Teaching English in Korea
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Korean Food
Green Tea, Soy Sauce and Kimchi. Korean Food is a culinary experience you're unlikely to quickly forget...
Korean food is of course first and foremost Asian. You may think you know all about Asian food since you eat Chop Suey or Sweet and Sour Chicken every other Saturday from the Chinese Restaurant in your neighbourhood, but let me assure you that the only similarity might be the wall paper plastered around your table.
Unless you've lived in Asia before or come from an Asian background, the types of food you'll encounter in Korea will most likely look different, smell different and taste different from anything you've ever encountered before.
Basic Characteristics of Korean food
Unless you've lived in Asia before or come from an Asian background, the types of food you'll encounter in Korea will most likely look different, smell different and taste different from anything you've ever encountered before.
Basic Characteristics of Korean food
A Korean meal consists of a main serving and several side dishes served in small bowls to a family or gathering. The main dish will usually consist of either noodles, vegetables and meat while the side dishes consist of kimchi (spicy Korean cabbage), radishes, soy bean paste and other vegetables.
A Western serving of one or two different foods on a solitary plate looks sad and lonely to a Korean since their meals are always accompanied by several side dishes (called 'Banchan') that are shared communally between everyone that's eating. At any Korean meal setting the only dish that you can actually claim as your own is your bowl of rice and your bowl of soup. Everything else is served in communal dishes and shared between all the hungry participants.
A Western serving of one or two different foods on a solitary plate looks sad and lonely to a Korean since their meals are always accompanied by several side dishes (called 'Banchan') that are shared communally between everyone that's eating. At any Korean meal setting the only dish that you can actually claim as your own is your bowl of rice and your bowl of soup. Everything else is served in communal dishes and shared between all the hungry participants.
This often seems weird to Westerners at first. We are used to having or own plates with our own food that is not usually shared with others, but eaten by us alone. But in Korea the style of food serving takes place within a sharing and giving culture and displays this characteristic.
Most Korean foods are spicy and contain either red pepper paste (called go-chu-jang) or soy sauce.
Some Korean Dishes
Normally, the name of the dish is simply a combination of the name of the main ingredient (say pork, beef, chicken etc.) and the way it is cooked or prepared. Beef that has been grilled has no special name like 'steak' or 'Fillet', it's simply called 'Grilled Beef' in Korean. The same goes for most food types.
Common ingredients:
1. Beef > so-kogi (kogi means "meat"... most of the time they just omit this.)
2. Pork > teji-kogi
Rib > kal-bi
3. Fish > seng-son
Tuna > cham-chi
Mackerel > ku-dong-o
4. Duck > o-ri
5. Rice > bap
6. Dog > Ke (Yep, it's quite popular!)
7. Vegetable > ya-je
8. Potato > kam-ja
9. Squid > o-jing-o
10. Octupus > nak-ji
Common ways of cooking:
1. Fried > ti-kim
2. Panbroiled > bu-kum
3. Soup/broth/stew > tang
> kuk (some spicy, some are not)
> chi-ge (normally spicy!)
4. Roast/grilled > ku-i
5. Mixed > bi-bim
When you combine the main ingredient with the way it's cooked you end up with a dish name. For example:
French Fries > Kamja-tikim
Beef Rib Stew > So-kalbi-tang (One on my favourites :-)
Grilled Mackerel > Kudong-o-ku-i
Potato Stew > Kamja Tang
Where to eat?
Most Korean foods are spicy and contain either red pepper paste (called go-chu-jang) or soy sauce.
Some Korean Dishes
Normally, the name of the dish is simply a combination of the name of the main ingredient (say pork, beef, chicken etc.) and the way it is cooked or prepared. Beef that has been grilled has no special name like 'steak' or 'Fillet', it's simply called 'Grilled Beef' in Korean. The same goes for most food types.
Common ingredients:
1. Beef > so-kogi (kogi means "meat"... most of the time they just omit this.)
2. Pork > teji-kogi
Rib > kal-bi
3. Fish > seng-son
Tuna > cham-chi
Mackerel > ku-dong-o
4. Duck > o-ri
5. Rice > bap
6. Dog > Ke (Yep, it's quite popular!)
7. Vegetable > ya-je
8. Potato > kam-ja
9. Squid > o-jing-o
10. Octupus > nak-ji
Common ways of cooking:
1. Fried > ti-kim
2. Panbroiled > bu-kum
3. Soup/broth/stew > tang
> kuk (some spicy, some are not)
> chi-ge (normally spicy!)
4. Roast/grilled > ku-i
5. Mixed > bi-bim
When you combine the main ingredient with the way it's cooked you end up with a dish name. For example:
French Fries > Kamja-tikim
Beef Rib Stew > So-kalbi-tang (One on my favourites :-)
Grilled Mackerel > Kudong-o-ku-i
Potato Stew > Kamja Tang
Where to eat?
Kimchi is what Korean cuisine is most famous for. This red pickled cabbage dish is sure to give you a shock the first time you taste it's spicy flavour, but it soon becomes addictive.
A typical Korean dish served at a Restaurant. Bibimbap (Mixed rice). This is usually served with many side small side dishes.
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All apartments in Korea come with a equipped kitchen and a stove, it's normally a good idea to buy a microwave as well. Cooking and eating at home is the cheapest option and will run you between 250,000 - 350,000 Won per month.
Read more about Housing in Korea.
For those with little to no culinary experience, restaurants in Korea are a fairly cheap option as long as you stick to Korean restaurants. Going to Western diners, grills or steakhouses are very expensive. If you want to save money, it's a good idea to savour those for special occasions or once-a-month outings.
Read more about Cost of Living in Korea.
Read more about Housing in Korea.
For those with little to no culinary experience, restaurants in Korea are a fairly cheap option as long as you stick to Korean restaurants. Going to Western diners, grills or steakhouses are very expensive. If you want to save money, it's a good idea to savour those for special occasions or once-a-month outings.
Read more about Cost of Living in Korea.
