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TYPES OF KOREAN FOOD

  • Bap (Boiled Rice) & Yuk (porridge)

    Boiled rice is a main ingredient in Korean cuisine. Barley, beans, chestnuts, millet or other grains are often added for better taste and higher nutritional value. Porridge has been used in Korea for centuries as a restorative food for recovering patients and is sometimes considered a delicacy. Pine nuts, red beans, pumpkin, abalone, ginseng, chicken, vegetables, mushrooms and bean sprouts are the most popular ingredients.

  • Guk (soup)

    Soup is an essential part of every Korean meal. Guk can contain vegetables, meat, fish, shellfish, seaweed or cooked beef bones.

  • Jjigae (stews)

    These dishes are thicker than soups and often form the main component of a meal. Jjigae made from soybean paste is very popular.

  • Jjim and Jorim (meat or fish cooked on a low fire)

    Jjim and Jorim are quite similar: meat or fish are steamed or boiled over low heat until all ingredients are tender and tasty. Jjim also refers to a steamed dish.

  • Namul (vegetable or game dishes)

    Korean cuisine has hundreds of vegetable and game dishes called namul. Visiting a Korean market offers an opportunity to get to know an incredible variety of unusual green plants. Namul are usually briefly boiled or fried and seasoned with a mixture of salt, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, garlic and spring onions.

  • Jeotgal (Salted Seafood and Fish)

    Fish, mussels, shrimp, oysters, fish roe or selected fish offal form the basis for the very salty jeotgal. This is either served as a spicy side dish with cooked rice or as an additional seasoning for kimchi or other dishes.

  • Gui (baked or grilled dishes)

    Bulgogi (thin, marinated slices of beef) and galbi (marinated beef ribs) are well-known examples of gui. Fish is also often baked.

  • Jeon (stir fry)

    Mushrooms, zucchini, fish fillets, oysters or spring onions are mixed with minced meat and rolled in flour, then dipped in beaten eggs and pan-fried. There are also pancake-like Jeon: a liquid batter is made from mung bean flour, white flour or grated potatoes, which is then mixed with spring onions, kimchi or shredded pork and fried.

  • Mandu (Maultaschen)

    Mandu are dumplings filled with meat and vegetables.

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