Naengmyeon: Cool and refreshing noodle soup



Koreans usually cite Bulgogi as their favorite wintertime dish and Naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle soup) for the summertime. There are two main types of Mul-naengmyeon: Pyeongyang-style and Hamheung-style. Pyeongyang Naengmyeon is characterized by softer noodles due to a larger content of buckwheat, and a clear and mild-flavored broth. Hamheung Naengmyeon noodles contain a higher percentage of potato or sweet potato starch, resulting in a more firm and stringy texture. The taste is enhanced by adding generous dollops of vinegar and mustard to the broth. Cold Noodles, Warm Toes

Nowadays, Naengmyeon is considered a summer food, but in the old days, the Naengmyeon experience was a combination of a warm Ondol (underfloor heating system) floor, freezing winter temperature, and icy-cold Naengmyeon. The broth was made with Dongchimi (radish water kimchi) brine scooped out of the earthenware crock which was half-buried in the ground for winter storage. No one knows exactly when Koreans started to eat Naengmyeon. However, based on the fact that buckwheat was introduced by the Mongol Empire during the Goryeo Dynasty, one can assume that people living in the mountainous northern region first began eating it around that time.

A Taste of Home

For the older generation Northerners, Naengmyeon is a nostalgic reminder of the home left behind. Naengmyeon was initially a specialty of the northern regions, but became popular across the country when Northerners fled to the South during the Korean War. Having few means to support themselves, many displaced Northerners began to make and sell Naengmyeon. It is common to see a number of elderly Northerners gathered in Naengmyeon restaurants. They are regular customers who come to savor the taste of ‘home’ to which they will probably never return. That is why Naengmyeon restaurants are bustling with the loud sound of people talking in thick northern accents, something that is hard to hear elsewhere. North Korea, the origin of Naengmyeon, still maintains its reputation. In North Korea, they say, ‘You can’t claim to have been in Pyeongyang unless you’ve tasted Naengmyeon at Okryugwan. The Okryugwan is a landmark restaurant famous for its Naengmyeon, and is always on the list of places to visit for dignitaries and even South Korean visitors. It is said that the late Kim Il Sung, the former ‘Great Leader’ of North Korea, instructed that the distinctive taste of Okryugwan Naengmyeon be preserved forever.

Mild Pyeongyang vs. Sweet & Spicy Hamheung

The broth used in Pyeongyang Naengmyeon is made by simmering beef, pheasant, or chicken and combining it with the brine of well-fermented Baechu-kimchi (cabbage kimchi) or Dongchimi (radish water kimchi). The noodles are served with garnishes such as Pyeonyuk (pressed boiled meat), julienned cucumbers and pears, and hard-boiled eggs. To fully enjoy the subtle-flavored broth, only a small amount of vinegar and mustard should be added. Meanwhile, Hamheung Naengmyeon is served with a spicy sauce that goes well with the stringy noodles. Adding ample vinegar and mustard can even enhance the taste further. It’s always a good idea to eat the boiled egg first, in order to soften the blow of the fiery sauce.



Bulgogi: A sweet treat for special days

Bulgogi is prepared by marinating thin slices of beef and grilling them. In the past, the royal court and Yangbans (gentry class) in Seoul used to call it ‘Neobiani,’ which means wide meat slices.

The Origin of Bulgogi: Maekjeok in Goguryeo

Traditional grilled meat dishes in Korea originated from Maekjeok. ‘Maek’ was the northeast region of China, and is also a reference to Goguryeo which is one of the earliest Korean kingdoms. Maekjeok is a dish of barbecued beef skewers and, according to folklore, it evolved into the current Bulgogi because the introduction of the grill made skewers obsolete. It is said that bulgogi was the only dish in the world that marinated the meat before it is grilled. There is a similar dish in China, but the meat is grilled or ground first and then mixed with sauce. Because the marinated Maekjeok did not require the use of sauce, it was also called Mujang (no sauce). It eventually evolved into a royal court dish Neobiani (sliced grilled beef) the predecessor of Bulgogi.

Mixing Rice with the Juicy Broth

Bulgogi tastes sweet and flavorful because it is marinated in a sauce consisting of honey, thick soy sauce, black pepper, chopped garlic, and scallion. Back when restaurants did not offer as many choices as now, Koreans usually ate Bulgogi when they dined out on special days. While the Bulgogi sizzled on a plate moist with its juice, adults ate the meat and drank Soju (Korean distilled spirit), and children mixed their rice with the sweet gravy.

Gim bap:Dried Seaweed Rolls

Gim-bap (Korean-style rice rolls) is made by spreading white rice on a sheet of Gim (dried laver), layering it with spinach, pickled radish, carrots, egg and beef, and rolling it up. It is similar to the Japanese Maki roll but differs in that the rice is seasoned with sesame oil and salt rather than with vinegar, sugar and salt.

Different Fillings, Different Names
It was in the 1960s and 70s that Gimbap as we know it - rolled up into a cylindrical form - became popular. The rice-roll was the default picnic lunch for annual spring and autumn school outings. Many Koreans fondly remember eathing the end pieces of the rolls while their mother prepared Gimbap on the morning of school picnics. In the mid-1990s, Gimbap became an everyday food with the launch of the successful Gimbap franchise, ‘Jongno Gimbap.’ Their take on Gimbap was a thick roll with generous portions of rice and novel fillings such as kimchi, sliced processed cheese, perilla leaves, and anything else one fancied. Thus, Gimbap became ubiquitous, and multiplied into many variations: Cheese-gimbap, Tuna-gimbap, Kimchi-gimbap, etc.

Fat Granny’s Chungmu-gimbap
A unique variation of Gimbap is the Kkoma-gimbap, finger-size rolls of rice wrapped in dried laver sheets without any filling and eaten with spicy squid salad and radish kimchi. Its origins date back decades to days when ferries were preferred as a form of transportation over the relatively underdeveloped roads. Passengers used to bring their own Gimbap to tide them over the long ferry ride. However, the regular Gimbap with fillings spoiled easily. One elderly woman saw this and started to sell plain rice rolls served with a separate side dish. It was an instant hit. As roads improved and fewer ferries operated, the woman settled down and opened her own place named ‘Chungmu Gimbap’ in Chungmu city. Although Chungmu later merged into Tongyeong as a result of administrative reorganization, the place is still called Chungmu Gimbap and has become a famous tourist stop.

A Slice of the Ocean on the Dinner Table : Dried Laver
Called nature’s greatest gift, laver is a remarkably nutritious food packed with protein and vitamins. It has been cultivated for ages and is considered at its best when it shows fewer impurities, a darker color and a fuller sheen.

Samgyetang: Rejuvenate yourself during the sweltering summer

Samgyetang is made by simmering a whole young chicken stuffed with ginseng, hedysarum root, jujubes and sweet rice. Considered an energy-boosting dish best eaten during Sambok (Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok), the hottest days of the lunar year, it is a classic Korean dish that has become popular among international diners as well.

A Must-eat Dish in the Summer
Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup) is made by stuffing the cavity of a young chicken with sweet rice, ginseng, hedysarum root, and jujubes, trussing it and then simmering it in a stone pot or earthen bowl for about an hour. It became a popular dish once ginseng was made more widely available. The hot summer is the season for chicken. It is common in Korea for many restaurants which do not have Samgyetang on their menu to offer it in the hot summer season, which demonstrates the tremendous popularity of this soup. Samgyetang is well known to foreigners as well. Murakami Ryu, a renowned Japanese author, praised Samgyetang as the best Korean dish in his novel, while Zhang Yimou, a famous Chinese film director, said he enjoys it every time he visits Korea.


Samgyetang contains many healthy ingredients. Garlic and ginseng are the two main side ingredients, and jujubes and pine nuts are frequently added as well. Sometimes, ground peanuts or perilla seeds are added for flavor and body.

Topokki: The most popular snack

Topokki (stir-fried rice cakes) is representative of hot Korean dishes spiced with Gochujang (red chili paste). Everybody loves Topokki. Even children, who have yet to develop a taste for spicy food(red chili paste), food, enjoy Topokki, even if they have to drink lots of water to cool their tongue. It is the national street food of Korea.

Gungjung topokki, A Colorful Dish for Royalties

Originally, Topokki was not a spicy dish.

In the royal courts of Joseon, it was prepared by simmering beef, carrots, onions, Pyogo (shitake) mushrooms and other ingredients together with rice cakes in soy sauce. The colorful ingredients - black Pyogo mushrooms, white onions, red carrots and peppers, green chili peppers, and yellow egg garnish - were visually as well as nutritionally harmonious.

Gochujang Topokki Debuts in the 1950s

It is believed that Topokki seasoned with spicy Gochujang paste first appeared in the 1950s and became widely popular in the 1970s.

Because Topokki in this early incarnation was a working-class snack, flour, instead of rice, was used to make the finger-like Tteok sticks. The dish was an instant hit and became the most popular snack item along with ‘Odeng’ (fish cake) soup.

The history of the Sindang-dong Topokki alley, which is the most famous row of Topokki shops in Korea, dates back to the 1970s. There was once a famous Topokki restaurant named ‘Babodeul’ (Fools). To please its student clientele, the restaurant installed a music system and hired an amateur DJ to play songs on request. Their romantic concept of ‘listening to favorite songs while enjoying Topokki’ proved extremely popular and led to the establishment of numerous restaurants under similar themes.

Gungjung Topokki for Healthy Skin

Gungjung-Topokki, which combines meat with vegetables, is a nutritionally balanced dish. The vitamins in carrots and cabbage promote red blood cell production and healthy skin. The gooey substance in the straw mushrooms gives luster to the skin, and the fibers help the body flush out toxins.

Bibim-bap : Rice with nutrient-packed flavor

Bibim-bap, cooked rice mixed with vegetables, sautéed beef and Twigak, (dried seaweed or vegetables fried in oil) is one of the definitive Korean dishes in the eyes of both Koreans and international enthusiasts. Once called Goldongban by the public and Bibim in the royal palace, Bibim-bap has been one of the most popular in-flight meals around the world since it was first introduced by airlines in the early 1990s.

A Botanical Garden inside the Bowl
Jeonju is very famous for its Kongnamul-bibimbap (rice with soybean sprouts), an elaborate dish requiring approximately 30 different ingredients. The rice itself is boiled in a stock made with beef brisket, and the dish is topped with a mung bean starch jelly tinted with yellow gardenia juice. Jeonju Bibimbap traditionally has Yuk-hwe (Korean beef steak tartare) as one of the mixing ingredients, but those unaccustomed to eating uncooked beef can have it with regular sautéed beef. Jinju is famous for its Kkot-bap (flower bibimbap), which conjures up images of a beautiful botanical garden. This version of Bibimbap is served with a broth made with chopped littleneck clams sautéed in sesame oil.

Bibim-bap as Comfort Food
Nothing is more comforting to Koreans than rice mixed with fiery Gochujang (red chili paste) and all the leftover dishes rummaged from the refrigerator. Koreans say that the moment a spoonful of Bibimbap enters your mouth, the bitterness and resentment in your heart starts to melt away. Bibimbap is the ultimate comfort food for Koreans, which magically provides relief for heartaches, pent up frustrations, and even stress and anxiety.