Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

South Korea

Ask what South Korea eats and the answer starts with this: bold fermented flavors—kimchi, gochujang, doenjang—with tabletop barbecue, bubbling stews and countless banchan. Look for Kimchi (spicy fermented napa cabbage with chili and garlic, served at every meal), Bibimbap (rice bowl of seasoned vegetables, beef and fried egg, mixed with gochujang) and Bulgogi (thin-sliced beef marinated in sweet soy, grilled or pan-cooked). UNESCO inscribed gimjang, the communal late-autumn kimchi making, in 2013; chili only entered the recipe after peppers reached Korea around 1600. This atlas has 54 South Korea dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

54 dishes.

NaengmyeonNaengmyeonCold chewy buckwheat noodles in icy broth or spicy sauce, summer favoriteOi SobagiOi SobagiCucumbers slit and stuffed with chive-chili filling, a fast summer kimchiPatbingsuPatbingsuShaved ice heaped with sweet red beans, rice cakes and condensed milkSamgyeopsalSamgyeopsalThick pork belly grilled at the table, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjangSamgyetangSamgyetangWhole young chicken stuffed with ginseng, garlic and rice, summer restorativeSannakjiSannakjiFreshly cut octopus tentacles still writhing, dressed in sesame oil and seedsSeolleongtangSeolleongtangMilky ox-bone broth with brisket and noodles, seasoned at the tableSikhyeSikhyeSweet cloudy rice punch with floating grains, served ice-cold after mealsSojuSojuClear distilled spirit drunk in shots, Korea's ubiquitous social drinkSomaekSomaekSoju dropped or poured into beer; the standard office-dinner drink.SongpyeonSongpyeonHalf-moon rice cakes stuffed with sesame or beans, steamed over pine needlesSujeonggwaSujeonggwaChilled cinnamon and ginger punch with dried persimmon and pine nuts.SundaeSundaeSteamed pig-intestine sausage filled with glass noodles and bloodSundubu JjigaeSundubu JjigaeFiery soft-tofu stew with seafood, finished with a cracked eggTteokbokkiTteokbokkiChewy rice cakes simmered in sweet-spicy gochujang sauce with fish cakesYakgwaYakgwaFried honey-and-sesame-oil wheat cakes soaked in syrup; dense and floral.Yogurt SojuYogurt SojuSoju shaken with Yakult drinking yoghurt and lemon-lime soda; sweet and cloudy.YukhoeYukhoeRaw seasoned beef strips with pear, pine nuts and a raw egg yolk

  • Andong Soju

    Traditional distilled rice liquor from Andong, far stronger and cleaner than green-bottle soju. A wine & spirit recipe from South…

  • Baek Kimchi

    Chili-free white kimchi in clear brine with pear, jujube and chestnut. 1 hour 30 minutes to prepare. Makes about 2…

  • Beondegi

    Steamed silkworm pupae sold in paper cups, nutty and startlingly earthy. Ready in 10 min prep and 25 min cooking.…

  • Bossam

    Boiled pork belly slices wrapped in cabbage leaves with radish salad and ssamjang. Ready in 30 min prep and 1…

  • Budae Jjigae

    Army-base stew of spam, hot dogs, kimchi and instant noodles in red broth. Ready in 20 min prep and 25…

  • Bungeoppang

    Fish-shaped waffle filled with sweet red-bean paste. Ready in 20 min prep and 25 min cooking. 10 pieces. A street…

  • Cheonggukjang

    Fast-fermented whole soybean paste, sticky and pungent; simmered into a thick stew. A fermented & pickled recipe from South Korea.

  • Chonggak Kimchi

    Whole ponytail radishes kimchi-fermented with their greens; crunchy and sharp. 45 min to prepare. Makes about 2 kg. A fermented…

  • Dakgalbi

    Chuncheon stir-fry of chicken, cabbage and rice cakes in gochujang. Ready in 20 min prep and 30 min cooking. 4…

  • Dalgona

    Melted sugar puffed with baking soda, pressed flat and stamped with a shape. Ready in 10 min prep and 5…