KOREAN CUISINE
in each household. Every family in South Korea has their own recipe for kimchi or gochujang, though store-bought versions are now widespread in busy households. Korean cuisine, also called hansik, is As of 2013, 1.7 million Korean immitraditionally based on rice, vegetables, and grants (mostly South Korean) resided in meats. The main course is often served the U.S. As the Korean population grew with many small sides, called banchan throughout the 70’s and 80’s enclaves of (photo on page 4). This participates to Korean communities developed, resultmaking Korean meals a communal expeing in a boom of Korean grocery stores rience: all dishes arrive at once, and are and authentic restaurants. Most of these meant to be shared. restaurants featured traditional dishes Fermented Foods like kimchi, gochujang familiar to Korean palates. Interestingly, and soy sauce are at the heart of this cuiunlike Thai and Chinese restaurateurs, sine. Fermentation produces strong, bold Korean chefs did not seek to westernize flavors which are the cornerstones of all their cuisine: as a result, Korean food Korean foods. These essential condiments kept a low-profile, with the exception of of Korean cuisine were traditionally made the diner-friendly Korean barbecue and Korean fried chicken.
SMALL PLATES, BOLD FLAVORS
STREET FOOD TO FINE DINING: THE RISE OF GOCHUJANG The breakthrough in Korean food came in 2008 with Roy Choi, a Los Angeles-based Korean-American chef who opened Kogi, a Mexican-Korean Fusion Food Truck. Roy Choi made kimchi, gochuBulgogi, one of the centerpieces of Korean BBQ, is grilled beef that has been marinated in a savory-sweet blend of soy sauce, garlic, ginger, green onion and sugar and/or juice (typically pear or apple).
Bibimbap is full of colors, textures and flavors; a rice-based dish, it incorporates marinated vegetables, grilled meats, spicy Gochujang sauce, all topped with a fried egg.
jang and Korean spices approachable by pairing them with a more common cuisine, Mexican. The foodie universe caught on and food blogs and trendy restaurants now feature elements of traditional Korean cuisine. Furthermore, Korean flavors have become so widespread that they now appear on supermarket shelves in snacks, sauces, and microwaveable meals. Wider acceptance of these flavors can be attributed to a shift in American palates and overall food interests: • A higher tolerance and interest for spicy foods. • An interest in all things pickled and fermented such as kimchi, miso, or pickles. • A growing interest in authentic ethnic products. • A fascination for media-friendly chefs … many of whom are Korean!