A labor of love: The food of South Korea

Many Filipinos first learned about Korean cuisine through South Korean dramas like “Jewel In The Palace.” In the fictionalized story of Dae Jang Geum, Korea’s first female court physician was portrayed as a palace cook-turned-doctor. The show featured the grand court cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty—steaming hotpots, brightly colored vegetables served in a gujeolpan (nine-section plate), and bowls of fine meat. However, the art of Korean cuisine goes beyond what we see in historical epics and television dramas. A closer look reveals a cuisine that pays keen attention to every part of each meal. Principles of balance As in its neighbor China, Korea’s cuisine is based on balance—the idea that solid, firm food must be balanced with liquids, heat with chill, and mild dishes with spicy ones. Even the gomyeong (garnishes) make use of naturally occurring colors based on the five elements: red, green, yellow, white and black. This is influenced by the belief that balance in one’s food leads to internal balance as well.  In fact, palace cooks during the Joseon Dynasty were held responsible for the king’s health. This also explains why Korean meals are accompanied by a multitude of banchan, or side dishes in little bowls. Here are just some of the banchan you might get to try:

• Siguemchi namul – spinach lightly seasoned with sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce
• Doraji namul – seasoned bellflower roots
• Kongnamul – boiled soybean sprouts
• Pajeon – green onion omelette, sometimes mixed with meat

And of course, no meal is complete without South Korea’s favorite banchan: kimchi. The uninitiated (that is, foreigners) tend to dismiss kimchi as nothing more than really spicy cabbage, but according to the Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul, there are close to 200 kinds of kimchi! As ‘I-Witness’ host Kara David discovered in her documentary ‘Say Kimchi!’ South Korea’s so-called ‘national dish’ is made up of more ingredients than some would expect. The most common are brine, garlic, fish sauce and onions; the blend and style of preparation changes to make the different blends of the hot dish, which receives extra love from Koreans during the cold seasons. On street food While Filipino street food tends to be savory finger food deep-fried or grilled over charcoal, South Korea’s street food is almost like a mini-meal—filling fuel for commuters journeying home in the cold weather. There’s tteokbokki, or rice cakes cooked in chili sauce; as well as odeng, strips of fish cakes skewered and boiled in a salty fish broth. Buying odeng entitles you to a plastic cup of the broth, which you can drink as soup or use as dipping sauce for the fish cakes. Meanwhile, sundae (pronounced ‘soon-de’) is not a dessert at all, but a sausage stuffed with noodles, grains, and pig’s blood. In Filipino parlance, think dinuguan in longganisa form. It’s quite heavy, and is served in restaurants as well as on the street. There are regional variants of sundae as well, with each province bringing its own flavors and ingredients into the simple sausage. Common ground Food connects people. While each country’s cuisine is unique, it’s rather nice to think that common ground can be found more easily that we’d think. Filipinos might find it easy to relate to South Korea’s galbitang, a short ribs stew which tastes exactly like the Filipino nilagang baka. Meanwhile, rice is a staple that connects South Korea to other countries across Asia. (Into rice bowls? You’ll love bibimbap, a bowl of rice topped with veggies and a variable amount of chili paste.) The Korean version of the Japanese shabu-shabu is interesting because its form changes as the meal goes on. As the broth where one dips raw meat turns into a soup; when only the dregs remain, a bowl of rice is dumped into the pot to create a kind of porridge. When that dries up, the very last of the rice turns into a crunchy, crusty snack. This is just one of many dishes meant to be consumed by a group, with diners sharing both food and time. South Korea’s cuisine is characterized not only by an attention to detail, but also by the idea that eating is more than filling one’s belly. Eating is a bonding experience, a part of wellness, and a gateway to a better life. —PF, GMA News Sources: ‘Say Kimchi!’ a documentary by Kara David/I-Witness (2012) VisitKorea