Food tips you can trust
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.
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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