury
The Pacific saury, Cololabis saira, is a member of the family Scomberesocidae. This saury, which is a food source in some East Asian cuisines, is also known by the name mackerel pike.- Name :...
), amchi
AMCHI
Founded in 1986, and registered as a Non-Profit Association, AMCHI was dedicated to support humanitarian projects in India, and mainly with Tibetan refugee camps....
(dried salted brown croaker) are grilled or panfried to make jeon
Jeon (food)
Jeon , buchimgae, jijimgae, or jijim refer to many pancake-like dishes in Korean cuisine. It has been also called jeonyueo or jeonyuhwa, especially in Korean royal court cuisine. Sometimes, jeonya is used as an abbreviated term for the two...
, Korean style pancakes. Seoul cuisine has a lot of mitbanchan (basic side dishes made for preservation) such as yukpo (beef jerky), jeotgal
Jeotgal
Jeotgal or jeot is a salted fermented food in Korean cuisine. It is made with various seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, shellfish, fish, fish eggs, and fish intestines....
(salted fermented seafood) and jangajji
Jangajji
Jangajji or jangachi is a type of pickle in Korean cuisine which is made by pickling or marinating vegetables in a sauce for a long period of time. The dish is also sometimes called janghwa . It was historically made during the harvest season and was eaten as a banchan when vegetables were scarce...
(pickles). Unique kimchi found in Seoul are jang kimchi (water kimchi seasoned with soy sauce) and suk kkakdugi (kimchi made with parboiled daikon).
During the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
, the villages of Bukchon and Namchon were referred to as "Namju Byukbyeong" that literally means "Namchon for alcoholic beverages, Bukchon for tteok" (rice cakes) because tteok were made on many occasions in Seoul. There are many tteok made with high quality ingredients and a lot of labor in Seoul cuisine such as danja
Danja (food)
-Variety:*Daechu danja, made with jujube,*Ssukguri danja, made with Artemisia princeps var. orientalis,*Bam danja, made with chestnut* Yuja danja, made with yuzu,*Eunhaeng danja, made with Gingko seeds...
. It is usually used as a decoration for other tteok and is shaped into a ball or a square after its dough pounded, and stuffed with a sweeten filling and covered with gomul (powder coating or sliced fruits). The danja varieties are made with jujube, Artemisia princeps var. orientalis, chestnut, yuzu
Yuzu
The yuzu is a citrus fruit and plant originating in East Asia. It is believed to be a hybrid of sour mandarin and Ichang papeda...
, Gingko seeds, gotgam (dried persimmon), Job's tears
Job's Tears
Job's Tears , Coixseed, Tear Grass, adlay, or adlai, is a tall grain-bearing tropical plant of the family Poaceae native to Southeast Asia but elsewhere cultivated in gardens as an annual. It has been naturalized in the southern United States and the New World tropics...
and seogi (Umbilicaria esculenta). Other typical tteok include duteop tteok covered with azuki bean crumbles, sangchu tteok made with lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, gaksaekpyeon made by adding color or flavors, neuti tteok made with young leaves of Zelkova serrata
Zelkova serrata
Zelkova serrata is a species of Zelkova native to Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan. It is often grown as an ornamental tree, and used in bonsai.-Description:...
, yaksik made with nuts and jujubes, hwajeon
Hwajeon
Hwajeon is a small, sweet pancake or tteok made of any edible flower petals such as azalea or chrysanthemum and glutinous rice flour, and sugar in Korean cuisine...
made with flower petal
Edible flowers
Edible flowers are flowers that can be consumed safely. Edible flowers may be preserved for future use using techniques such as drying, freezing or steeping in oil. They can be used in drinks, jellies, salads, soups, syrups and main dishes. Flower-flavoured oils and vinegars are made by steeping...
s, juak made by pan-frying and honey-glazing, mulhobak tteok made with pumpkin, and solbangul tteok made with pine cone
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
s.
Typical hangwa
Hangwa
Hangwa is a general term for Korean traditional confectionery. Common ingredients in hangwa are grain flour, honey, yeot, sugar, fruit or edible root.-Types of hangwa:*Yumilgwa : made by frying and kneading....
or Korean confectioneries are yakgwa
Yakgwa
Yakgwa is a Korean traditional dish. It was originally considered as a dessert and more recently as a confectionery , because of its sweet taste and flower biscuit shape. Yakgwa is made mainly from honey, sesame oil, and wheat flour.-Origin:...
, mandugwa
Mandugwa
Mandugwa is a variety of hangwa traditional Korean confectionery, consisting of a fried dumpling stuffed with a sweetened filling and coated with jocheong, or liquid candy. Its dough is prepared kneaded with wheat flour, honey, and sesame oil. The filling is made with filtered steamed jujubes mixed...
, maejakgwa
Maejakgwa
Maejakgwa or tareagwa is a variety of hahngwa, or Korean traditional confection, consisting of wheat flour, vegetable oil, cinnamon, ginger juice, jocheong, and pine nuts. It is also categorized as a form of yumilgwa....
, and various types of yeotgangjeong
Yeotgangjeong
Yeotgangjeong is a variety of hangwa, or traditional Korean confectionery, consisting of a taffy cracker covered with sesame seeds, various nuts, puffed grains, or pan-fried beans with jocheong, liquid candy.-External links:*...
and dasik
Dasik
Dasik is a variety of hangwa or Korean confectionery, mainly eaten with Korean tea.It is made from nongmal , pine pollen , Ostericum grosseserratum , black sesame, honey, flour from rice or other grains, nuts and/or herbs.Dasik is kneaded and pressed with...
. Both yakgwa and maejakgwa are fried pastries made with wheat flour and honey while each has a distinctive shape and texture; the former with a flower patten shape and a soft texture; the latter in a ribbon shape with a crispy texture. Mandugwa is a confectionery made by frying a dumpling filled with sweeten jujube. Yeotgangjeong, or taffy rice cracker is covered with sesame seeds, peanuts, or ground pine nuts. Dasik is a pattern pressed cake eaten when drinking tea, made with black sesame seeds, soybean, pollen powders, chestnut, starch, rice or a mixture of wheat flour and honey.
Various hwachae
Hwachae
Hwachae is a general term for Korean traditional punches made with various fruits or edible flower petals soaked in omija or honeyed juice.-Types:...
(Korean punch
Punch (drink)
Punch is the term for a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century; from there its use spread to other countries...
) and tea
Korean tea
Korean tea refers to various types of tisane that can be served hot or cold. Not necessarily related to "common" tea, they are made from diverse substances including fruits, leaves, roots, and grains used in traditional Korean medicine....
s are also part of Seoul cuisine. Hwachae is eaten cold and made with fruits (e.g. omija hwachae
Omija hwachae
Omija hwachae or Omijacha is a kind of Korean traditional drink made of fruit herbs called omija . It is usually served during the hot summer days as energy replenishment and for quenching thirst. Koreans made use of the herbs as remedy ingredients as well as traditional drinks...
), edible flower petals (e.g. jindallae hwachae
Jindallae hwachae
Jindallae hwachae is a variety of hwachae, or Korean traditional fruit punch, made with azalea petals and mung bean starch. It is prepared for Samjinnal .-External links:**...
), tteok (e.g. wonsobyeong), steamed grains (e.g. bori sudan), or traditional medical ingredients. Examples of fruit teas are yujacha
Yujacha
Yujacha or yuja cha is a traditional Korean tea made from citron. Yuja fruit is thinly sliced with its peel and combined with honey or sugar, prepared as fruit preserves...
, mogwacha
Mogwacha
Mogwacha is a traditional Korean tea made with Chinese Quince, which is called mogwa in Korean. There are two ways of making mogwacha: boiling dried Chinese Quince or diluting its juice into boiling water.-See also:*Korean tea...
, omijacha, gugijacha, and daechucha
Daechucha
Daechucha is a traditional Korean tea made with dried jujubes, which are called daechu in Korean. There are two ways of making daechucha: boiling dried jujubes or diluting the juice of fresh or preserved jujubes into boiling water...
. On the other hand, typical herbal teas can be made with spices like ginger and cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
, herbs such as Ginseng radicle, Angelica
Angelica
Angelica is a genus of about 60 species of tall biennial and perennial herbs in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, reaching as far North as Iceland and Lapland...
, or grains such as Senna obtusifolia
Senna obtusifolia
Senna obtusifolia is a legume in the genus Senna, sometimes separated in the monotypic genus Diallobus. It grows wild in North, Central, and South America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, and is considered a particularly serious weed in many places...
. At royal court
Korean royal court cuisine
Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
, jehotang
Jehotang
Jehotang is a cold Korean tea made with honey and several ingredients used in traditional Korean medicine. The ingredients include omaeyuk , sain , baekdanhyang , and chogwa...
was considered the best summer drink. The cold drink is made with honey, water and the powders of dried and roasted Prunus mume fruits, Amomi Semen, Sandalwood Red, and Amomum tsao-ko. Ogwacha
Ogwacha
Ogwacha is a traditional Korean tea made with walnuts, chestnuts, Gingko seeds, jujubes, gotgam , and ginger. It is known as a good remedy for people who frequently get a flu and cough...
that literally means "five fruits" is made with walnuts, chestnuts, Gingko seeds, jujube, and ginger.
Chungcheong province
ChungcheongChungcheong
Chungcheong was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea...
consists of the provinces of North Chungcheong, which is landlocked, and South
Chungcheong, which faces the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
to its west. Although there are many differences between the two provinces' geographical conditions, the locals in both generally engage in agriculture as their occupation. The Yedang Plain, in the area watered by the Baengma River in South Chungcheong province provides an abundant harvest of grain crops, while the Yellow Sea is a good fishery. During the Three Kingdoms period of Korea (57 BC – 668 AD), barley and millet were respectively the main dishes for the Silla
Silla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
kingdom (57 BC–935) and the Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
kingdom (37 BC–668), whereas rice was assumed to have been the main grain for the Baekje
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....
kingdom (18 BC–660). Chungcheong province was the home province of Baekje.
Jeolla province
The cuisine of the southwestern region of JeollaJeolla
Jeolla was a province in southwestern Korea, one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and the Special City of Gwangju as well as Jeju Island...
, consisting of the provinces of North Jeolla and South Jeolla, is famous for its rich and sumptuous style, comparable with Kaesong cuisine. While Kaesong cuisine, which retains the tradition of the Goryeo
Goryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
Dynasty, is very conservative, Jeolla cuisine preserves a unique culinary tradition that has been handed from Yangban
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
(noble class) of the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. Jeolla region has the fertile Honam Plain that provides an abundant harvest of rice. The Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
and East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
which respectively are adjacent to the west and east offer a diverse seafood to the table.
Gyeongsang province
Gyeongsang cuisine is based on GyeongsangGyeongsang
Gyeongsang was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea....
province consisting of North Gyeongsang and South Gyeongsang provinces. The region has a similar climate with that of Jeolla
Jeolla
Jeolla was a province in southwestern Korea, one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and the Special City of Gwangju as well as Jeju Island...
province because both geographically border two seas-Gyeongsang province borders Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
(East Sea) to the east, and East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
to the south. However, the types of harvested fish and seafood are different from each other, and fish are regarded as the best foodstuff in Gyeongsang cuisine. Seafood is variously cooked in the cuisine, and especially hoe
Hoe (dish)
Hoe may refer to various raw food dishes in Korean cuisine. Saengseon hoe or "Hwal-eo hoe" is thinly sliced raw fish or other raw seafood ; yukhoe is hoe made with a raw beef and seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine; and gan hoe is raw beef liver with a sauce of sesame oil and...
, raw sliced seafood is considered the best delicacy. Soups made with fresh fish are common in Gyeongsang province unlike other mountainous and landlock regions. Myeolchi jeot (fermented salted anchovies) is the most commonly prepared jeotgal
Jeotgal
Jeotgal or jeot is a salted fermented food in Korean cuisine. It is made with various seafood, such as shrimp, oysters, shellfish, fish, fish eggs, and fish intestines....
(fermented salted seafood), the number of jeotgal types placed on the table for a meal is the next after Jeolla province. The style of Gyeongsang cuisine is simple with less decoration, while various seasonings are heavily used, so the taste is even much more salty and hot and spicy than Jeolla cuisine's. Fields in the province produces diverse grain crops and noodles are the most enjoyed dish among the foods made with grains. The locals prefer noodles with soft texture made by mixing raw soybean powder, cut by a kitchen knife.
Andong
Andong
Andong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 in October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city...
, a city that was once the center of Korea's Confucianist traditions, has a wide variety of local delicacies. As well as Andong jjimdak
Andong jjimdak
Andong jjimdak is a variety of jjim , which originated in the city of Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and is made with chicken, various vegetables marinated in a ganjang based sauce. The name literally means "steamed chicken of Andong."-Origin:There are many speculations on the origin of the dish...
, it is the birthplace of heotjesabap
Heotjesabap
Heotjesa bap , a traditional Korean dish, is a variety of bibimbap, served with soy sauce instead of the gochujang that is more commonly used. Hutjesa bab consists of mainly several types of namul over white rice...
(fake jesa food), Andong soju
Andong soju
Andong soju is a kind of distilled soju produced in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do.-Brewage:The process of making the nuruk of Andong soju is: wash and dry wheat, crush it, and mix it with water by hand...
, salted mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
, and a spicy variety of sikhye
Sikhye
Sikhye is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert...
(a fermented rice drink).
Jeju Island
Jeju Island is the southernmost and largest island isolated from the Korean peninsulaKorean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. Due to its lack of fresh water, paddy farming is only done on a small scale on the island, with the cultivation of cereal crops such as millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
, barnyard millet, buckwheat, and barley being the main feature of agriculture. Therefore, the traditional Jeju meal generally consisted of japgokbap which is a bowl of steamed multiple grains as a main dish, with various salted dried fish called jaban as banchan
Banchan
Banchan refers to small dishes of food served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. This word is used both in the singular and plural....
(side dishes), and a soup based on doenjang
Doenjang
Doenjang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste. Its name literally means "thick paste" in Korean.-Production:...
(soybean paste) such as baechuguk made with Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage
Napa cabbage , also known as celery cabbage, is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine. In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as "Chinese cabbage"...
, kongnipguk made with soybean leaves, or muguk made with daikon
Daikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
. Jeju dishes are made with simple ingredients, and the taste is generally salty. Raw seafood called hoe is commonly consumed as a part of the meal. The warm weather affects Jeju cuisine in that gimjang, preparing kimchi in late autumn for winter consumption, is not necessary to Jeju locals unlike the other provinces. Only a small amount of kimchi is pickled by Jeju locals. Representative main dishes in Jeju cuisine are porridge made with fish, seafood, seaweeds, or mushrooms. Examples include jeonbokjuk
Jeonbokjuk
Jeonbokjuk is a variety of juk , or Korean porridge, made with abalone and white rice. Abalone is regarded as a high quality ingredient in Korean cuisine and was often presented as a gift to the king of Korea.The dish is a local specialty of Jeju Island where abalones are commonly harvested...
made with abalone
Abalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
, okdomjuk made with Red tilefish, gejuk made with crabs, gingijuk made with small crabs called bangge (Helice tridens
Helice tridens
Helice tridens is a species of crab which lives on mudflats around the coasts of Japan and the Korean Peninsula.-Ecology:It is semi-terrestrial, returning to the sea to spawn. The species appears to be adversely affected by the presence of raccoons , an invasive predator. H...
), maeyeoksae juk made with young wakame
Wakame
, Undaria pinnatifida, or Miyeok in Korean, is a sea vegetable, or edible seaweed. It has a subtly sweet flavour and is most often served in soups and salads....
, and chogijuk made with shiitake
Shiitake
The Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
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See also
- Korean cuisine
- Korean royal court cuisineKorean royal court cuisineKorean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
- Korean temple cuisineKorean temple cuisineKorean temple cuisine refers to a type of cuisine that originated in Buddhist temples of Korea. Since Buddhism was introduced into Korea, Buddhist traditions have strongly influenced Korean cuisine as well...
- Koryo-saram#Cuisine
- List of Korean dishes
External links
- Official site of Korea National Tourism List of Korean Food
- Food in Korea at the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation
- The Korea Society Podcast: Quick and Easy Korean Cooking