Home	AboutMe	Korea	France	Thailand	Glossary	Bibliography
	Cultural Background Korean Cuisine Nutrition Analysis My Experience	Cultural Background of Korean Food Located in Eastern Asia, Korean Peninsular is bordering the East Sea and the Yellow Sea. Korea's rich culture has developed throughout the 5000-year-old history. Korean foods offer a wide array of tastes that are distinct from the cuisine of its close neighbors. While Chinese food can be characterized by a strong and colorful taste, and Japanese flavors tend to be clean and light, Korean foods are based on natural tastes, both strong and light, fresh and spicy. Koreans love vegetables as Kimchi is served at every meal. Vegetable dishes are by far the most common variety, and vegetables are also added to most of the meat or fish dishes. One of the main ingredients in Korean cooking is various seasonings or spices. In many Korean dishes, the spices used are more important than the main ingredient itself. For any kind of seasoned or spiced dishes, the proper mixture of spices is what defines the dish. Garlic and chili peppers are the most popular spices used by Korean cooks and Koreans enjoys the strong flavor of garlic and the spicy hot taste of chili peppers. Cuisine of Korea Bibimbap (Rice Mixed with Vegetables and Beef) Ingredients (4 servings) 4 cups of rice 100g of young zucchini 100g of broad bellflower roots 100g of bracken 100g of green pea jelly 100g of beef 4 eggs 4 pieces of sea tangle 1 stem of crown daisy Method Soak the young zucchini in salted water for a little while. Squeeze the water out and saute in a pan. Take out the bitterness from the roots of broad bellflower roots by rubbing them with salt. Rip them into thin strips and season with salt, sugar, and chili powder. Sort the bracken into the lengths of 4-5cm and wash them. Panbroil slightly after mixing well with seasoned soy sauce. Cut the green pea jelly into think strips and mix with salt and sesame oil. Cut beef into think strips and saute after mixing well with seasoned soy sauce. Cook yolks and whites of the eggs separately like crepe. Cut into strips in 4-5cm length. Cut sea tangle into 0.2 thickness and fry in oil. Arrange the prepared ingredients nicely onto the freshly cooked rice. Nutrition Analysis of Bibimbap 1 serving size Nutrition Facts Amount Per Serving                              %RDA Calories 862.5 kcal Total Fat 36.7 g     56 % Cholesterol 114.0 mg     38 % Sodium 5920 mg     247 % Potassium 871 mg     25 % Total Carbohydrate 104.8 g     35 %     Dietary Fiber 3.39 g     14 % Protein 30.7 g     61.4 % Key vitamins and minerals Vitamin A 3329 mcg     66 % Vitamin B1 0.460 mg     46.5 % Vitamin B2 0.420 mg     34.7 % Vitamin C 21.2 mcg     35.3 % Calcium 304.4 mg     30.4 % Iron 8.44 mg     47 % Phosphorus 480.7 mg     48.1 % My Experience with Korean food As a Nutrition major, I attended Korean traditional cooking and styling class in my very first year at Ewha Womans university. The course was designed to familiarize students with fundamental Korean traditional cooking principles, styling and techniques with historical and cultural bases. Not only did we learn cooking techniques and nutrition analysis, but we also learned the culture and spirit within the korean food. Want to know what we actually cooked in class? The followings are a list of foods that I made in class. Tteokguk Sliced Rice Pasta Soup A soup of sliced ovals of rice pasta in a clear beef broth topped with slices of beef and julenned egg garnish. Served as a New Year's dish. Songi-sanjeok Pine Mushroom and Beef Brochette Grilled brochettes of seasoned pine mushroom and beef. Sigeumchitguk Spinach Soup A soup made with spinach in beef or clam broth. Hobakjeon Pan-fried Summer Squash Squash sliced into thin round pieces, coded in flour and egg batter, and pan-fried. Dalgyaljjim Steamed Eggs A side dish made of beaten eggs with a little water, steamed in a ball. Pickled shrimp sauce, chopped green onion, and other ingredients may be added. Tteokbokki Stir-fried Rice Pasta with Vegetables A stir-fried dish made with white pasta, seasoned beef and assorted vegetables. Recently, a spicy version with red chili pepper paste has become very popular. Jeotguk-jjigae Pickled Shrimp Stew A stew of pollack roe and Dubu (soybean curd/ tofu) seasoned with red chili pepper in a pickled shrimp broth. Dwaejigogi-gui Marinated Grilled Pork Thin slices of pork marinated in soy sauce and red chili pepper paste and grilled. Also called Dwaeji-bulgogi. Miyeok-naengguk Chilled Seaweed Soup A seaweed soup served chilled. The seaweed is cooked first then mixed with soy sauce. Julienned cucumbers are added to the chilled soup. Gujeolpan Platter of Nine Delicacies Served in a special platter that is divided into nine sections: the middle section holds small crepes made of flour and water, and in each of the eight surrounding sections is a different finely chopped ingredient, such as vegetables, beef, and abalone, resulting in a colorful and beautiful presentation. Back to Top