What would you say is the most Korean, exquisite style of food in Korea?
If one was to pose this question to a Korean person, the most likely answer
would be; royal cuisine. The food from the Joseon Dynasty (A.D.1392~1910),
Korea's final dynasty, has become today what people refer to as the finest
traditional style of Korean cuisine. The reason for this lies in the attention
to detail that the Joseon Dynasty put forth in regards to its cuisine. The
royal court would have only the most superb foods brought in from every part
of the country (for national auspicious events or days
of celebration, representatives from different areas throughout the country
would send special congratulatory gifts to the king.) and only the
top chefs would be permitted to prepare food! The nobility and commoners
of the Joseon Dynasty enjoyed most of the same foods, while there is no
distinction at all between the cuisine of the nobility and members of the
royal family. The reason for this is that Koreans were not allowed to marry
someone with the same family name and so the royal family members were marrying
with members of the nobility (known as the Yangban), which caused the royal
and the noble cultures to become mixed. The place to find this kind of traditional
food is at the Korea House. All the way from Beijing, China, Zhuang Zhong (
31 year old Chinese women/ international student) came to the renowned Korea
House to learn about the art of royal Korean cuisine.
* The following is a description of the various full-course cuisines offered at the Korea House.
- Course A is composed of 15 varieties of Korean food. The first portion of this meal begins with dishes consisting of mareun anju (dried side-dishes typically eaten with alcohol), Gujeolpan (nine-sectioned dish), ginseng and honey, and mitbanchan ( basic Korean side-dishes). Next, one can enjoy such dishes as juk (porridge), chilled vegetables, jeonyueo (pan-fried fish dish), jangeogui(grilled eel with seasoning), Sinseollo( casserole dish), kkori-jjim (cow tail stew),daeha-gui (broiled prawn with seasoning), jeonbok-gui(grilled abalone with seasoning), galbi-gui (grilled beef with seasoning), rice and soup, lastly followed by dessert. |
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1. Mareun anju (dried side-dishes typically eaten with alcohol, 마른 안주):
To stimulate your taste buds, while you wait for your main dishes, walnuts
and dried fruits are served to tempt your palate. This dish is often served
with alcohol. |
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2. Gujeolpan (nine-sectioned dish, 구절판): This royal dish consists
of 8 varieties of food all chopped finely, seasoned, and cooked. They are
placed separately in the nine-sectioned platter with a wheat pancake
located in the center.
▶ How to eat: Take a wheat pancake and place a small amount of the
8 varieties of food on the pancake. Then simply role up and enjoy this scrumptious
dish with a bit of sauce. |
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3. Ginseng and honey: Two strips of ginseng (cultivated for 6 years)
are served with a bowl of honey on the side.
▶ How to eat: The strips of ginseng are dipped in the bowl of honey. |
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4. Mitbanchan (basic Korean side-dishes, 밑반찬): 6~10 of the most common
Korean side-dishes used in daily life are served up.
▶ How to eat: These dishes are not considered the main dish. They
are used to accompany the main dish of rice. It is a good idea to eat these
side-dishes slowly and try to enjoy them throughout your entire meal. |
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5. Juk (porridge, 죽): This soothing food can be prepared by boiling
grains of rice, with approximately 6 to 7 times the amount water, over a long period of time. There is said to be around forty kinds of juk
in Korea. Koreans often enjoy a sweet pumpkin juk at home.
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6. Naengchae (chilled vegetables, 냉채): The freshest vegetables of the season
are chilled, then sliced finely and mixed with such foods as seafood, meat,
or fruit. Finally they are seasoned in a sauce that is sure to please your
taste buds. |
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7. Jeonyueo (pan-fried fish dish, 전유어) : Jeonyueo is generally referred
to simply as jeon. Meat, seafood, or a variety of vegetables are selected
and sliced thinly. The selected items are dipped in flour and egg batter
, and pan-fried. This is commonly called buchin jun, but
at the Korea House it is referred to as Jeonja.
▶ How to eat: This dish can be enjoyed on its own or dipped in
soy sauce.
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8. Jangeogui (grilled eel with seasoning, 장어구이): The bone is first removed from the eel. Then pepper, sugar, garlic and ginger are among the ingredients of the sauce that are brushed onto the meat. Grilled over a charcoal fire, this meal is sure to delight you and is said to be good for stamina. |
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9. Sinseollo (casserole dish, 신선로) : Beef and radish, as well as
sea cucumber, abalone, mushrooms, red peppers, walnuts, and ginkgo nuts
are all boiled together creating a delightful casserole dish. This casserole
is prepared in a chafing dish that has a hollow center with a charcoal fire
that continually boils the food while you eat. |
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10. Kkori-jjim (cow tail stew, 꼬리찜): Such foods as cow's tail, carrots, chestnuts, jujubes,
mushrooms and peppers are boiled for at least 3 hours to create a rich gravy-like
indulgence. The longer this dish is boiled, the more smooth and rich it
becomes.
▶ How to eat: Each person is served their own dish of stew and can
simply separate the meat from the bone on their own. The other treats in
this stew can be picked up with the use of chopsticks. |
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11. Daeha-gui (broiled prawn with seasoning, 대하구이): Prawns are cleaned and
then broiled. They are then garnished with colorful foods which make for
a beautiful presentation.
▶ How to eat: Press firmly on the head, then carefully take off the
skin(from the head to the tail) and enjoy this delicious meal. |
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12. Jeonbok-gui (grilled abalone with seasoning, 전복구이) : Placed in
salt water, and removed of sand and other impurities, the cleaned abalone
is then grilled. While grilling, salt and black pepper are among the seasonings
used to flavor this dish. Jeonbok-gui is low in fat and plentiful in both
iron and calcium.
▶ How to eat: The best way to eat this dish is to peel away the skin
of the abalone and enjoy the delicious meat in one bite. |
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13. Galbi-gui (grilled beef with seasoning, 갈비구이): The rib meat of
beef or pork is seasoned with minced green onions, garlic, ginger, sugar, sesame
oil and black pepper. The marinated meat is then grilled over a charcoal
fire. This dish is usually served with the bone, but at the Korea House
they remove the bone for your convenience. |
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14. Rice (밥) and Soup (국): Rice and soup are always part of a Korean meal. To create a delicious soup; vegetables, meat, and or fish
may be used. Typically soy sauce, soybean paste, red pepper paste and salt
are used for seasoning.
▶ How to eat: When the rice and soup are served, you can enjoy them
with the other side-dishes and food left on the table. |
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15. Dessert: Sikhye (식혜) and fruit are served. Sikhye is a sweet rice
drink native to Korea.
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Things to keep in mind
1. It is a good idea to set aside ample time to enjoy this special dining experience. Due to the fact that many dishes are served, around 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours is recommended for a pleasurable dining experience.
2. To stimulate your taste buds, mareun anju (nuts
and dried fruit) is served and usually accompanied by alcohol. Such
alcohol as beer, wine, whisky and traditional Korean drinks are all
good compliments. It should be noted that alcohol must be ordered
separately.
3. Vegetarians can call ahead and have vegetables substituted for
meat.
4. Forks are available for those who have trouble with chopsticks.
5. Please be sure to make reservations ahead of time when dining at
the Korea House. (+82-2-2266-9101~3/Korean,English, Japanese) |
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Zhuang Zhong's interview with a royal Korean cuisine chef
Korea House's head chef, Yu Myeonggon and Seoul National
University's student, Zhuang Zhong (enrolled in Korean
language masters program) sat down for an interview over Korea House's
A course dinner menu.
Chef) Is the taste suitable for you?
Zhuang Zhong) Yes, the Pumpkin Juk is especially tasty. While it
is a bit sweet, it also has a nice light flavor about it.
Chef) You have been in Korea for about 4 years and I am sure that
you have tasted many kinds of Korean food, but what do you think are differences
between everyday Korean food and royal cuisine?
Zhuang Zhong) Ah~ Not spicy. The usual food eaten at home seems to
be on the spicy side whereas royal cuisine is more mild and light.
Chef) Health was of the utmost importance with regards to the royal
family's diet. Anything too spicy isn't good for one's health.
How would
you say royal Chinese food and royal Korean food are different?
Zhuang Zhong) (said with a smile) The names of Chinese royal foods
are very extravagant. Traditional proverbs are frequently used for the names
of dishes. These names are long and often have no relation to the food itself,
thus people usually can't tell what kind of food it is merely by looking
at the name. On the other hand, when one looks at the names of royal Korean
cuisines, there is no confusion regarding what kind of food it is.
Chef) Hahaha, is that so? Do you know of any difference, not in the
names of the food necessarily, but more in food itself?
Zhuang Zhong) Hmm~ As you know most of Chinese food is stir-fried
in oil, whereas Korean foods seem to use less oil by boiling or steaming
dishes. This gives the food a light quality.
Chef) Please come back and visit us again! It would be our pleasure to serve you.
Zhuang Zhong) Thank you very much. Next time I would love to bring my parents here. I think that my parents would enjoy the tranquil and meditative atmosphere here at Korea House. I had a delicious meal today. Once again, thank you so much.
Chef) I enjoyed our time together!
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| Zhuang Zhong, the chef at Korea House and the reporter's
top 3 recommendations |
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Zhuang Zhong recommends the Pumpkin Juk (porridge).
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The chef recommends the Gujeolpan (nine-sectioned
dish).
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The reporter recommends the Daeha-gui (broiled prawn
with seasoning).
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>> For
detailed information on Korea House, 한국의 집 |
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