How well do you know Korean food?
Korean cooking is bold, fermented and full of shared dishes. Six questions, from easy to hard.
Did you know?
- Tteokbokki, chewy rice cakes in a sweet and spicy sauce, is one of South Korea's most popular street foods. It was once a mild royal court dish before the spicy version became popular in the 1950s.
- Kimbap, rolls of seasoned rice and fillings wrapped in dried seaweed, is a favourite picnic and school-trip food in South Korea. Unlike sushi, the rice is seasoned with sesame oil rather than vinegar.
- Samgyetang is a whole young chicken stuffed with sticky rice, ginseng, garlic and jujubes. It is traditionally eaten on the hottest days of summer, following the old idea that hot food helps the body cope with heat.
Fermentation, sharing and balance
Korean cuisine is built around rice, soups and many small side dishes. Fermented foods such as kimchi, soy sauce, doenjang and gochujang give it a distinctive depth of flavour. Meals are typically shared, with dishes placed in the centre of the table for everyone to enjoy together.
The world of banchan
Banchan are the small side dishes served with almost every Korean meal. They can include kimchi, seasoned vegetables, braised tofu or small fish. In many restaurants banchan are included free and refilled on request, reflecting a culture of generosity at the table.
A cuisine of fermentation
Fermentation helped Koreans preserve vegetables and beans through cold winters. Today it is valued for flavour and health. Families traditionally made large amounts of kimchi and pastes each year, and many recipes are passed down through generations.
Soups and stews
Soups and stews are central to Korean meals. Kimchi jjigae, doenjang jjigae and samgyetang, a chicken soup with ginseng, are served year-round. Some are eaten on the hottest days of summer, following an old idea of fighting heat with heat.
A global wave
Korean food's popularity has grown alongside Korean films, dramas and music. Dishes such as Korean fried chicken, tteokbokki and kimbap are now common in cities worldwide, and interest in home cooking with gochujang has risen sharply.
Royal court cuisine
Korea's historic royal court cuisine was known for its elegance, balance of colours and many carefully prepared small dishes. Today it is studied and recreated by specialists, and some restaurants in Seoul serve courses inspired by it. Such traditions influenced modern Korean fine dining, which combines old techniques with contemporary presentation.