A Savory Exchange: Korean food to and from the world

Though the Korean diaspora has a significant presence in many major cities worldwide, Korean culinary traditions have only recently begun to pique the interests of high-profile chefs and foodies.

According to a 2014 IBIS World Marketing Report, the Korean restaurant industry in the United States has grown faster than the restaurant sector as a whole over the past five years. Business Insider listed kimchi as one of the top food trends of 2015, and in 2013 Bon Appetite magazine noted gochujang, or red pepper paste, as a rising culinary darling, positioned to topple the king of Asian hot sauces—sriracha.

The Korean food trend can appeal to both the cheap eats and high-end culinary sectors. In Los Angeles, the iconic kimchi taco was born from Roy Choi’s humble Kogi food truck. In New York, David Chang’s upscale Momofuku restaurants serve up kimchi and steamed pork, or bossam. In the U.K., the food exporter and grocery chain Korea Foods has been a leader in popularizing Korean products, and Kimchi Chronicles, a television program, has introduced viewers to the Korean kitchen.

While the globe is developing an appetite for Korean cuisine, let us take a look at how a mixture of cultures has shaped the Korean menu.

China

For millennia, through trade and occupation, China has exchanged everything from philosophy to language with inhabitants of the Korean peninsula. This long relationship has had an especially profound culinary impact. Two staples of the Korean diet, rice and cabbage, were originally cultivated in China.

Exact dates for the arrival of rice from China to Korea are unknown, but it is estimated to be between 2700 BC and 1100 BC . Until then, the people of the Korean peninsula subsisted on millet, a variety of beans including soy and vegetables. Korea’s oldest dish is juk, a porridge made of boiled grains.

Though a form of kimchi existed prior to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 668 AD ), these first versions consisted primarily of pickled vegetables like eggplant or leeks. The Napa cabbage, or Chinese cabbage, which is used to make the most popular varieties of kimchi, made its Korean debut during the Goryeo Period (918 AD – 1392 AD ).

South and Central America

The kimchi taco is a savory reunion between Korea and the Americas. Chili pepper flakes, a fundamental ingredient in gochujang and kimchi, made the voyage from the Americas to Korea, via Portuguese and Spanish merchants in the 16th century. Previously, kimchi had been seasoned only with salt. Tongbaechu, the familiar Napa cabbage and chili pepper kimchi, was invented around the 1800s.

Japan

Kimbap restaurants are abundant in Korea, wrapping the tightly seaweed-skinned, rice-stuffed snacks at lightening speed for waiting customers. While a version of a seaweed and rice ball called kimssam is a traditional Korean dish, modern kimbap emerged during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910 – 1945) and was influenced by futomaki, a Japanese dish. The key difference between futomaki and kimbap is that vinegar is used in futomaki, while Koreans use sesame oil in kimbap.

Iran

Soju fuels the vibrant nightlife and lively social gatherings that Koreans cherish. Its arrival in Korea came on the heels of the Mongol Army’s charging steeds around 1256 . The Mongols swept through Asia and the Middle East, acquiring skills and goods from the lands they conquered. Upon devastating Persia, the Mongols acquired a taste for a local drink known as “aragh-e-sagi,” which translates to “dog sweat.” By the time the drink arrived in Korea, the Mongols had made some modifications to the drink that would evolve into “arakju” and eventually soju.

United States

During the Korean War (1950 – 1953), much of the Korean population found itself starving in the wake of destruction. Rifling through discarded food on U.S. Army bases, they found cans of Spam, hot dogs and even whole salted hams—food rations abandoned by U.S. soldiers. Koreans initially called the soup created from these rations Johnson tang, after President Lyndon B. Johnson, or army base soup. Today we know it as budae jjigae.

The United States also influenced the popularity of fried chicken in Korea. In the 1960s, rotisserie chicken was introduced at Yeongyang Center in the Myeongdong area of Seoul. After the chicken was roasted to remove excess fat, it was deep-fried. This new cooking technique made Yeongyang Center famous nationwide; prior to this, Koreans had primarily prepared boiled chicken. With the arrival of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1984, fried chicken gained overwhelming popularity. American-style fried chicken, itself a fusion of Scottish and West African cooking traditions, has roots in the southern region of the U.S. and employs a thick seasoned batter. Koreans have expanded upon this version by adding a variety of sauces and creating unique recipes that express their newfound devotion to the fried bird.

Photo Credits:

Kimchi: Portland Farmers Market

Rice: Popsugar Food

Futomaki: Sushi Oishi

Soju: Bohae Brewery

Budae Jjigee: Hyundae Chuksan