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Korean
cuisine provides unique tastes for the visitor. It is nutritious,
well-balanced and low in calories. They say that you can eat as much
Korean food as you like and never gain weight!!
The consumption of
pork and beef increased vastly in Korea in the 1970s. The per-capita
consumption of meat was 3.6 kilograms in 1961, which increased to 11
kilograms per person in 1979. The result of this increased meat
consumption brought about the increase of bulgogi restaurants which
gave the middle class of South Korea the ability to enjoy meat
regularly. The consumption of meat rose to 40 kilograms in 1997,
while fish consumption was 49.5 kilograms in 1998. Rice consumption
had continually decreased through the years with 128.1 kg consumed
per person in 1985 to 106.5 kg in 1995 and 83.2 kg in 2003. The
decrease in rice consumption has been accompanied by an increase in
consumption of bread and noodles
Korean food is
chiefly made of a wide variety of vegetables. Seasonings include
garlic, red peppers, spring onions, soy sauce, fermented bean paste,
ginger and sesame oil.
Kimch'i is the
most famous Korean food. A fermented vegetable dish highly seasoned
with red pepper and garlic. Served at virtually all meals, it has
become the best known of Korea's dishes abroad. Kimchi is made of
cabbage (sometimes other types of vegetables are used, such as
cucumber, radish or bean sprouts, but cabbage is the most common)
fermented with chilly, garlic and other spices. Kimchi is supposed to
be very good for health because it is rich in vitamins and in
Lactobacilli (with a higher content than in yoghurt).
Bulgogi is the one
of the most popular dishes in Korea and one which Westerners find
very pleasing. Bulgogi literally means "fire beef," but it
is generally translated as "Korean barbecue." Thin, tender
slices of beef are marinated in a sauce made with soy sauce, sesame
oil, garlic, and other seasonings, and then cooked over a hot
charcoal grill at your table.
Hanjongshik
literally means "full course Korean meal," and it is just
that. When you order hanjongshik, you are usually served pulgogi,
steamed short ribs, grilled fish, and a host of side dishes. These
side dishes may vary from restaurant to restaurant, but the servings
are always ample.
Naengmyon means
"cold noodles" and this summer favourite is truly
refreshing. Very thin, chewy buckwheat noodles are served in a cold
beef broth with chopped scallions, shredded radishes and cucumbers,
sesame seeds, and slices of lean beef, Appropriate condiments are hot
mustard and vinegar. There are many restaurants that specialize only
in naengmyon. Be sure to try the mild mul-naengmyon before sampling
the spicier pibim-naengmyon.
Desserts: The
Koreans don't go in for desserts. A chilled sweetened drink is served
at the end of a meal. Patpingsu is popular during the summer months.
It is a fruit salad on ice with red beans and ice cream. Dok, or rice
cakes are a sticky traditional sweet.
Korean cuisine
involves the use a lot of garlic (a lot more than in Thai, Italian,
Spanish or Greek cuisine), a lot of red chillies, spices such as
ginger, doenjang (fermented soy paste), soy sauce and gochujang (red
chilli paste). The cooking oil normally used by Koreans is sesame
oil. Korean cuisine includes recipes with meat, fish, vegetables,
noodles and tofu. Altogether Korean cuisine is very healthy.
RESTAURANTS
There are two main
reasons why Korean cuisine is not as prominent in UK as it might be.
Firstly there is no mass tourism from UK to Korea to give people a
clear insight into the food and culture and, secondly, there are
relatively few Korean restaurants in UK. What restaurants there are
tend to be mainly in London and the suburbs and the greatest
concentration is in the Surrey town of New Malden. Don't let this put
you off. Dining Korean is certainly a culinary experience not to be
missed and worth the journey whether to restaurant or country.
Etiquette
The Korean style
is to eat quickly and conversation is usually limited to comments of
how delicious the food is. Unlike Western restaurants, everybody eats
the same food and the communal side dishes are placed in the middle.
4 At
first, taste soup or kimchi juice, and then try rice or other
dishes. Use spoon for rice and liquid foods, such as stews or soups;
use chopsticks for other foods.
4 Do
not make noises with spoon or chopsticks hitting the rice bowl or
other food containers.
4 Do
not hold the rice bowl or soup bowl in your hand during the meal.
4 Do
not poke around the rice or side dishes with the spoon.
4 Do
not pick out what you don't like or shake off seasonings.
4 Do
not leave any trace of food on the spoon while eating.
4 During
the meal, uneatable parts such as bones or fish bones are quietly
discarded by wrapping them in a paper so that others won't see them.
Do not put them on the table or floor.
4 When
coughing or sneezing during a meal, face the other way from table
and cover your mouth with your hand or napkin.
4 Eat
the rice and side dishes from one side.
4 Do
not use your hands to pick at the food.
4 Chew
food with your mouth closed and do not make noises while chewing.
4 Do
not leave the table while eating.
4 Do
not read a book or newspaper or watch TV while eating. Do not reach
across the table for distant food - ask a nearby person to pass it to you.
4 Use
an individual plate for foods served for a group, and also for
sauces such as soy & vinegar sauce or sweet & sour hot pepper
soybean paste.
4 Try
to keep pace with others by eating not too fast or too slow. When
having a meal with the elderly, wait for them to put the spoon and
chopsticks on the table at the end of the meal.
4 At
the end of the meal, pour sungnyung (boiled water in the rice cooker
or scorched-rice tea) into the rice bowl and drink.
4 After
a meal, put the spoon and chopsticks on the spot where they were
placed first and put used napkins on the table after folding it
little bit if they are big.
4 When
using a toothpick, cover your mouth with one hand and discard it the
toothpick afterwards so others won't see it. Hot and watery foods are
placed on the right side and cold and dry foods are placed on the
left side.
4 The
rice bowl is on the left, and soup bowl is on the right, with other
bowls placed in the middle.
4 The
spoon is on the right side and chop sticks are behind the spoon and
placed a little towards the outside of the table.
4 Place
kimchi dishes in the back row, stew dishes on the right, sauces in
the middle of the front row, meat dishes on the right side, and
vegetables on the left side.
Remember all that
and you haven't got a problem!
The Korean respect
for elders dictates that everybody waits until the oldest person
starts to eat. It is considered rude to smoke in front of someone
older or to leave the table earlier than the oldest.
And
watch out - the oldest person usually pays for the meal!!!.
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