QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News Service, June 30) – In a previous article, we shared with you the health benefits of Korea’s national dish – kimchi. But Korean cuisine is much more than kimchi. So pick up your chopsticks and take a bite of this fun-sized Korean food facts!
1. Korea is the largest consumer of garlic, which is used in almost every appetizer, soup, entree and side dish.
2. Koreans start their meal with soup. There are many types of soup – one of the most common is miso soup, a thing they share with the Japanese.
3. Korea has its own version of the dumpling. Called “mandu”, this Korean-style dumpling can contain kimchi, glass noodles, meat and others.
4. As many as 25% of the population of Korea eats dog meat, believing that it has special medicinal properties.
5. Korean pancake is called “bindaettok”, which is made of mung bean flour and vegetables like spring onions, zucchini, carrots and peppers. If, instead of vegetables, shrimp, squid or oysters were added, then it is called “pajeon”.
6. Bulgogi is thinly sliced and marinated in soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, spring onions, pepper and sugar. Bulgogi is famous, and is usually cooked by customers in grills in front of them. The meat is wrapped in lettuce before being eaten.
7. Korean cuisine is easily distinguished from other Asian cuisine because in Korean cuisine, there are a lot of side dishes, known as “banchan” in the table.
We hope that you enjoy your Korean culinary adventure!
(ENS, written by Jay Paul Carlos and additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)