What’s something that basically everyone loves? Food!
I personally have always liked different types of food. I love Italian food, Chinese food, Mexican food, French food (I love escargot), and more. Many people are familiar with these types of foods. However, one that people may not be so familiar with is Korean food. Around the time I became interested in Kpop I became interested in Korean culture and wanted to try all the foods that I would see Korean celebrities eat or promote. I was not sure where to start, but my friends found two Korean owned restaurants that serve really good Korean food. I want to tell you about some popular and delicious foods that you will definitely encounter if you go to Korea!
Bulgogi
Bulgogi is marinated beef. It is typically marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, pepper, and other ingredients. Bulgogi is often served at barbeque restaurants in Korea where you will grill the meat yourself at your table. Bulgogi is often served with lettuce and other side dishes. You wrap the bulgogi with lettuce and place any ingredients or side dishes that you wish on top of the bulgogi. My best friend loves bulgogi! She is a meat lover and the delicious juiciness of bulgogi is something that has quickly made it her favorite dish.
Kimbap
Kimbap looks similar to sushi, however it is very different. To make kimbap, you use a sheet of dried seaweed and place a layer of rice that has been seasoned with salt or sesame oil. After putting the rice on the seaweed, there are a variety of ingredients that you can use in kimbap. You can put crab, beef, or fish cakes as the main protein ingredient. Then you can put any vegetables that you like on it. Commonly used vegetables are cucumbers, carrots, and pickled radishes. After putting your ingredients on the rice, you roll the seaweed up and then cut it into small slices!
Mandu
These are Korean dumplings, and they are my favorite! They are usually filled with minced meat, green onions, garlic, and ginger. All of the mandu I have had, have also been filled with glass noodles (which are not actual glass, they are just transparent) . There are three main types of mandu; Mulmandu is when the dumpling is boiled, Gunmandu is when the dumpling is fried, and Jjinmandu is when the dumpling is steamed.
Kimchi
Kimchi is not a main dish, but it is a very common side dish. Usually, kimchi is fermented cabbage with red chili pepper flakes added to make the cabbage spicy. Though this is the most common, there are many variations. Kimchi can be made using cucumbers, radishes, or scallions. Also, not all kimchi is spicy, but I personally prefer spicy kimchi. Other common ingredients used include, ginger, garlic, chopped radish, brine, and scallions. I really like the taste of spicy kimchi, and it is especially good when eaten with a baked sweet potato!