Korean food practices?

Question

Hopefully there is any Koreans here to help, if not, anyone have any info, please answer, thanks in advance. (:

Common Ingredients used and its significance.
Dietary taboos and restriction.
Preferred cooking method.
Dining etiquette.

Make sure, it's based on Korea. [:
And not other culture,
sincerely, [:

Answer 1

Korean cuisine is based on the traditional food of Korea. From the complex Korean royal court cuisine to regional specialties to modern fusion cuisine, the ingredients and preparation are richly varied, and many dishes are becoming internationally popular. The foods described in this article are very different from Korean royal court cuisine, and were (and still are) widely enjoyed by the Korean masses. Kimchi is believed to be a healthy food with many purported health benefits.
It is based largely on rice, noodles, vegetables, meats and tofu (dubu in Korean). Traditional Korean meals are notable for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany the ubiquitous steam-cooked short-grain rice, soup, and kimchi (fermented, spicy vegetable banchan, most commonly cabbage, radish or cucumber). Every meal is accompanied by numerous banchan.
Korean food is usually seasoned with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger and gochujang (red chili paste). Korea is the largest consumer of garlic, ahead of the rest of Asia (particularly China and Thailand, excluding Japan) and the Northern Mediterranean (mainly Spain, Italy, and Greece).
The cuisine varies seasonally, and especially during winter, traditionally relies much on kimchi and other pickled vegetables preserved in big ceramic containers stored underground in the outdoor courtyard. Preparation of Korean food is generally very labor-intensive.
Korean royal cuisine, once only enjoyed by the royal court of the Joseon period, take hours and days to prepare. It must harmonize warm and cold, hot and mild, rough and soft, solid and liquid, and a balance of presentation colors. It is often served on hand-forged bronzeware or bangjjaa. The foods are served in a specific arrangement of small dishes alternating to highlight the shape and color of the ingredients.
Some of these traditional royal cuisines, which can cost as much as ₩240,000 (~US$265) per person excluding drinks, include serving by exclusive waiters and can be found at high-end restaurants in select locations within the city of Seoul. Imperial cuisine has received a recent boost in popularity, due to Dae Jang Geum, a Korean television drama very popular in many parts of Asia, about a humble girl becoming the royal head chef during the Joseon period. There is also a Korean tea ceremony.

Korean table settings:

Koreans traditionally ate (and many still do eat) seated on cushions at low tables with their legs crossed in a modified lotus position. Some traditional restaurants provide floorchairs with backs.
Meals are eaten with a set of silver or stainless steel chopsticks called jeotgarak and a long-handled shallow spoon called sutgarak (similar to the Western spoon, unlike the Chinese soup spoon); the two are together known as sujeo (a contraction of sutgarak and jeotgarak), although sujeo can also mean a sutgarak. Unlike other chopstick cultures, Koreans have used spoons since at least the 5th century.
Unlike China and Japan, Koreans generally do not pick up their rice or soup bowls, but leave both on the table and eat from them with spoons. Banchan are eaten with chopsticks.

A typical table setting consists of:
steamed rice for each person, in a deep stainless steel or ceramic bowl, usually with a cover (near left of the diner)
hot soup for each person, in a small shallower bowl (to the right of the rice), or sometimes a large, shared pot of soup in the center of the table
a set of silver (traditional) or stainless steel spoon for rice and soup, and chopsticks for banchan (to the right of the soup)
various small bowls of shared bite-sized banchan side dishes

Traditional Korean table etiquette:

Although there is no prescribed order for eating the many dishes served at a traditional Korean meal, many Koreans start with a small portion of soup before eating the other dishes in any order they wish.
Koreans generally do not pick up their rice or soup bowls, but leave both on the table and eat from them with spoons, in marked contrast to the Chinese and Japanese customs. Side dishes are eaten with chopsticks. It is considered utterly barbaric to pick up one's bowl, due to the fact that peasants in old Korea would eat in the fields, while nobles would eat at tables.

Bad manners include:
blowing one's nose at the table,
picking up chopstick or spoon before the oldest person starts the meal,
sticking chopsticks or spoon straight up in a dish,
stabbing foods with chopsticks, and picking up food with one's hands (with certain exceptions),
using a spoon and chopsticks at the same time (usually, when you intend to use one of them, you have to put the other one on the table),
using chopsticks or a spoon with a left hand (this always brings comments about being left-handed, and often brings scoldings from older people),
making a sound when chewing foods or clicking a bowl with a spoon or chopsticks,
stirring rice or soup with a spoon or chopsticks,
stirring shared side dishes to select what you want to eat,
removing certain spices or ingredients from shared side dishes,
being careless of coughing and sneezing to the persons on the same table,
finishing eating much faster or slower than the others on the same table,
using toothpicks with the mouth open and leaving them on the table,
drinking in view of elders (This is considered very rude; to avoid this, the younger person must turn away when drinking and do so with discretion.)
In informal situations, these rules are often broken. During family dinners, however, they are usually enforced primarily for the benefit of the children, in order that they learn their table manners and etiquette. The rules are enforced less frequently as children become older and have fully learned proper table manners.
Speaking with food in one's mouth is acceptable, as long one's mouth is not completely full. Chewing with one's mouth open in an overly disgusting manner is, however, considered bad manners. In fact, Koreans will comment that a guest is very quiet during dinner if he or she does not speak, and one will not keep pace in eating with the Koreans if one stops eating to speak. It is considered perfectly acceptable to slurp one's soup. This is because the soups that Koreans serve are often served at boiling temperatures, and thus you must slurp to stop from being scalded. The one rule to remember is that older people and people of higher rank (by profession or societal status) often do not have to follow the rules, and other people at the table do have to follow the rules. Actually they do have to follow them, but the minors would not dare correct their senior. Thus, if one is eating with friends, many of these rules can be broken. If eating with older people or special guests, one should follow the etiquette strictly. This stems from Korea's traditionally Confucian societal structure.
Though diners do not need to finish all the shared food that was provided, it is customary to finish one's individual portion of rice. Banchan dishes are intended to be finished at each meal, so they are presented in small portions and replenished as they are emptied. It is acceptable to ask for refills of any of the side dishes.

Korean foods and dishes:

Kimchi
Much of Korean cuisine consists of simple dishes such as preserved food. It is known for its strong and pungent flavors. Many Korean banchan rely on fermentations for flavor and preservation, resulting in a tangy, salty and spicy taste.
Certain regions are especially associated with some dishes (for example, the city of Jeonju with Bibimbap) either as a place of origin or for a famous regional variety. Restaurants will often use these famous names on their signs or menus (compare Chicago-style pizza).
Romanization of Korean words may vary widely.

Main meat dishes:

Bulgogi
At traditional restaurants, meats are cooked at the center of the table over a charcoal grill, surrounded by various banchan and individual rice bowls. The cooked meat is then cut into small pieces and wrapped with fresh lettuce leaves, with rice, thin slice of garlic, ssamjang (mixture of gochujang and dwenjang), and other seasoning.
Bulgogi (불고기): thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sugar, green onions and black pepper, cooked on a grill (sometimes at the table). Bulgogi literally means "fire meat". Variations include pork (Dweji bulgogi), chicken (Dak bulgogi), or squid (Ojingeo bulgogi).
Galbi (갈비): pork or beef ribs, cooked on a metal plate over charcoal in the centre of the table. The meat is sliced thicker than bulgogi. It is often called "Korean BBQ", and can be seasoned or unseasoned. A variation using seasoned chicken is called (Dakgalbi).
Jokbal or pig's legs served with a red salted shrimp sauce.
Samgyeopsal (삼겹살): Unseasoned pork bacon cut from the belly, served in the same fashion as galbi. Sometimes cooked on a grill with kimchee troughs at either side. Commonly grilled with garlic and onions, dipped in ssamjjang and wrapped in lettuce leaves.
Hoe \hö\ (회): raw seafood dish dipped in gochujang or soy sauce with wasabi, served with lettuce or sesame leaves.
Sannakji or live octopus. Sannakji is served live and still moving on the plate.
Makchang (막창): Grilled pork large intestines prepared like samgyeopsal and galbi. Often served with a light doenjang sauce and chopped green onions. Very popular in Daegu and the surrounding Gyeongsang region.
Gobchang (곱창): Similar to makchang except prepared from the small intestines of pork (or ox).

Royal dishes:

Korean royal court cuisine
Gujeolpan (구절판): literally "nine-sectioned plate", this very elaborate dish consists of a number of different vegetables and meats served with thin pancakes. It is served only at special occasions such as weddings, and is associated with royalty.
Sinseollo (신선로): Korean style meat and vegetable lasagna.

Soups and stews:

Sundubu Jjigae
Budae jjigae (부대찌개, "army base stew"): Soon after the Korean War, meat was scarce in Seoul. Some people made use of surplus foods from US Army bases such as hot dogs and canned ham (such as Spam) and incorporated it into a traditional spicy soup. This budae jjigae is still popular in South Korea, and the dish often incorporates such more modern ingredients such as instant ramen noodles.
Doenjang jjigae (된장찌개): soybean paste soup, served as the main course or served alongside a meat course. It contains a variety of vegetables, shellfish and tofu, including small mussels, shrimp and/or large anchovies. Usually, anchovies were used for preparing base stock, and were put out before adding main materials.
Cheonggukjang jjigae (청국장찌개): soup made from strong-smelling thick soybean paste
Gamjatang (감자탕, "potato stew"): a spicy soup with pork spine, vegetables (especially potatoes) and hot peppers. The vertebrae are usually separated. This is often a late night snack but is also served for a lunch or dinner.
Haejangguk (해장국): a favorite hangover cure consisting usually of meaty pork spine, dried cabbage, coagulated ox blood (similar to blood pudding), and vegetables in a hearty beef broth. Legend has it that soon after World War II, a restaurant that invented this stew was the only place open in the Jongno district when the curfew at the time lifted at 4 a.m.
Jeongol (전골) : a traditional spicy Korean stew, consisting of various types of seafood and vegetables. It is generally served on a burner.

Samgyetang
Kimchi jjigae (김치찌개): A soup made of mainly Kimchi with pork and tofu. It is a common lunch meal or accompaniment to a meat course. It is normally served in a stone pot, still boiling when it arrives at the table.
Mae-woon tang (매운탕): a refreshing hot & spicy fish soup.
Samgyetang (삼계탕): a soup made with Cornish Game Hens that are stuffed with ginseng, a hedysarum, sweet rice, jujubes, garlic, and chestnuts. The soup is traditionally eaten in the summer.
Seolleongtang (설렁탕): ox leg bone soup simmered for more than 10 hours until the soup is milky-white. Usually served in a bowl containing glass noodles and pieces of beef. Green onion and black pepper are condiments.
Sundubu jjigae (순두부 찌개): a thick spicy stew made with soft tofu. Traditionally, the diner cracks a raw egg in it while it's still boiling.

Mixed rice:
Bibimbap (비빔밥, "mixed rice"): rice topped with vegetables, beef and egg, and served with a dollop of chili pepper paste. A variation of this dish, dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥), is served in a heated stone bowl, in which a raw egg is cooked against the sides of the bowl. Yukhoe (육회) is a popular version, comprising raw beef strips with raw egg and a dash of soy sauce mixed with Asian pear and gochujang. Everything (seasonings, rice and vegetables) is stirred together in one large bowl and eaten with a spoon.
Hoedeopbap \hweh-dup-bahp\ (회덮밥): cubed raw fish mixed with fresh vegetables and rice and gochujang.

Banchan (side dishes):
Kimchi (or Gimchi or Kimchee): vegetables (usually cabbage, white radish, or cucumber) commonly fermented in a brine of ginger, garlic, green onion and chilli pepper. There are infinite varieties (at least as many as there are households), which are served as side dishes. Koreans traditionally made enough kimchi to last for the entire winter season, although refrigerators and commercial bottled kimchi made this practice less common.
Kongnamul (콩나물): Soybean sprouts, usually eaten in boiled and seasoned banchan. Soybean sprouts are also the main ingredient in kongnamul-bap (sprouts over rice), kongnamul-guk (sprout soup), and kongnamul-gukbap (rice in sprout soup).

Noodles:

Mul Naengmyeon with Mandu
Naengmyeon (냉면, (North Korea: 랭면, Raengmyŏn), "cold noodles"): this summer dish consists of several varieties of thin, hand-made buckwheat noodles, and is served in a large bowl with a tangy iced broth, raw julienned vegetables and fruit, and often a boiled egg and cold cooked beef. This is also called Mul ("water") Naengmyeon, to distinguish Bibim Naengmyeon, which has no broth and is mixed with gochujang.
Japchae (잡채): Boiled dangmyeon or potato noodle, steamed spinach, roasted lengthwise-cut beef, roasted sliced onion, roasted lengthwise-cut carrot are mixed with seasoning by soy sauce, sesame oil and half-refined sugar.
Jajangmyeon (자장면): A variation on a Chinese noodle dish that is extremely popular in Korea. It is made with a black bean sauce, usually with some sort of meat and a variety of vegetables including zucchini and potatoes. Usually ordered with delivery, much like pizza.
Kalguksu (칼국수): boiled flat noodles, usually in a broth made of anchovies and sliced zucchini.
Ramyeon (라면): spicy variation of Japanese Ramen, usually cooked with vegetables and meats.
[edit]Korean snacks

Snacks play an important social role in Korean culture. In Korea, snack food may be purchased from street carts during the day, and at night many streets are filled with small tents that sell inexpensive food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages. At the street carts, customers may eat standing beside the cart or have your food wrapped-up to take home. Most Korean people consider the food sold here as a snack and considered to be snacks rather than a complete meal. Seasons also have unique specialties: Bingsu is a refreshing iced treat in the summer, whereas warm soup, gimbap, hotteok, and Bungeoppang are enjoyed in the fall and winter.

Kimbap:

Kimbap or Gimbap (김밥) is a very popular snack in Korea. It consists of cooked rice, sesame oil, salt, and sesame seeds, to which a small amount of vinegar and sugar are often added as seasonings. Then it is placed on a sheet of dried laver. The seasoned rice is spread on the laver, and the fried egg, carrot, strips of ham, seasoned ground beef or seasoned fish cakes, pickled radish, seasoned spinach, and seasoned gobo and cucumber are then placed close together on the rice, then rolled in the manner of Japanese sushi. Today, there are all kinds of gimbap: tuna, cheese, bulgogi, vegetable,and more.

Buchimgae/Jeon:

Bindaeddeok
Fermented kimchi (kimchijeon) or seafood (haemul pajeon) is mixed into flour, and then fried in an oiled pan. This dish tastes the best when it is hot dipped in soy sauce, vinegar, and red pepper powder.
Pajeon (파전): pancake made mostly of eggs and flour, with green onion, oysters, or fresh baby clams cooked on frying pans.
Bindaetteok (빈대떡): pancake made of ground mung beans, with green onions, kimchi, or peppers cooked on frying pans.

Bungeo-ppang/Gukwa-Ppang/Gyeran-ppang:
Bungeoppang is a fish-shaped pastry that is usually filled with sweet red bean paste and then baked in a fish-shaped mould. It is very chewy and crispy on the outside. Gukwa-ppang is almost the same as bungeo-ppang, but it is shaped like a flower. Gyeran-ppang tastes similar to bungeo-ppang, but it is shaped like a seashell.

Other snacks:
Ddeokbokki (떡볶이): a broiled dish which is made by sliced rice cake, seasoned beef, fish cakes, and vegetable with gochujang
Soondae (순대): Korean sausage made of chitterlings stuffed with a mixture of boiled sweet rice, oxen or pig's blood, potato noodle, mung bean sprouts, green onion, etc.
Hotteok:This is similar to pancakes. Melted brown sugar, honey, and broken pieces of peanut and cinnamon are important fillings. Vegetables are sometimes added to the batter.Hotteok is usually eaten during the winter months to "warm up" the body from the sweet and warm syrup within the pancake.

Anju (food) (side dishes accompanying alcoholic beverages)
Anju (food) is a general term for a Korean side dish consumed with alcohol (often with Korean soju), commonly served at bars, Noraebang (karaoke) establishments, and restaurants that serve alcohol. Some of these side dishes can also be ordered as an appetizer or a main dish. These side dishes are different from the banchan side dishes served with a regular Korean meal. Some examples of anju are dried squid with gochujang, assorted fruit, dubu kimchi (tofu with kimchi), peanuts, odeng/ohmuk, kimbap (small or large), samgakimbap (triangle-shaped kimbap like the Japanese onigiri), sora (소라 (a kind of shellfish popular in street food tents), and nakji (small octopus, as eaten on screen in the OldBoy movie). Soondae also is a kind of anju, as samgyeopsal, or dwejigalbi. Most Korean foods may be served as anju, depending on availability and the diner's taste.

Desserts:

Tteok (떡): a chewy cake made from either pounded short-grained rice (메떡, metteok), pounded glutinous rice (찰떡, chaltteok), or glutinous rice left whole, without pounding (약식, yaksik). They are served either cold (filled or covered with sweetened mung bean paste, red-bean paste, raisins, a sweetened filling made with sesame seeds, mashed red beans, sweet pumpkin, beans, dates, pinenuts and/or honey), usually served as dessert or snack. Sometimes cooked with thinly-sliced beef, onions, oyster mushrooms, etc. to be served as a light meal.
Songpyeon (송편): chewy stuffed tteok (rice cake) served at Chuseok (Mid-Autumn Festival) decorated with pine needle. Honey or another soft sweet material, or kidney bean is found inside.
Yakshik is a dessert made from a sweet rice, chestnut, pine nut, jujube and raw sugar.
Chapssaltteok: a kind of Tteok filled with sweetened bean paste. Similar to Japanese Mochi.

Korean beverages

Non-alcoholic beverages: Korean Tea

Sikhye
Insam cha (인삼차) - Korean ginseng tea
Saenggang cha (생강차) - Tea made from ginger root.
Sujeonggwa (수정과) - dried persimmon punch
Sikhye (식혜) - sweet rice beverage
Yujacha (유자차) - citron tea
Bori cha (보리차) - roasted barley tea
Oksusu cha (옥수수차) - roasted corn tea
Sungnyung (숭늉) - roasted rice tea

Alcoholic beverages: Korean wine

A bowl of makgeolli, a type of takju
While soju (소주), a vodka-like liquor with high potency, and often flavoured similarly, is the best known liquor; and Majuang wine (a blended wine of Korean grapes with French or American wines) the most popular, there are well over 100 different wines and liquors available in Korea.
The top-selling domestic beers are lagers, similar to others found in Europe and Asia.

These include:
Cass
Hite, Hite Prime, Hite Prime Max
Cafri
OB lager beer which adds rice to the grain base, and is also available as a dry beer.
Taedonggang is a North Korean beer which is now sold bottled in some bars in South Korea.
There are also several microbrewery beers:
Praha (in Gangnam)
Platinum (in Agpujeong and Gangnam)
Jung-ang Micro Brewery (in Ansan)
German Brauhaus (in Ansan)
Three Dragons (in Sinchon)
Rosenbräu (in Ilsan)
Soju is a clear spirit which was originally made from grain, and is now also made from sweet potatoes. Soju made from grain is considered superior (as is also the case with grain vs. potato vodka). Soju is around 22% ABV and is a favorite beverage of hard-up college students, hard-drinking businessmen, and blue-collar workers.
Yakju is a refined pure liquor fermented from rice, with the best known being cheongju. Takju is a thick unrefined liquor made from grains, with the best known being makkoli (막걸리), a white, milky rice wine traditionally drunk by farmers.
Korean wines are generally divided into fruit wines, and herbal wines. Acacia, maesil plum, Chinese quince, cherry, pine fruits, and pomegranate are most popular; and ginseng based medicinal wines, called insamju, are often diluted and sold to the west as energy drinks equivalent to Red Bull.
Juansang - Alcoholic drinks (ju) and accompanying side dishes (an) are set on the table. The dishes vary depending on the kinds of liquor or wine.
Gyojasang is a large table prepared for banquets. Alcohol beverages and a large variety of side dishes, rice cakes, confectionaries, and fruit punch are all placed on the table. After the liquor is finished, noodle soup is served.
[edit]Contemporary innovations

Fusion food is also rapidly becoming popular. There are many Chinese, northern Italian, French, and Indian fusion restaurants all over South Korea.
Vegetarian restaurants, which were sidelined with the decline of Buddhism and advance of missionary Christianity, have had a small resurgence, and can usually be found in every city.
[edit]Consumption of dog meat

Some Koreans consume dog meat. Although the sale of dog meat is illegal in South Korea, this law is not strictly enforced, and as such it is widely available. A recent survey of the consumption of dog meat done by The Office For Government Policy Coordination (국무조정실) states that 55.3% of Koreans have tried dog meat "at least once." The survey also concluded that between 1.6 million and 2.1 million dogs were consumed this year.
Not all dogs are eaten; only nurong (누렁이), which are specially raised cross-breeds, are bred and sold at high prices for human consumption. Those who consume dog meat are usually men with the belief that dog meat serves several medicinal purposes, primarily the enhancement of sexual stamina, called jeongryeok (정력). A common preparation of dog meat, bosintang (spicy dog stew), is sought out by diners as a special summer dish available at certain restaurants. A medicinal extract called gaeju (개주) or gaesoju (개소주),photo, made from dog meat as well as various herbs and other ingredients (but, despite its name, contains no alcohol), is also produced in Korea.

Answer 2

Korean Food Etiquette

Answer 3

Ok, instead of giving you a big, long wordy answer, here are websites that I really like (as a Korean), i.e., I think they accurately represent Korean food and all the sites are in English.

For the best introduction:

http://www.trifood.com

More advanced, anecdotal advice from a Korean blogger:

http://www.xanga.com/koreancooking

Finally, advanced recipes with some good info and great pictures:

http://www.koreankitchen.com/

If you need more information, ask me. I'm Korean :)

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

korean food is very simple yet good and most if spicey. common ingredients are garlic, gochujang (red chilli paste) soybean paste (not miso, the korean one is more pungent), soy sauce, sugar ( even in meats)

korean food is mostly all pretty healthy, go to korea and u will see almost everyone is pencil skinny

the koreans arent as into tea and tea ceremonies as much as the chinese and japanese are but we do drink tea but mostly water if its just at home durring a meal

as for ettiquette, there arents too many rules but NEVER point your chopsticks at anyone, NEVER stick anything straight up in a dish or rice bowl and also, if a meal is served family style, which it almost always is, then u willl only have ur own rice bowl and everyone shares out of the same dishes and korean culture and homes are more family based

Answer 5

I'm not a korean but very interested in korean culture.

Basically, korean eat simple but spicy food. The common ingredients for preparing a korean dish will be included red chillies (dried, grounded), garlic, ginger & sesame. These ingredients are widely used in korean cooking.

Ginseng (roots) was a significant of their country. Korea produce large & good quality ginseng. They reproduce it to ginseng canned drink, facial & body care. Ginseng was a traditional nutrition food where it provide energy and increase metabolism for a healthier body. Ginseng can be consume as a drink or a delicious meal.

Koreans made ginseng tea for stress relieves purposes, and the most popular korean food which include ginseng was "Sam Gye Tang", which using the whole spring chicken, stuffed with glutinous rice, red dates, chestnuts and ginseng, sewed and boiled for a few hours. Its a very sumptuous and exclusive dish servd in korea.

Kim Chi, a kind of fermented(preserved) vegetables, was a daily consumptions for native koreans. There is hundred types of kim chi which was stated in a book called . The most common was the "Baechu Kim Chi"(cabbage kim chi). The main ingredients are china cabbage, rock salt, shredded carrot, spring onion, grounded garlic, ginger, apple/pear, dried chilli flakes(fine) and fish sauce or maybe fresh oysters or squid for marinating. Cabbage was cut into half and marinated with rock salt for a few hours. Wash under cold running water. Squeeze out excess water and marinate with the remaining ingredients and refridgerate for a minimum 3 days. Its according to the recipe. It is a cold dish served in every korean restaurant. You may have it fried with rice, boiled in soup("Kim Chi Guk") or eat it raw.

Korean is famous for its BBQ meat which they called "Bulgogi". Beef & pork is widely used for BBQ. The secret of the tastiness of the meat was the sauce for marinate. Most of the korean family used soy sauce, sesame, soda, grounded onions and apples to marinate the meat for overnight before serving(for BBQ). The meat will absorb the flavour and the purpose of soda is to make it more tender and juicier.

For more info, you can check it in arirang website. Look for VOD list, click for . Enjoy the programme on air.

Have a nice day !!