First course: pickles
When it comes to Korea, many people think of kimchi first. Kimchi is one of the most important dishes in Korea, and its variety and taste are absolutely beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
According to research, kimchi has a history of more than 3000 years. It originated from Koreans who pickled Chinese cabbage with salt water because they didn't have green vegetables for the winter, and gradually developed into today's kimchi.
There are hundreds of kinds of kimchi in Korea. Pickles eaten in different seasons and regions are different. The most common pickles are cabbage, radish and cucumber. In addition, leeks, cress, burdock and mustard will be used. The ingredients are fish and shrimp sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper.
Kimchi is a healthy food with low calorie and rich in vitamins. Lactic acid bacteria produced in the process of low-temperature fermentation also have the function of clearing intestine, which can resist bacteria, cancer and aging. It is also a natural beauty product. Koreans who love kimchi are mostly slim and have good skin.
Koreans cannot eat without kimchi. They also invented various ways to eat kimchi: kimchi soup, kimchi hot pot, kimchi fried rice, kimchi Lamian Noodles, kimchi sandwich … you name it, they can cook it.
When it comes to kimchi, the first thing Koreans think of is Gwangju. Gwangju has fertile land, delicious vegetables, and a lot of small fish sauce with rich flavor. Gwangju kimchi is the most authentic and delicious in the eyes of Koreans.
When traveling to Korea, kimchi is indispensable on the table. Sour, spicy and salty. If you are not careful, you will cry, but after eating it, you will gradually become addicted. After returning to Singapore, you will ask people everywhere: where can I buy kimchi?
The second course: barbecue
In Korean food culture, barbecue is comparable to kimchi, which tastes good and makes people salivate.
Korean barbecue is mainly beef, and the ribs with meat on the spine are selected. Even the bones and meat are rolled up for seasoning, sprinkled with salt, sesame oil and sesame seeds, and left for more than two days, which is super delicious.
When roasting, spread the meat roll on the iron plate, cut it into small pieces, roast it until it is tender and fragrant, and dip it in lettuce wrapped in soy sauce, which makes people drool. If you dare, put more slices of raw garlic in the lettuce, which is spicy and delicious!
This time in Seoul (formerly known as Seoul), I went to a barbecue restaurant called "Hanyiguan", which was large in scale and had first-class barbecue. I want to eat again after eating.
Third course: ginseng chicken soup
Of course, you should taste authentic ginseng chicken soup when you go to the hometown of ginseng.
In a Guangguan Agricultural Park in Jeju Island called Tanluo City, I ate the latest delicious ginseng chicken soup. This shop uses a 60-day-old wild chicken. Chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, red dates, chestnuts, etc., and ginseng, bow, garlic, ginkgo, ginger and licorice are added for one hour.
The container of stew soup is a typical Korean stone pot. After serving, it is steaming and fragrant. Pepper and salt can be added according to personal taste. Rich in nutrition, it is a senior tonic for Koreans.
The fourth course: seafood pot
Jeju Island is not only picturesque, but also a famous island of food. Because it is surrounded by the sea and the water quality is pure, the seafood it produces is particularly sweet, especially its seafood pot, otherwise it is not Jeju Island.
There are many kinds of seafood on the island. You can add crab, conch, shrimp, clam and abalone to the soup and cook it together according to your personal preference. This is completely unadorned and adopts the natural simplicity of its seafood taste.
Koreans are used to thickening noodle soup with fresh mushrooms and vegetables, so a person can eat three bowls without getting tired.
The fifth course: ribs and patties.
Gwangju kimchi is not only the best in Korean kimchi, but also famous for its ribs and patties.
Just in front of the Guild Hall in Guangshan District, Guangzhou, there is a whole ribs and patties street, and restaurant signs, large and small, are row upon row, which is a wonder.
This 30-year-old street has gathered the most famous meat pie restaurant in Gwangju, selling the favorite specialties of Gwangju people.
Pork ribs patties are made by mashing the meat of various parts of pork ribs into square meatballs, adding garlic, ginger, sesame oil, pepper and honey to taste, and then baking them with charcoal fire, which can make passers-by stop.
The sixth course: history
Ding Han cuisine is a traditional "Korean set meal", which continues the tradition of Korean court dishes. There are all kinds of side dishes, and a table of dishes is filled with a wide range of cooking techniques such as steaming, roasting, scalding and mixing, with various materials, seasonings and color matching.
Restaurants selling Ding Han cuisine have their own recipes, but almost all of them use "10% off rice" with wheat pancakes wrapped in meat and vegetables, and stew meat, fish, vegetables and mushrooms in "fairy furnace".
Most of these restaurants are decorated with exquisite Korean traditional furniture and have a unique atmosphere. Ming Chan Xuan, a restaurant in Gwangju, is located in an old and beautiful old-fashioned Korean house with elegant environment and exquisite food, which makes people unforgettable.
The seventh course: rice cake
For China people, rice cakes are holiday food to eat during the Spring Festival. However, in Korea, many traditional New Year cakes are dessert snacks that locals like to eat every day.
At the Korea Traditional Diet Research Institute in Seoul, there is an elegant restaurant that serves authentic Korean traditional snacks. Its rice cakes are especially famous, made of glutinous rice and japonica rice, steamed or fried, with fresh, salty and sweet fillings.
Korean rice cakes are not only brightly colored, but also beautifully made, with beautiful shapes such as plum blossom, grapefruit flower, mulberry leaf, peach, pear, apple, persimmon and watermelon, which makes people laugh.
The eighth course: court banquet
If you ask Koreans what kind of cuisine is the most typical and high-end, the answer is mostly court cuisine.
Korean court cuisine is the highest level in Korean traditional diet. It is made of the highest quality tribute to the emperor from all over the world, and today it still retains its exquisite tradition.
The Korean drama Dae Jang Geum starring "Oxygen Beauty" Li Yingai was a sensation, which aroused people's interest in Korean court banquets.
You must have enough time to taste Korean court cuisine, because it has 12 to 15 dishes, one by one. Dried fruits, three-color rolls, porridge, pickles, seafood salad and other side dishes are served first, then main courses such as barbecue, fried fish, stewed seafood and ginseng mushroom soup are served, and then dessert is eaten at one meal.