[Food]

[Food] Gwamegi (과메기, Half-dried herring and saury)

Gwamegi has been a very familiar and friendly food for fishermen of the east coast of the Korean peninsular for a long time (since the 16th century) because of its taste and affordable ingredient. Its main ingredient is herring or saury (mackerel pike) which is very cheap and easy to catch. When fishermen found out about its recipe a long time ago, they made it with herring. However, when the temperature of the East Sea became affected by climate change  since the 1960s, they used saury as a substitute for herring. These days herring gwamegi is being produced again because climate change has continued to impact the East Sea. 

Saury (Mackerel pike)

Herring

To make gwamegi, fishermen remove the intestines, gills and scales of fresh saury and herring, then skew its eyes to prevent it from getting rotten. Then fish are frozen to -10 degrees Celsius, and undergo repeat outdoor freezing and defrosting from December until the fish become half-dried.

When fish is fully half-dried, its bone and skin are removed. It has a really savory, somewhat fishy taste with seaweed, kelp, laver, garlic, spicy green chili, chogochujang (red chili paste with vinegar) and ssamjang (mixture of red chili paste and bean paste).

It rarely becomes stale and can be stored for a long time so fishermen favor it. It was also a good food supply for them when they lost their ship due to invasion and robbing by Japanese pirates.

Today, this is one of the best side dishes for soju :)

People usually favor herring gwamegi over saury gwamegi because herring tastes lighter, cleaner and motr plain than saury. Gwamegi is a seasonal dish that you only can eat during the winter, which gives a chewy and firm texture filled with DHA, EPA and vitamin E :)

Today Guryongpo of Pohang is the main production area, famous for gwamegi. Don't forget to visit Guryongpo for gwamegi if you have any chance to visit Pohang :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Maesaengi (매생이, Seaweed Fulvescens)

Maesaengi (매생이, Seaweed Fulvescens) is not a very well-known seafood/

ingredient in Korea, it's usually eaten in China and Korea as soup and porridge. The reason why it's not well known to most  people is that it can only be grown in the crystal-clear clean sea in winter. Fishermen of the south-western coast (Jeonnam province) of the Korean peninsula usually plant and cultivate it.

It gives a savory, mild and refreshing taste with a very silky texture. It doesn't puff any steam out even when boiled or very hot, so you have to be very careful when you eat any porridge or soup made of maesaengi. There's an idiom in Korean that says. 'Give maesaengi soup to the annoying son-in-law' (the son-in-law will burn his tongue if he doesn't know his mom-in-law is giving him maesaengi).

You'd better be careful if you've been a naughty boy (or son-in-law)

Maesaengi is one of my favorite ingredients because it gives a refreshing sea flavor and also goes very well with any kind of hot soup or porridge (even in ramen and cup noodle). Moreover, it's very easy to cook. You can make pancake with it too.

Oyster is perfect partner to maesaengi

It's maesaengi pancake, not green tea flavored one.

You can buy maesaengi in any winter market. It looks like a ball of thin green string. Wash it with salt water, then it's ready to be put into pancake dough or soup :)

These days, with the help of food science and technology, people can buy quick-frozen dry maesaengi which becomes fresh when it goes into hot water or soup :)

A package of quick-frozen maesaengi from Wando (Wan Island in south-west region of Korea)

This one bag contains maesaengi for one person

Maesaengi is full of minerals, folic acid, zinc, fiber and proteins - very nutritious :) If you are thinking of hot soup or porridge in the winter, how about maesaengi soup today? I hope you don't burn your tongue :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Geonppang (건빵, Hardtack)

I'm so sure that anyone who has done military service for their country can not forget this little, hard buddy. Even though you get sick of this little thing, you're not exempt because this buddy is the food most frequently eaten during the time of military service.

Geonppang (건빵, hardtack) is very hard, super dry but sweet and savory. It's usually made of flour but can be cooked with barley, brown rice and sesame for better taste and texture.

It is believed that hardtack originates from ancient Egypt, and was eaten by many soldiers in ancient history. The modern form, 'geonppang', that is usually eaten in Korea today was actually invented in Japan in 1904. The Japanese army invented 'ganpan (hardtack in Japanese)' to supply food to their soldiers.

When you first join the army, geonppang is the first friend that you become familiar with. This light, dry snack in a small plastic bag fits easily into your pocket and is easy to take out from your pocket to eat too, no matter the time or place. I remember eating 2-3 bags of geonppang daily during outdoor strategic training.

When I did my military service near DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) near the boundary with North Korea, I remember one very cold and snowy day. On the evening that day, my soldiers and I realized that it was the birthday of our army surgeon, who was our superior (I served as an emergency medic in the Korean army). Again, it was a very cold and snowy day. We couldn't drive any car down to the market in the nearby village because it would take too much time (more than 2 hours) and the mountainous supply road was already frozen, which was very risky.

So we put our heads together to arrange a birthday party with a cake to our dear surgeon. We brought out 6-7 bags of geonppang (hardtack) and ran to the kitchen of the mess hall. We explained our birthday party plan for the surgeon to army cooks, and they were happy to join our plan. We ground (crushed) geonppang with our bombproof helmet to make grain powder out of geonppang, and whipped egg yolk in the snow to make sweet and white cream. We made cake dough with geonppang powder and baked a small cake with a microwave (there was no oven, sadly). Then we topped the cake with white cream from the egg yolk. Everything was complete.

My soldiers and I went to the surgeon's office, knocked on the door and said "Sir, we've got some problems. You need to see this, sir."

The surgeon came out of his office with a cranky face which turned surprised and happy when we shouted "Happy Birthday, Sir!" We sang him a birthday song. He was a usually taciturn and brusque man, but he responded, "I'm very touched", blushing at his surprise birthday party.

Yeah, he must've been surprised because he couldn't think we could make a cake out of dry, tasteless and hard geonppang...but you know, you can do anything with a few ingredients and a strong soldier-like spirit.

Some years later, the surgeon moved to an army hospital in metropolitan city. Before I was discharged from the army, I met him by chance at the army hospital he was working in, and he said, "That was the one of the most touching moments in my life".

Geonppang is a very simple snack (it tastes better when it's deep fried and sugar-coated) but it's a very special friend to many people in Korea :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Osam Bulgogi (오삼불고기, Squid and Pork Belly Bulgogi)

Americans who usually live in Hawaii and the east and west coasts enjoy a dish called 'Surf and Turf' which is a combo of seafood and meat, cooked lobster and thick juicy steak.

In Korea, there is a combo dish of seafood and meat, too, though it's not as fancy as lobster and grilled steak. It's a very popular and liked common dish that you can enjoy in most Korean restaurants.

It's a combo of stir fried squid and pork belly in spicy chili sauce which Koreans call Osam Bulgogi (O for Ojing-uh - Squid in Korean, and Sam for Samgyeopsal - Pork belly). It means Bulgogi is made of squid and pork belly, but is spicy. Bulgogi usually means stir fried soy-sauce marinated meat but it can also mean spicy stir fried meat.

Osam bulgogi was first invented in a restaurant in Daegwallyeong Pass, Pyeongchang city, which is a gateway between the eastern and western regions of Gangwon. Fresh squid from the East Sea and pork, vegetables and mushroom from the western region of Gangwon were cooked into Osam Bulgogi with a spicy sauce that most Koreans love.

The chewy and savory taste of squid goes very well with juicy pork and fresh vegetables. It's one of the best side dishes for liquor and rice. Although I'm not a big fan of squid, I like to eat osam bulgogi for lunch :)

If you want to indulge in fresh seafood and juicy meat, how about osam bulgogi today?

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Dotorimuk (도토리묵, Acorn Jelly)

The Korean peninsula is a land full of mountains from top to bottom, so it's only natural that many natural products from trees in mountains have become major ingredients for peoples' daily diet.

Acorn has been one of the typical ingredients eaten by Koreans since time immemorial. Koreans soak acorn into water for more than 20 days to remove its austere, bitter and tannin taste, and grinds it into fine powder for cooking.

Acorn powder is mixed with water and boiled for more than 8 hours with continuous stirring, which requires long and heavy labor. Today, this labor is substituted with a machine in a factory.

Acorn jelly is a typical Korean dish that has been eaten by all Koreans regardless of economic or social status. Whenever there was a severe famine, everyday Koreans would climb mountains to harvest acorn to eat instead of grains.

Acorn jelly is usually mixed with soy-sauce, chili powder and fresh vegetables to become 'Dotorimuk muchim (Seasoned Acorn Jelly Salad)', which is a great side dish and snack for liquor. It can also be topped on rice and hot soup to become 'Mukbab (Rice with Acorn Jelly in Hot/Cold Broth)'.

Freshly made dotorimuk ('Acorn Jelly') is very chewy, firm, nutty and savory. Acorn detoxes your insides, protects the stomach and intestines, stimulates appetite, recovers fatigue and prevents everyday diseases. So it is a very popular food for vegetarians and the diet-conscious in Korea.

If you are on a diet or detox, how about trying acorn jelly? :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Gogiguksu (고기국수, Meat Noodles)

Koreans served noodles with anchovy stock to guests to celebrate marriage or birthday or any good occasion because long noodle meant 'long live'. Meanwhile in Jeju Island, which is the most famous Korean tourist land in far south of Korea, people served steamed pork instead of noodles. However they served steamed pork with noodles since 1910~1920 A.D. when they started to produce noodles.

As beautiful as the scenery of Jeju Island is, Jeju Island's pork his of very high quality (and even today) without the gamey and foul smell, so they proudly serve noodles with high-quality pork. Today this noodle is called Gogiguksu (고기국수, Meat Noodles) and is a typical Jeju Island gourmet, followed by Jeju Island's half-dried tile fish and tangerine.

Gogiguksu is a very simple yet delicious dish. Put cooked noodles into thick and savory pork stock, and slice thick steamed pork to be topped on noodles. Savory, meaty and stodgy noodle with soft pork.

If you are a meat lover, how about trying gogiguksu when you visit Korea? Although you may not be a big fan of noodle soup, I'm sure that you will like it :)

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Makgeolli (막걸리, Traditional Korean rice wine)

There are two kinds of people in the world; people who love alcohol and those who don't :) So almost every country has their own way of drinking and brewing traditional liquor and alcohol. It's very interesting that most civilized culture invented their own liquor to enjoy their sweet, heavenly taste that often leaves one with a headache or stomach ache. 

Ancient people in the Korean peninsula didn't want to be excluded among those cultures so they decided to make traditional wine with rice.

Makgeolli (막걸리, Traditional Korean rice wine) is a typical Korean liquor, which means 'just filtered'. It's made from rice and yeast because makgeolli is drunk when just after it's filtered and before it's distilled. So it has a white and milky color directly from rice. Milky, sweet, soft, slight crisp from fermentation has given great delight for many years.

Koreans loved it so much and used a tremendous amount of rice (which is the main meal in Korea) into brewing makgeolli, so some Korean kings and presidents even prohibited makgeolli brewing and drinking. Nevertheless, people have never stopped (who would?) drinking makgeolli. Today's Koreans appreciate their ancestors's solemn passion for keeping Korean liquor culture.

Today the descendants of proud Korean ancestors have created made versions of makgeolli with countless ingredients - tangerine, banana, kiwi, corn, chestnut, buckwheat, coffee, sweet potato and more flavors, depending on the environment within each makgeolli brewery.

Koreans think jeon (Korean-style pancake and pan-fried delicacies) is the best snack for makgeolli, and they love to enjoy it on a rainy day. So any jeon restaurant and traditional Korean bar is always crowded with people who drink makgeolli with jeon, particularly when it rains.

If you visit Korea on a rainy day, how about visiting a jeon restaurant and enjoying makgeolli with jeon varieties? The sound of raindrops will entertain you even more with the taste of makgeolli :)

Bon Appétit!

[Food]

[Food] Muneo (문어, Octopus)

Octopus is the symbol of a villain in western culture but it's a symbol of fortune and taste in Korean culture. Due to its boneless, eight-legged and countless sucking discs, you may think octopus is disgusting, but you may change your mind after tasting fresh octopus :)

Octopus lives in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. The smallest octopus grows less than 3cm while the biggest kind of octopus (Giant Pacific Octopus) grows as large as 10m and weighs 272kg. This interesting 'cephalopod' is very clever; as smart as a dog (according to some ichthyologist), and is a master of camouflage.

Nevertheless, octopus is a very delicious seafood to Koreans. Koreans prefer octopus to be parboiled to give a tender, chewy and fresh taste which is a contrast to squid or calamari. Octopus is usually caught in the East Sea with Yeongju city in Gyeongbuk province being the most famous city for octopus. There are so many shops and restaurants that sell fresh or parboiled octopus in Yeongju Central Market :)

It may feel slimy and slippery in your mouth, but it will surprise you as you slowly chew it. I didn't like octopus either, but now I'm very fond of it after first tasting parboiled octopus a few years ago :)

If you can find any edible and affordable octopus in your market, take it home and parboil it :) Slice them into thin pieces, with soy sauce, vinegar or sour and spicy sauce (e.g. sriracha sauce) :) Enjoy.

Bon Appétit!

 [Food]

[Food] Chueo-tang (추어탕, Loach Soup)

What do you usually think of loach or mudfish? Maybe nothing or 'eww, slippery' but can you imagine there being people who love to eat loach as soup? Yes, Koreans eat loach as soup. It's been eaten for a long time (more than 1,000 years) usually by people of low social status such as slaves and servants, but people of high social status also ate it, secretly at night. Eventually, Korean nobles and aristocrats ate it. Can you think why? :)

Oriental loach. By Manoel Jr. - https://www.flickr.com/photos/13809278@N07/15375639675, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77757241

According to many traditional Korean medical and cuisine books, loach is very effective for providing 'stamina and energy' (particularly for men). Loach's Korean name is 'Chueo' which means 'autumn fish' because Korean loach usually lives in a rice paddy (brook and creek too), and Koreans eat them in autumn after removing all the water from the rice paddy to harvest :)

It smells very fishy and muddy so strong seasonings (Chinese pepper, spicy chili, garlic etc.) must be used to cook them to remove their unique odor. There two styles of cooking Chueo-tang (추어탕, loach soup), which are middle part (Seoul and Gaeseong)-style that use loach in whole and south part (Jeolla and Gyeongsang province)-style that grind whole loach. Well, I prefer south part-style Chueo-tang because I don't want to chew big chunks of loach in my mouth :)

It just looks like common doenjang-jjigae (Korean bean-paste stew) but it tastes uniquely like loach - savory and spicy. It also fills you with stamina and energy, so why don't you try? It may turn you into an 'Energizer' :)

By the way, the most famous chueo-tang restaurant is 'Yonggeumok' in Seoul which even North Korean VIPs ask whether it's still running because they miss the taste it had before the Korean War :)

Bon Appétit!