Why
Korean cuisine
is special

Though it was heavily influenced in the distant past by its Japanese and northern Chinese neighbors, Korean cuisine evolved into a distinctive cooking style with unique, interesting dishes.

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Learn about
Korean foods & beverages

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Click link:

Five most famous Korean foods

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Korean cuisine
tips & insights

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How the two Koreas differ

Though they share the same peninsula, their climates and economic wealth are dissimilar. This affects what goes on the table.

North Korea
Being farther north, it has a longer winter and shorter summer. This negatively impacts agricultural production.

South Korea
Its longer growing season assures a greater bounty of fresh vegetables and better-nourished livestock. South Korea is also appreciably higher on the quality-food scale in terms of chefs and restaurants because of its significantly higher per capita income.

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Traditional Korean meal

You will still find this style in the countryside and in today's better Korean restaurants.

Diners eat communally
They sit cross-legged on the floor around a squat table.

Serving
Separate appetizer and main entree courses don't exist. All dishes arrive at the table together and are meticulously arranged. Except for soup and rice, they are shared. This includes the side dishes, which are collectively called Banchan, and number three to a dozen or more.

Labor intensive
Because of the many side dishes, Korean cooking is time consuming.

Chopsticks
These eating utensils are noticeably thinner than their Chinese and Japanese counterparts. And many are metal, not wood.

Rice eating etiquette
Unlike in Chinese and Japanese dining, you should not lift your rice bowl to eat.

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Food preservation

It is one of the key defining pillars of Korean cuisine, in both ancient and modern times.

In the past
Most home cooks had to preserve vegetables and seafood in great quantities for their families to survive the harsh Korean winters. This was done mainly by fermenting, pickling, spicing, and salting foods in buried clay jars.

Today
Thanks to modern food technology, few Koreans need to use the buried-clay-jar technique. The process is now done commercially above ground. It has developed into a major food industry because the craving for preserved foods lives on in the culinary hearts of Koreans.

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Portuguese influence

The now entrenched chili pepper is not native. It arrived from the New World through Europe to Korea in the 16th century via Portuguese traders and missionaries.

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Test
yourself

How many of these major
world cuisines do you know well?

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Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
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©2010 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications