Memilmuk
Encyclopedia
Memilmuk is a Korean food that is a variety of muk
made from buckwheat
starch
, which has a jelly-like consistency. It is light gray-brown in color and is most commonly eaten as memilmuk muchim (메밀묵무침), a banchan
(side dish
) in which chunks of memilmuk are mixed with kimchi
, ground sesame
seeds, and soy sauce.
Memilmuk was a common treat in Korea during the mid-20th century, and is still widely served by South Korean street vendors and restaurants today. When drinking soju
, memilmuk may also be served as an anju
(side dish eaten while drinking alcoholic beverages).
Similar foods include nokdumuk
and hwangpomuk
, both of which are made from mung bean
starch, and dotorimuk
, which is made of acorn
starch, as well as the Japanese konnyaku (konjac
), which is made from the corm
of Amorphophallus konjac
.
Dokebi Bride, the use of memilmuk to call on dokebi is an important plot device.
Muk (food)
Muk or mook is a generic term referring to Korean dishes made from grains, beans, or nut starch such as buckwheat, sesame, and acorns, which have a jelly-like consistency...
made from buckwheat
Buckwheat
Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...
starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
, which has a jelly-like consistency. It is light gray-brown in color and is most commonly eaten as memilmuk muchim (메밀묵무침), a 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 dish
Side dish
A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.-Common types:...
) in which chunks of memilmuk are mixed with 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...
, ground sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
seeds, and soy sauce.
Memilmuk was a common treat in Korea during the mid-20th century, and is still widely served by South Korean street vendors and restaurants today. When drinking soju
Soju
Soju is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to sugars added in the manufacturing process, and more commonly consumed neat.Most brands of soju are made in South Korea...
, memilmuk may also be served as an anju
Anju (food)
Anju is a general term for a Korean side dish consumed with alcohol . Some of these side dishes can also be ordered as an appetizer or a main dish. These side dishes are different from the banchan side dishes served with a regular Korean meal...
(side dish eaten while drinking alcoholic beverages).
Similar foods include nokdumuk
Nokdumuk
Nokdumuk also spelled noktumuk is a Korean muk, or jelly, made from mung bean starch. In its most commonly encountered form, it is also called cheongpomuk , which literally means "clear froth jelly," owing to its clear white color...
and hwangpomuk
Hwangpomuk
Hwangpomuk is a Korean food which is a yellow jelly made from mung beans. The yellow color comes from dyeing with the fruit of gardenia...
, both of which are made from mung bean
Mung bean
The mung bean is the seed of Vigna radiata. It is native to the Indian subcontinent.-Description:They are small, ovoid in shape, and green in color...
starch, and dotorimuk
Dotorimuk
Dotorimuk or acorn jelly is a Korean food which is a jelly made from acorn starch. Although "muk" means "jelly", when used without qualifiers, it usually refers to dotorimuk...
, which is made of acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
starch, as well as the Japanese konnyaku (konjac
Konjac
Konjac , also known as konjak, konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam , is a plant of the genus Amorphophallus...
), which is made from the corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
of Amorphophallus konjac
Konjac
Konjac , also known as konjak, konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam , is a plant of the genus Amorphophallus...
.
Place in Korean folklore
From ancient times, memilmuk was thought to be irresistible to dokebi.In popular culture
In the manhwaManhwa
Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...
Dokebi Bride, the use of memilmuk to call on dokebi is an important plot device.