Black Pork Pig Jeju

Black Pork Pig Jeju

"Black Pork" from the meat of black pigs is a specialty of Jeju Island off the south west coast of South Korea.

Traditionally the porkers were kept in volcanic stone pens to be slaughtered for special occasions such as weddings, births and funerals.

Black Pork

Black Pork is eaten in kebabs and as a barbecue, traditionally roasted over charcoal with garlic.

Black Pork

Up until the 1960s in some areas of Jeju Island the pigs were human waste disposers, with latrines emptying into their sties, as the image of a stone statue at Geumneung Stone Garden graphically shows below.

Statue

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Banchan - Korean Side Dishes

Banchan - Korean Side Dishes

No Korean meal is complete without an array of tasty side dishes, known as banchan in Korean.

Banchan - Korean Side Dishes

Korean side dishes include kimchi, of course, and often laver, bean sprouts (sookju namul), Korean radish, pickles and boiled green vegetables. Banchan are included in the price of any Korean meal and are refilled when empty if you ask the wait staff.

Banchan - Korean Side Dishes

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Korean Barbecue

Korean Barbecue

Korean barbecue, or gogi gui, is a traditional method of grilling meat over charcoal or more frequently nowadays a gas grill set in the diner's table.

Galbi, marinated ribs and bulgogi, grilled sirloin, are a particular favorite.

Images of Korea © Daniel Allen

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Soju & Makgeolli

Soju & Makgeolli

The traditional Korean drinks of soju and makgeolli are both enjoying a renaissance amongst drinkers in Seoul.

Makgeolli is a milky-colored rice wine with a taste somewhere between Japanese sake and beer. Baekseju Village (1317-11 Seocho-Dong, Seocho-Gu near Gangnam subway station Tel: +82 2 595 1003) offers a range of specially prepared Korean traditional wines from the company's own brewery, together with some delicious side dishes. The roasted pork slices (bossam) braised with red pepper paste (gochujang) come highly recommended.

Soju is a distilled liquor similar to Japanese shochu and packs a real kick. Chungdam Ann Sojubang (118-19 Chungdam-Dong, Gagnam-Gu / +82 2 541 6381) offers excellent king ribs and pan-broiled octopus with your deceptively alcoholic fruit soju cocktails.

Cheers!

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Hwangnam Bread

Hwangnam Bread (Hwangnam bbang)

Hwangnam Bread is a specialty of Gyeongju.

Hwangnam bbang (Hwangnam Bread) is a delicious sweet red bean paste pastry and makes for a delicious snack with coffee or tea. Each bun is stamped with a distinctive sunburst motif.

The Hwangnam Bakery, where you can watch the bakers hard at work, is the mecca of Hwangnam Bread. The bakery is just across the street from Cheonmacheong, and bread is available to take away in various sized boxes.

Korea images © Daniel Allen

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Korean Sashimi

Korean Sashimi

Thick cut and delicious Korean sashimi (raw fish) is a gastronomic delight.

Eat at Jagalchi Fish Market in Busan or at numerous specialist fish restaurants in Seoul, Korean raw seafood is a culinary adventure.

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Eating Korean: from barbecue to kimchi, recipes from my home

Eating Korean

Eating Korean: from barbecue to kimchi, recipes from my home

by Cecilia Hae Jin Lee

John Wiley & Sons

ISBN: 0-7645-4078-5
272 pp

This book is an excellent introduction of the delights of Korean cooking. Written by a first-generation Korean-American and award-winning chef, the book covers the standard favorites of Korean cuisine such as bulgogi, bibimbap and kimchi as well as offering recipes that may not be so well-known to a Western audience.

Among the one hundred plus recipes presented are plenty of hot soups, vegetable dishes, noodles, and those saucy, hot Korean dips.

The author interweaves the recipes with personal stories about her large extended Korean family as well as interesting cultural insights into Korean food and culture. Highly recommended for those wanting to try Korean food at home with a useful list of US suppliers of Korean ingredients listed by state.

Buy this book from Amazon USA I UK I Japan

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