What’s So Great About Korean Food?

In this inaugural post on TasteofKorea.org, we'd like to talk about what it is that makes Korean food particularly special.

1. It's really good for you

The ancient Koreans said 'Food is Medicine'. As we'll see in future posts, the effects of Korean food have been shown to have crazy good effects on the human body, including helping to prevent:

• Obesity

• Heart disease

• A range of cancers

• Ageing

2. It's really sophisticated

The Vikings had a recipe that consisted of inserting random objects into a cauldron and boiling it all winter. Korean food is basically the opposite of that.

Generally, Korean food takes a lot of effort and thought to prepare. It is also incredibly varied - there are over 500 varieties of Kimchi.

3. It's not just food, it's culture

The origins of Korean food often are not just 'Someone was cooking one day and they thought - hey, why not try this'.

As we'll see in the story of Deonjang (next post), there is generally a deeper, spiritual meaning behind food and how it is prepared.

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There are hundreds of Korean dishes you can discover, but we'll like to begin our posts by focusing on four of the foundations of Korean cuisine.

• 'Doenjang' - soy-bean paste

• 'Kimchi' - fermented vegetables

• 'Bulgogi' - marinaded beef ('fire-meat'

• 'Bibimbap'- all five food groups in one bowl

Stay tuned!