Korean cuisine

Korean cuisine is the traditional food of Koreans in Korea and overseas. From the complex ritual of Korean royal court cuisine to the food of the inland cities like Seoul and the port cities like Incheon and Busan, the cuisine is varied, fascinating, and becoming internationally popular. Korean cuisine has been widely eaten in northeast China for decades, though its popularity seems to be fading.

Related Topics:
Korea - Korean royal court cuisine - Seoul - Incheon - Busan - China

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As had by most Koreans, is based largely on rice, vegetables, fish, seaweed and tofu (tubu in Korean). Typical Korean meals are named for the number of side dishes (ban chan) that accompany the ubiquitous rice, soup, and kimchi (fermented vegetables). Three dishes, five dishes, and up to twelve side-dish meals are served depending upon the circumstances.

Related Topics:
Rice - Vegetable - Fish - Seaweed - Tofu - Korean - Soup - Kimchi

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Korean food derives its flavours and tastes from various combinations of sesame oil, soybean paste, soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger and, most importantly, chilli pepper, which gives it its distinctive spicy taste. In fact, Korea is the largest consumer of garlic-- beating out Italy. It varies seasonally, and relies much on pickled vegetables which are preserved traditionally in outside ceramic jars, and a very labour-intensive preparation time even for the simplest kimchi.

Related Topics:
Sesame oil - Soybean paste - Soy sauce - Salt - Garlic - Ginger - Chilli pepper - Kimchi

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In contrast, Korean "Royal" cuisines, once only enjoyed by Royal Court Family Members and the yangban scholarly class of the Joseon dynasty, are served in luxury and took hours and days to prepare. They exhibit a unique blend of warm and cold, hot and mild ingredients that seek to harmonize rough and soft bite textures with a range of solid and liquid foods, and are often served on hand-forged "bronze" plates with a specifically sequenced arrangement of small dishes alternating to highlight the shape and colour of the various foods.

Related Topics:
Yangban - Joseon

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Some of these traditional "royal" cuisines, which can cost as much as US$250 per person without drinks, include serving by an exclusive waiter and can be found at high-end restaurants in select locations within the city of Seoul. Royal cuisines have recently been given a huge boost to its popularity, thanks to Dae Jang Geum, a show about an imperial chef in Yi Dynasty Korea. The show was popular in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia and has created a huge market for Korean royal cuisines.

Related Topics:
Seoul - Dae Jang Geum

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There is also the Korean tea ceremony.

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