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WARM AND SUSTAINING may be the best two words to describe the experience of eating a Korean meal. As with many great world cuisines, what Koreans typically eat is the result of geography and climate: the Korean peninsula has a climate that is similar to the North Central part of the United States, which means that there are cold winters, warm, occasionally hot summers, and extended cool autumns. This allows for a growing season wherein many varieties of vegetables and grains can be cultivated.
THE VERY COLD WINTERS also create the need for preservation. Before the 20th century, Korea was mainly a rural, agriculturally based society wherein foraging and farming were central to survival for most families. Hence the need to preserve the harvest throughout the winter, often in large earthenware pots buried in the ground. This is how something like the fermented cabbage dish kimchi, perhaps the most recognizable Korean product in the United States today, comes into the story. While kimchi is readily available in Asian markets and becoming more available in general grocery stores, it is surprisingly easy to make at home with excellent results. And kimchi is merely one of a whole host of preserved, pickled, or fermented foods that play a crucial role in the distinctive taste of Korean cuisine. What once began as necessity has, with time, become a treasured tradition and an indispensable ingredient in Korean cooking. It would be virtually unthinkable to conceive of a Korean cuisine without kimchi and its siblings. See Chapter 6 for a basic kimchi recipe, as well as some other varieties of common Korean style pickles.
The agricultural traditions of Korea also give rise to the creation of hearty, robust food, food that will sustain a farmer through a long day of work in the fields or the barns and guard against the elements. Warm spices and hot chilis are ubiquitous in Korean cooking, and hearty meals include not only a main dish and rice but also numerous small plates of various foods meant to be shared (collectively called banchan).
See Chapter 5 for further descriptions of and recipes for typical banchan.
Korean geography also plays a key role in the development of traditional cuisine. As it is mostly surrounded by bodies of water—the Yellow Sea to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west—seafood of various kinds feature significantly in Korean food, including fish (different to each coast), shellfish, and seaweeds. Here, yet again, the tradition of preservation plays an important role in the flavors of Korean food, as many types of seafood are dried or fermented for prolonged storage. And, as with kimchi, what was once the necessity of preservation has evolved into a beloved category of foodstuffs without which Korean food would not seem quite right. Dried sardines are served at nearly every meal, usually as a condiment to add a flavor punch of salt and funk. Dried cuttlefish is an immensely popular snack in Korea, found even in vending machines.
As you will see, the cuisine of Korea is undoubtedly unique, with its emphasis on bold flavors, hot chilis, and many styles of kimchi, with long-held traditions of sharing and respect around the table.
