Essential Words to Know for a Korean Drama Fan : The Food related words
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
While watching Korean Dramas, we come across various food items and food words. These are the commonly heard foods in Kdramas/movies.
Kimchi : Well, without a doubt everyone already know what Kimchi is. Korea is famous for it's Kimchi itself. Anyway, for those who do not know, Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish. Kimchie is basically fermented pickle of cabbage and radish. Kimchie is an inevitable part of Korean cuisine.
Soju : Soju is Korea's most popular alcohol. Alcohol drinking is also an inevitable part of Korean culture. So because of that Soju is also a big part of Korean Culture.
Toppokki : This one might be the most commonly heard food in Kdramas after Soju. topokki is a dish of rise cakes in spicy chilly sauce. And this one is a really popular street food. Sounds a bit spicy, but yummy...
Sundae : This one appears along with toppokki a lot. Sundae is a kind of blood sausage made from Pig or Cow's intestines. Kind of 'eeeww' for me, still... they seems to really enjoy this food.
Bibimbap : A traditional Korean dish. It's basically a mixed rice. It's made by mixing various ingredients to rice. The ingredients are usually, seasoned vegetables, chilly paste, bean paste (doenjang). It's an easy dish to make, as it could easily be made in seconds, at home by mixing leftover rice and vegetable dishes and chilly paste and bean paste.
Doenjang : One of the main ingredient in Korean Food. Deonjang or bean paste, is made from Soybeans through a lengthy process. Doenjang is considered to have a strong smell and flavor. So it's added as a flavoring element in various Korean dishes.
(Read more about doenjang here, the Wikipedia page)
Doshirak : Doshirak means lunch box, filled with food of course. Doshirak usually consists of baked rice, and vegetable and egg/fish/meat dishes. Will also might include cut fruits too. The Japanese equivalent word for doshirak is 'bento', which I believe you all have heard at least once.
Kimbap : It's a popular Korean food made from seaweed and rice, with various type of fillings. It's made by layering rice in to a sheet of seaweed, then topping with vegetable, meet or fish. This is then rolled to a tight roll, and cut vertically to pieces. The inside ingredient could normally be raw fish, so it's also considered to be a type of sushi role.
Gheran mari : Korean Egg rolls. Made by spreading beat up egg in a pan, and then rolling it up, while one side is still runny. This roll is then cut vertically in to pieces. It could have various diced vegetables, or other ingredients mixed with the egg, and can have various flavors like sweet or salty.
Omuriceu : This is basically a Japanese dish, not a Korean Dish. Omuricu, means 'Omelette Rice'. It's basically Fried Rice wrapped up in an omelette with tomato ketchup on top.
Chimek : Chimeak means Fried Chicken with Beer. Combining the words Chicken and mekchu (Korean word for Beer) the word Chimek is formed. This one was a popular food already, but the drama 'You who came from the stars' made it even more popular.
Mekchu : Beer
Makkolli : Rice wine.
Mul : Water (How can we miss this one from the list?)
Ooyu - Milk
Oo-daeng/Oh-mook : It's one of the most common street food of Korea. oo-daeng is basically a fish cake. No not sweet kind, but savory kind. Fish, squid meat, with other ingredients like onion, garlic and other spices is mixed together in flour and deep fried in oil. This one is something I really want to eat if I go to Korea some day. Coz it sounds yum, looks yum and just feels yum...
Now to the various types of noodles....
Jajangmyun : Bean Paste Noodles. It's a Korean-Chinese cuisine, and one of the most popular noodles dish in Korea. Jajangmyun is usually noodles topped with tick salty black soybean paste, along with vegetables and or meat and sometimes seafood. It's usually served along with picked radish.
Naengmyun : Naegmyun is a Korean Noodles Dish, which is said to be 'Cold Noodles'. It's basically long hand made noodles served with a tangy iced broth.
Udon : Udon is a thick wheat floor noodles of Japanese origin. It's usually served hot in a bowl, as a noodles soup.
Kalguksu : It's a traditional Korean noodles made from knife cut noodles. The noodles are not made from rollers but made by cutting with knife.
Ramyun : Instant Noodles. An inevitable part of Korean everyday food.
Kimchi : Well, without a doubt everyone already know what Kimchi is. Korea is famous for it's Kimchi itself. Anyway, for those who do not know, Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish. Kimchie is basically fermented pickle of cabbage and radish. Kimchie is an inevitable part of Korean cuisine.
Soju : Soju is Korea's most popular alcohol. Alcohol drinking is also an inevitable part of Korean culture. So because of that Soju is also a big part of Korean Culture.Toppokki : This one might be the most commonly heard food in Kdramas after Soju. topokki is a dish of rise cakes in spicy chilly sauce. And this one is a really popular street food. Sounds a bit spicy, but yummy...
Sundae : This one appears along with toppokki a lot. Sundae is a kind of blood sausage made from Pig or Cow's intestines. Kind of 'eeeww' for me, still... they seems to really enjoy this food.
Doenjang : One of the main ingredient in Korean Food. Deonjang or bean paste, is made from Soybeans through a lengthy process. Doenjang is considered to have a strong smell and flavor. So it's added as a flavoring element in various Korean dishes.
(Read more about doenjang here, the Wikipedia page)
Doshirak : Doshirak means lunch box, filled with food of course. Doshirak usually consists of baked rice, and vegetable and egg/fish/meat dishes. Will also might include cut fruits too. The Japanese equivalent word for doshirak is 'bento', which I believe you all have heard at least once.
Kimbap : It's a popular Korean food made from seaweed and rice, with various type of fillings. It's made by layering rice in to a sheet of seaweed, then topping with vegetable, meet or fish. This is then rolled to a tight roll, and cut vertically to pieces. The inside ingredient could normally be raw fish, so it's also considered to be a type of sushi role.
Gheran mari : Korean Egg rolls. Made by spreading beat up egg in a pan, and then rolling it up, while one side is still runny. This roll is then cut vertically in to pieces. It could have various diced vegetables, or other ingredients mixed with the egg, and can have various flavors like sweet or salty.
Omuriceu : This is basically a Japanese dish, not a Korean Dish. Omuricu, means 'Omelette Rice'. It's basically Fried Rice wrapped up in an omelette with tomato ketchup on top.
Chimek : Chimeak means Fried Chicken with Beer. Combining the words Chicken and mekchu (Korean word for Beer) the word Chimek is formed. This one was a popular food already, but the drama 'You who came from the stars' made it even more popular.Mekchu : Beer
Makkolli : Rice wine.
Mul : Water (How can we miss this one from the list?)
Ooyu - Milk
Oo-daeng/Oh-mook : It's one of the most common street food of Korea. oo-daeng is basically a fish cake. No not sweet kind, but savory kind. Fish, squid meat, with other ingredients like onion, garlic and other spices is mixed together in flour and deep fried in oil. This one is something I really want to eat if I go to Korea some day. Coz it sounds yum, looks yum and just feels yum... Now to the various types of noodles....
Naengmyun : Naegmyun is a Korean Noodles Dish, which is said to be 'Cold Noodles'. It's basically long hand made noodles served with a tangy iced broth.
Udon : Udon is a thick wheat floor noodles of Japanese origin. It's usually served hot in a bowl, as a noodles soup.
Kalguksu : It's a traditional Korean noodles made from knife cut noodles. The noodles are not made from rollers but made by cutting with knife.
Ramyun : Instant Noodles. An inevitable part of Korean everyday food.