Food, the substance used to furnish energy is very important to us all. But Koreans take it to the next level in their dishes. Here we have a list of ten Korean foods we think you should try.
- Gimbap or Kimbap is a Korean seaweed rice roll filled with a variety of delicious fillings. Gim is dried sheets of seaweed, and bap means rice. There are different fillings to this on-the-go meal and these are just vegetables, fish eggs, tuna, beef, cheese, kimchi, etc.
- Bulgogi is a juicy, savoury dish of marinated beef. Undoubtedly it is one of the most well-known Korean traditional foods and its cooking method varies depending on the region.
- Tteokbokki is a common spicy Korean food made of cylindrical rice cakes, triangular fish cake, vegetables, and sweet red chilli sauce.
- Kimchi is a dish made with fermented vegetables, the most common main ingredient is cabbage, even though it can be made with various ingredients. Its unique spicy and sour flavour is very popular.
- Korean barbecue is a tradition where a group of people is gathered to have a casual meal where they cook their own meat, it normally involves a grill on the table, thin-sliced meats such as bulgogi, beef tongue, pork belly, etc; kimchi, rice, sauces and for wraps, kimchi or radishes.
- Jjamppong are fresh noodles, various vegetables and various seafood and it is served in a red hot soup base. Generally, the soup can be quite spicy but it can be toned down if you’re cooking it at home.
- Jajangmyeon It is a popular noodle dish served with black bean sauce, which consists of a salty black soybean paste, diced pork (or other kinds of meat) and vegetables.
- Mandu or Korean dumplings have many variations depending on their filling they are called gogi mandu (when meat is the main ingredient), yachae mandu (vegetables are the main ingredient), saewu mandu (shrimp), kimchi mandu, etc. They can be deep-fried, steamed, boiled or pan-fried.
- Korean fried chicken is known for its addictively crunchy exterior and its thick sweet-and-spicy sauce. And is usually accompanied by a refreshing beer.
- Ramyeon is instant noodles that can be easily made, connoisseurs usually add something else to their ramyeon like kimchi, tuna, eggs, etc.
- Bibimbap translates to “mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables“. So it’s a bowl with rice topped with all sorts of seasoned vegetables, marinated meat, a fried egg, a sprinkle of sesame and bibimbap sauce.