Korean barbecued delicacies (clockwise from upper left): dongchimi (typical winter kimchi), ojingeo jeotgal (salted jelly fish), mushrooms, bean paste, kimchi, pumpkin in starch syrup, boiled scombroid with kimchi, raddish kimchi, ballonflower in starch, bean paste soup with bulgogi.

Some do eat dogmeat in Korea, but luckily for visitors, and dogs, far more appetizing dishes are also on offer.

Many who have travelled around South Korea will agree that it is a country of natural beauty, stunning architecture and friendliness. Just as many will have also been amazed by the food, which is spicy for some and fiery for others. Most will, however, agree that it’s simply delicious.

“Bulgogi” and “kalbi”

You’d be surprised, but barbecue – slightly different from the one we’re used of – is very common in Korea. A leaning iron “desk” is placed in the middle of the table, which makes grease and fluid flow into the bowl underneath. The most common thing served to foreigners is “bulgogi” (barbecued beef) and “kalbi” (barbecued short ribs), though pork is common as well.

Vital to every Korean barbecue are side dishes: spinach, lettuce and soybeans, seasoned with sesame seeds and oil, soy sauce and occasionally garlic. Mushrooms and garlic or sliced onions, as well as soup in unlimited quantities, can be found on the table as well. When the meat is almost done it is cut into small pieces using scissors, it is then dipped in sesame oil and soy-bean paste and placed on a lettuce or sesame leaf. Small proportions of side dishes are added on top of the meat and then packed like a tiny parcel that fits into the mouth. The other version of barbecue is “shabu shabu”, which is stew-like soup with either meat, seafood or vegetables. Yes, barbecue is a special kind of event and a must when in Korea.

Everything can cure

Koreans believe that every food, be it animal or plant, has a herbal or medical quality. Ginseng, a root famous for preventing illnesses, increasing level of stamina and improving mental health, is a source of heat in cold winters as well. “Kimch’i” – chilli pepper mixed with garlic, cabbage and white radish – a dish that made Korea famous is the most important ingredient of every meal. Made only once a year it is stored in large, thick earthenware and then buried in the ground to prevent it from fermenting during winter. As Kayoung Seo, a friend and ex-flatmate of mine who was an exchange student in Finland explained, in the old days women’s culinary skills were determined by how good her “kimch’i” is. “But nowadays we don’t make it at home anymore,” she says.

Yet there are some awkward things on the menu as well. Silk worm larvae (which taste like beans) and fried grasshoppers are just some of the many oddities. Eel, apparently good for stamina, is a sea creature that Korean men eat often, though the chewy and still moving pieces of eel, before barbecued, did not convince us. The amount of “soju”, the cheapest distilled liquor that runs in enormous quantities down Korean’s throats, is also a barbecue must. Like the eel, the whale meat also tasted odd. “That’s definitely not the meat worth killing for,” Alice, Chinese friend and a fellow travel companion, expressed our thoughts out loud.

Kayoung Seo teaching us how to eat barbacue.

Anyone for dog soup?

Some Korean eating habits are regarded as barbaric, especially when talking about dog meat, which so outraged French actress Brigitte Bardot. It is true that Koreans eat dogs, but not the domestic pet variety. “What eventually boils in the water with “kimch’i” is big-breed dog raised on a dog farm solely for this purpose, which is in no way different from farm-raised chickens and cows,” explained a Korean businessman who overheard the discussion Alice and I had while chewing eel and making plans about our next “must do”. Finding a place that serves dog soup was harder than at first thought. And without Kayoung’s inquire among strangers about such a place in Seoul, we wouldn’t have been successful.

It is believed that civilised people don’t eat dogs, though nobody can explain why it’s wrong to do so. Many will roll their eyes, but we are cultural relativists. “I don’t like when people connect Korea with dog meat only,” Kayoung remarks, before pointing out that not many Koreans actually eat dog. “I’ve never had it in my life. After Bardot accused us of being barbaric, people started rethinking their actions. Koreans are like that, we show a lot of concern for what others think of us,” says Kayoung.

“I wouldn’t have it one more time, but in the end, it tastes just like any other meat,” concluded our host in Seoul. The tradition of eating dogmeat is as long as the history of the country itself. However, with more small dogs being kept as pets, Koreans are learning the Western concept of “pet friendship.” Korean culture forbids making a meal of animals that are considered to companions, but pigs, cows, lamb and other livestock are fair game.

Simona Drevensek - HT