Korean regional cuisine
[1] Until the late 19th century transportation networks were not well developed, and each provincial region preserved its own characteristic tastes and cooking methods.
Geographic differences are also reflected by the local specialty foodstuffs depending on the climate and types of agriculture, as well as the natural foods available.
With the modern development of transportation, and the introduction of foreign foods, Korean regional cuisines have tended to overlap and integrate.
[4] Representative main dishes include gukbap (a soup with rice),[5] kimchi mari (cold kimchi broth with rice),[6] dakjuk (chicken porridge), Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle soup), eobok jaengban (pressed beef served in a brass plate),[7][8] gangnyang guksu (corn noodles in a cold broth),[9] Pyongyang manduguk (Pyongyang style dumpling soup), and gulmandu (small dumpling without a covering).
Notti is another characteristic tteok of Pyongan and Hwanghae provinces, made by pounding a saccharified dough of hulled millet flour, and pan-frying its pieces with oil.
Pyongyang locals sometimes enjoyed it as a haejangguk which is any type of food eaten as a hangover cure— commonly in the form of a warm soup.
In contrast with millet, and sorghum harvested in South Korea, those of Hamgyon provinces have a more glutinous texture, and have good, savory tastes.
It originates in Hamhung, South Hamgyong province, and is topped with hoe (sliced raw fish) seasoned with hot and spicy sauce.
[26] Typical main dishes in Hamgyong cuisine include: japgokbap (a bowl of cooked mixed multiple grains), jjinjobap (steamed sorghum), dak bibimbap (mixed rice and vegetables with chicken slices), eollin kongjuk (porridge made with frozen soybeans), and oksusujuk (corn porridge).
[27][28] Indian mustard leaves, called gat in Korean, are cultivated in place of Napa cabbage, a main kimchi ingredient, which does not grow well in the region due to poor geographic conditions.
Indian mustard leaves have been eaten in spring and autumn as a main vegetable since ancient times, and are used for making gat kimchi to preserve for winter.
Thanks to the wide Yonbaek and Chaenyong plains, Hwanghae province is a granary of North Korea and is known for its good quality cereal production.
Dongchimi brine is used as a broth for naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle dish), or for mixing with a bowl of chilled rice to make a midnight snack.
It consists of fried rice with chopped pork, various namul (sauteed vegetables), and sliced chicken, unlike other bibimbap varieties.
[3][33] Gangwon (or Kangwon) cuisine is simple and plain and consists of dishes made with potato, corn, buckwheat, or seafood.
Typical main dishes are also based on potatoes and maize with various cooking methods such as Chuncheon dakgalbi,[34] gangnaengi bap (a bowl of steamed corn and rice), makguksu (buckwheat noodle dish), patguksu (noodles in red bean soup), gamja ongsimi (potato dumpling soup), bangpungjuk (porridge made with Glehnia littoralis),[35] gangnaengi beombeok (mashed boiled corn with grains), and gamja beombeok (mashed boiled potato with grains).
Mountain vegetables are obtained from those surrounding Seoul, while fish and seafood are harvested from the Yellow Sea, located to the west.
It is said to be strongly associated with the Seonnongdan shrine in the neighborhood of Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul where the kings of Korea held an annual national ritual to pray for a good harvest.
[3][45][46] Representative Seoul soups or stews are: sinseollo (royal casserole), gaksaek jeongol (casserole made with various ingredients),[47] yukgaejang (spicy beef soup with rice), Gujeolpan (nine-sectioned plate), galbijjim (braised meat short ribs), tteokjjim (boiled tteok, beef and vegetables),[48] tteokbokki (stir-fried tteok and vegetables), braised dishes in soy sauce such as honghapcho and jeonbokcho respectively made with mussels and abalone, and gannap (beef liver pancake).
Pressed or dried dishes such as pyeonyuk made with ox's tongue or brisket,[51] jokpyeon (gelatin), eochae (parboiled fish fillet), yukpo (beef jerky), suran (poached egg), sukju namul (sauteed mung bean spouts), mugeun namul bokkeum (sauteed dried various mountain vegetables), hobakseon (steamed stuffed zucchini), gimssam (wraps with gim, seaweed), maedeup jaban (fried kelp in a ribbon shape),[52] are banchan representing Seoul cuisine.
Seoul cuisine has a lot of mitbanchan (basic side dishes made for preservation) such as yukpo (beef jerky), jeotgal (salted fermented seafood) and jangajji (pickles).
It is usually used as a decoration for other tteok and is shaped into a ball or a square after its dough is pounded and stuffed with a sweetened filling and covered with gomul (powder coating or sliced fruits).
orientalis (sunflower-like plant), chestnut, yuzu (a citrus fruit), Gingko seeds, gotgam (dried persimmon), Coix lacryma-jobi var.
[62][63] Dasik is a pattern pressed cake eaten when drinking tea, made with black sesame seeds, soybean, pollen powders, chestnut, starch, rice or a mixture of wheat flour and honey.
On the other hand, typical herbal teas can be made with spices like ginger and cinnamon, herbs such as Ginseng radicle, Angelica, or grains such as Senna obtusifolia.
This cold drink is made with honey, water, and the powders of dried and roasted Prunus mume fruits, Amomi Semen, Sandalwood Red, and Amomum tsao-ko.
The Yedang Plain, in the area adjacent to the Baengma River in South Chungcheong province provides an abundant harvest of grain crops, while the Yellow Sea is a good fishery.
The style of Gyeongsang cuisine is simple with less decoration, while various seasonings are used heavily, so the taste is even more salty and hot and spicy than Jeolla's.
The locals prefer noodles with a soft texture made by mixing raw soybean powder, cut by a kitchen knife.
The warm weather affects Jeju's cuisine in that gimjang, preparing kimchi in late autumn for winter consumption, is not necessary there unlike in the other provinces.
