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Korean cuisine is the traditional food of Korea. From the complex Korean royal court cuisine to regional specialties to modern fusion cuisine, the ingredients and preparation are richly varied, and many dishes are becoming internationally popular. more...

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The foods described in this article are very different from Korean royal court cuisine, and are only popular to the common people.

It is based largely on rice, vegetables, meats and tofu (dubu in Korean). Traditional Korean meals are notable for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany the ubiquitous steam-cooked short-grain rice, soup, and kimchi (fermented, spicy vegetable banchan, most commonly cabbage, radish or cucumber). Every meal is accompanied by numerous banchan.

Korean food is usually seasoned with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger and gochujang (red chili paste). Korea is the largest consumer of garlic, ahead of the rest of Asia (particularly Thailand and China, excluding Japan) and the Northern Mediterranean (mainly Spain, Italy, and Greece).

The cuisine varies seasonally, and especially during winter, traditionally relies much on kimchi and other pickled vegetables preserved in big ceramic containers stored underground in the outdoor courtyard. Preparation of Korean food is generally very labor-intensive.

Korean royal cuisine, once only enjoyed by the royal court and the yangban aristocrats of the Joseon period, take hours and days to prepare. It must harmonize warm and cold, hot and mild, rough and soft, solid and liquid, and a balance of presentation colors. It is often served on hand-forged bronzeware. The foods are served in a specific arrangement of small dishes alternating to highlight the shape and color of the ingredients.

Some of these traditional royal cuisines, which can cost as much as ₩240,000 per person excluding drinks, include serving by exclusive waiters and can be found at high-end restaurants in select locations within the city of Seoul. Imperial cuisine has received a recent boost in popularity, due to Dae Jang Geum, a Korean television drama very popular in many parts of Asia, about a humble girl becoming the royal head chef during the Joseon period.

There is also a Korean tea ceremony.

Korean table settings

Koreans traditionally ate (and many still do eat) seated on cushions at low tables with their legs crossed in a modified lotus position. Some traditional restaurants provide floorchairs with backs.

Meals are eaten with a set of silver chopsticks called jeotgarak and a long-handled shallow spoon called sutgarak (similar to the Western spoon, unlike the Chinese soup spoon); the two are together known as sujeo (a contraction of sutgarak and jeotgarak). Unlike other chopstick cultures, Koreans have used spoons since at least the 5th century.

Read more at Wikipedia.org