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출처: 구구덩 원문보기 글쓴이: punuri
Koreans are the only people in East Asia to eat their rice and soup with spoons. Neither the
Chinese nor the Japanese use spoons so regularly. The Korean attachment to spoons no
doubt derives from the many soups and stews that are part of their cuisine and the national
preference for sticky rice.
Korea is a small country with water on three of its sides. More than half of its land area is
mountainous. Koreans enjoy a rich and varied menu, however. They began growing cereals
during the mid-Neolithic period, and rice cultivation was introduced to some parts of the country
around 2000 B.C. Rice remains the main staple and is eaten with a great variety of side dishes
featuring vegetables, fish, and meats.
Fermented foods, such as soy sauce, bean paste, and red pepper paste, were important sources of
protein in early times and remain Korean favorites. Of course, no Korean meal would be
complete without the ubiquitous kimchi, fermented vegetables essential to the traditional winter
diet because of the scarcity of fresh vegetables. Today few homes are without a refrigerator, but
kimchi remains on every Korean table. Each region has its own special kimchi, reflecting
variations in climate and local traditions.
Koreans also enjoy varied holiday fare. Rice cakes, red bean porridge. or glutinous rice are found
on most holiday tables. New Year's Day is always celebrated with steaming bowls of ttokkuk,
rice cake soup. The Tano Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month features cakes made
from rice flour and flavored with mugwort or azalea flowers. Chusok, the Harvest Moon Festival,
is a time for thanking the spirits for a bountiful harvest and honoring one's ancestors. Crescentshaped
rice cakes are served at this time, while red bean porridge is eaten on the winter solstice.
These traditions are vivid proof that food feeds both the stomach and the soul.
Soup
Soup is a basic element of almost every Korean meal.
Ingredients are vary, but meat, fish, clams and other
seafoods, vegetables, mushrooms and seaweed are all
commonly used. Some soups are seasoned with salt, others
with soy sauce. Clear broths dotted with slices of radish or
pieces of seaweed are popular, as are soups made from a
bean paste base. Thick beef soup is sometimes eaten as a
main dish, while cold soups made of cucumber or other
vegetables are often found on Korean tables in summer.
Rice
Rice cultivation in Korea appears to have begun some time
around 1500-2000 B.C. Rice became a staple in the Korean
diet during the Three Kingdoms period. The kingdoms of
Koguryo (37 B.C.-668), Paekche (18 B.C.-660) and Shilla
(57 B.C.-935) all implemented land reform, expanded
irrigation systems and developed iron tools.
At first, grain was steamed in earthenware steamers. Later,
earthenware pots were used to boil rice and rice porridge as
is the Korean custom today. Beans, millet, sorghum and
other grains are often added to rice for nutrition, taste and
color.
Seasonings
In Korean food, each seasoning has many uses. Sugar and
soy sauce often flavor meats and vegetables but also are
found in many of the sweets enjoyed by children and adults.
Green onions, garlic, ginger, red pepper, sesame oil, black
pepper, vinegar and sugar are staples in every Korean
kitchen, as are soy sauce, red pepper paste and bean paste,
all fermented products.
Seasonings are used fresh, dried, dry-roasted in the frying
pan, and even squeezed into oil. In some cases, small bowls of seasonings are placed on the
dining table so each diner can season to his or her taste.
Pan-fried Vegetables and Meats
While Koreans occasionally eat deep-fried foods,
traditionally they grilled vegetables and meats in frying
pans. Fish, clams, vegetables and meats are sliced or
flattened, then seasoned with salt and pepper and "clothed"
in a jacket of flour and egg. These pan-fried delicacies are
usually arranged on flat plates, in combinations of three or
five selected for color and flavor.
Boiled Meat
At weddings or drinking parties, p'yon'uk, sliced boiled beef
or pork, is a favorite dish. Large pieces of beef or pork are
boiled in water with ginger, whole black peppers and whole
green onions, then tightly wrapped in gauze and compressed
under a heavy stone. The meat is sliced and served on a flat
plate. Small bowls of soy sauce, soy sauce flavored with
vinegar and shrimp chotkal are served as condiments.
Seasoned Vegetables
The Korean diet is rich in vegetables. Some are simply
steamed; others are sauteed or steamed, then mixed (by
hand of course) with seasonings. Green leafy vegetables
such as spinach are usually steamed, then mixed with garlic,
sesame salt and a sprinkling of finely chopped green onions.
Dried vegetables, like bracken and other mountain greens,
are boiled or soaked in water, then sauteed with seasonings.
Sesame oil and sesame salt are indispensable in the
seasoning of mixed vegetables because they add flavor and
enhance the absorption of carotene.
Steamed Foods
The earthenware steamers used to steam rice and other
grains since ancient times are also used to cook meats, fish
and vegetables. For example, chicken or beef ribs are cut
into large chunks and steamed with small amount of liquid
over a low flame for several hours. When the meat is
cooked, soy sauce, flavoring oils, sugar, pepper, garlic and
other seasonings are added and the meat is cooked some
more, often with the addition of mushrooms, ginkgo nuts or
chestnuts. The result is a tender and flavorful dish that goes
well with white rice.
Chotkal
A salted seafood condiment frequently used in kimchi and
other fermented foods, chotkal is also served in small bowls
as a side dish. It stimulates the appetite and is often enjoyed
with a simple bowl of rice. There are many different kinds.
Shrimp, clam and anchovy are most common.
Chotkal is made by mixing raw seafood with rock salt and
seasoning, then storing the mixture in an earthenware jar for
some time. The seafood ferments, creating a unique smell
and flavor.
Each region has its own distinctive chotkal. In the Cholla region anchovy chotkal is most
common, while on the eastern coast, the eggs and intestines of pollack are used.
Kimchi
No Korean meal would be complete without kimchi,
fermented vegetables. In fact, Koreans can hardly imagine a
meal without kimchi and have been known to carry small
containers of the often odoriferous dish on trips to foreign
countries where it isn't available.
Kimchi is made from a variety of vegetables throughout the
year. Most commonly used is the Chinese cabbage, but radishes, cucumbers, green onions,
chives, zucchini and a host of other vegetables are also made into kimchi. In many regions,
salted shrimp, anchovies or other seafoods are added for richness. The combination of spices and
salt promotes the fermentation process.
Pounded Rice Cakes
Plain or glutinous rice is steamed, then ground into powder in a mortar. This powder is mixed
with a small amount of water and pounded with a mallet until it binds. The resulting sticky rice
cake, called injolmi, is cut into shapes and rolled in powdered sesame or bean flour. Sometimes
mugwort, an aromatic green herb, is added for color.