Korean Cooking Classes

It is said that to really understand a country’s culture, you must experience its food. Luckily, there are many Korean cooking classes available to offer visitors greater insight into Korean culture.

There are a number of companies and institutions offering half-day hands-on programs like Korean cooking classes to make bulgogi and bibimbap, experiences in wearing hanbok and tea ceremony, and tours to nearby traditional markets. In this section, we present the hands-on programs offered by the Food & Culture Academy, O’ngo Food Communications, Chongga Kimchi World, Yoo’s Family (Guesthouse), and Tteok Museum. 

• O’ngo Food Comunications

O’ngo Food Communications started out with an interest in Korean food and grew into a consulting firm. Today, the company’s Korean food specialists offer culinary tours and cooking classes to promote Korean food and culture. The cooking classes are offered in three levels, with beginners and intermediate participants each having three class choices to choose from. Classes are offered in English and Japanese, and a visit to a nearby traditional market (Nagwon Market) is planned after lesson. The classes are offered daily Monday through Friday at 10am and 2pm, and there is a special class on Saturdays. For more detailed information, please check their website.

Program	Content	Price	Time	Notes
Beginner	Bulgogi, seasonal kimchi	65,000 won	About 2 hours	Reservation at least one day in advance
	Haemul-pajeon, sundubu-jjigae
	Dak-galbi, japchae
Intermediate	Temple food (three types of namul dishes)	120,000 won	About 3 hours	Reservation at least one day in advance
	Side dishes (5 to 6 types)
	Korea-style BBQ (three meats, two vegetables)
Advanced	Menu and course selection available (Soups, noodles and mandu, fermented sauce, royal court dishes, etc)	250,000 won	About 4 hours	Reservation at least one week in advance
Special class (Saturdays)	Menu selection available Minimum 3 persons required	55,000 won	About 2.5 hours	Discounted to 50,000 won if payment made a day in advance

* A discount of 5% offered to those taking three classes.

Go to O’ngo Food Communications
O’ngo Food Homepage: http://www.ongofood.com (Korean, English, Japanese)
O’ngo Food Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/5539724983
How to apply: Tel (+82-2-3446-1607), e-mail (ongofood@ongofood.com)

• Chongga Kimchi World

Located in Insa-dong, Jongno-gu, Chongga Kimchi World is a place to experience Korean culture through kimchi. It features an Information Zone with information on the history, origin, and effects of kimchi, the Sales Zone, and the Hands-on Zone. The Sales Zone has on sale various Korean food like kimchi, fermented pastes and sauces, dried laver, salted seafood and vegetables, and makgeolli. Purchases of 30,000 won or more are eligible for free delivery to Incheon Airport. The Experience Zone offers classes on how to make and sample bossam kimchi, topokki, and makgeolli. The kimchi class requires a minimum of two persons and can accommodate up to 46 persons. It is offered daily in Japanese (09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00) and in English (10:00, 14:00, 16:00).

Content	Price	Time
Making of bossam kimchi (1kg) and topokki, and sampling of makgeolli	28,000 won	About 60 minutes

Go to Chongga Kimchi World
Kimchi World Homepage: http://kimchiworld.org (Korean, Japanese)
How to apply: Tel (+82-2-3290-8801~3)

• Yoo’s Family

Housed in a hanok guesthouse, Yoo’s Family offers various hands-on programs including Korean cooking classes to make kimchi and kimchi fritters, a hanbok-wearing program, and tea ceremony. There are four hands-on programs a day (10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00; closed on Sundays and New Year holiday). Reservation is taken for a minimum of two persons, and classes are available with Japanese and English interpretation.
(* 10% discount for groups of 10 persons or more per program)

Program	Content	Price	Time	Notes
A	Tea drinking, hanbok wearing	20,000 won	About 40 minutes
B	Tea ceremony, hanbok wearing and Korean etiquette, rubbing of traditional folk painting	40,000 won	About 60 minutes
C	Tea ceremony, making kimchi fritters, hanbok wearing and Korean etiquette, rubbing of traditional folk painting	50,000 won	About 1.5 hours
D	Tea drinking, making Napa cabbage kimchi	45,000 won	About 1.5 hours
A + D	Tea drinking, hanbok wearing, making Napa cabbage kimchi	55,000 won	About 2 hours
E	Explanation of ingredients and fermentation process, making of gochujang red pepper paste, sampling of bibimbap	65,000 won	About 1.5 hours

Go to Yoo’s Family
Yoo’s Family Homepage: www.yoosfamily.com  (Korean, English, Japanese)
How to apply: Tel (+82-2-3673-3266) (Korean, English, Japanese)
     e-mail (visithome@korea.com)

• Tteok Museum

The Tteok Museum offers classes where visitors can make traditional foods like tteok (traditional rice cakes), kimchi, and makgeolli. An application is required for groups of at least five to ten people. The food made can be taken home after sampling, and visitors can also wear hanbok for an additional charge of 10,000 won.

Program	Content	Price	Time	Notes
Makgeolli making	Makgeolli making and sampling	50,000 won	About 2 hours	Minimum 10 persons
Tteok making	Making and sampling of two types of rice cake*		About 2 hours	Minimum 5 persons
Kimchi making	Making and sampling of one type of kimchi*		About 2 hours
Traditional food making	Making and sampling of two types of traditional food*, hanbok wearing	70,000 won	About 2.5 hours

* Tteok: one of the two types of rice cakes produced with different cooking methods and ingredients
* Kimchi: one of the following types: Napa cabbage kimchi, bossam kimchi, cucumber kimchi, white kimchi, and scallion kimchi (may differ by season)
* Traditional food: two of the following types: bulgogi, japchae, royal court topokki, kimchi fritter, seafood fritter, sundubu-jjigae, and bibimbap 

Go to Tteok Museum
Tteok Museum Homepage: www.tkmuseum.or.kr (Korean, English, Japanese)
How to apply: Tel (+82-2-741-5447) (Korean, English, Japanese)