Korean traditional meal - By food author Howard Hillman

Korean cuisine
traditional meal

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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.

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.