Korean
Cuisine – Korean Barbeque
Hyunjin kim3333676
The
Korean barbeque is the unique Korean way of cooking meat, such as pork, beef,
chicken and etc. The meat is cook over a charcoal grill and usually cooks with
vegetables such as onions, garlic, and mushrooms. This process of cooking meat
on a large table with the whole family sitting around talking and eating is a
tradition that goes way back in time. Korean barbeque is uniquely a Korean
cuisine as Korean barbeque refers to the meat being cook, such as the pleasant,
unique blend of flavors of marinated meat.
In
the Goryeo Period (approx. 1300AD) cattle were considered as beast of burden
instead of a food source and consuming an abundance of beef would cause issues
with farming and agriculture. Therefore Koreans consumed seafood, pork, and
poultry instead of beef. However in modern times beef has become popular and it
is a very expensive meat with most of Korea’s consumed beef being imported from
Australia. Beef can be consumed in many different ways at Korean barbeque,
either grilled without being marinated; being grilled after being marinated or
it is consumed raw.
Raw
beef is called Yukhoe, and it is thinly sliced from the most tender parts with
excess fat removed, then seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, pepper,
salt, and julienned Korean pear. A raw egg yolk is added on the top and it is
supposed to be missed before being consumed.
Marinated beef is included Galbi (갈비) which is beef ribs marinated in soy sauce with
garlic and other spices
LEFT: GALBI
LEFT: BULGOGI
Bulgogi
is the most famously known by foreigners which is a thinly sliced sirloin beef
cooked over a charcoal grill which has been marinated with soy sauce, sugar,
sesame oil and garlic. In modern society Bulgogi has become increasingly
popular and has been chosen as CNN’s most delicious food at number 23.
Non-marinated
beef that is normally cooked at a Korean barbeque is Chadol baegi which is a
thinly sliced brisket meat, Deungsim gui which is sirloin beef, and ansim gui
which is a tenderloin beef meat.
Pork meat
is very popular at Korean barbeque, in particular Samgyeopsal this meat is the
belly meat of a pig and it is very popular amongst Koreans.
samgyeopsal
The
uniqueness of Korean barbeque is the way it is consumed.
Firstly
the meat is cook on the charcoal grill whether it is beef, pork, chicken or
seafood, then it is wrapped with lettuce and perilla leaves and then rice is
added to this wrap. A variety of garden vegetables and herbs are also included
in this wrap such as green chilli peppers, onions, raw garlic, and kimchi is
also added. A specialty sauce is added to this wrap, which is called ssamjang.
This sauce is made from a mixture of chilli paste, soybean paste and sesame
oil. This unique wrap or ssam is what makes Korean barbeque the delicious food
that has become a mainstream meal for not only Koreans but for people of all
nationalities. 
ssam
ssam
This
ritual of cooking and eating meat with friends and loved ones is what makes
Korean barbeque different to other barbeques around the world. Not only is the
method that the meat is cooked different but also the atmosphere is different
to that of a African barbeque or an Australian barbeque.
Korean
barbeque is quite a heavy meal is mostly eaten for dinner, with the accompany
of alcoholic beverages with are special to Korea such as soju which is made of
rice and the taste is comparable to Russian vodka. Makgeoli which is a alcohol
made from a blend of rice and wheat, this alcoholic beverage is also native to
Korea like the soju.
An
important factor to Korean cuisine is side dishes, it isn’t a Korean cuisine if
there are no side dishes and Korean barbeque is no exception, in fact there are
more sides dishes with Korean barbeque as most of the meats are fatty and oily
so to counteract the oily and fatty meats there are a lot of side dishes made
of vegetables that will go well with cooked meat.
As seen
below vegetables can be cooked with the meat and consumed in the wrap/ssam.
vegetable in the picture
consist of variety of mushrooms.
Above is
the table layout of a typical Korean barbeque dinner. As shown in the middle is
a charcoal grill and surrounding is vegetable for the ssam and sauces. And most
importantly a variety of kimchi ( kimchi is not only cabbage but a variety of
vegetables and types of kimchi eg: radish kimchi with soup as seen on the far
right of the picture with red soup).
Korean
barbeque is always a heavy meal and as you can see above the table is always
packed with sides dishes and dishes of kimchi and meat and it is not uncommon
to find bottles and bottles of soju piling up as the night goes on as the
customers drink their alcohol with the meat.
the green
bottles are soju and the brown bottle is a Korean beer.
Also you
can see that some tables are lower as Koreans do eat seat on the floor and the
tables are very long to accomdate a large number of people. Korean barbeque is
often eaten as a feast to celebrate special occasions such as parties or
business dinners with employees.
This is
the type of atmosphere that can be found at Korean barbeque dinners, large
families coming all together to enjoy some meats and each others company or a
group of old friends going out to dinner and catching up, Korean barbeque
creates an atmosphere where people can enjoy good food and have a couple of
alcoholic beverages and chat with friends and loved ones and enjoy each others
company and have a good night out. It can also create new bonds where people
come closer together and get to know each other better through alcohol and food
hence work dinners are held at Korean barbeques so that employees can interact
with each other and get to know each other better in a more friendly and
suitable atmosphere.
One
shortcoming to Korean barbeque is the smell. One might not notice the smell
while eating Korean barbeque or after the dinner, however the people around you
will be able to smell the Korean barbeque and it has a unique strange smell,
which isn’t pungent but it isn’t a pleasant fragrant smell. It is advised that
jackets, coats and any other excess garments are taken off and put aside so the
smell doesn’t transfer to your clothes.
In modern
times Korean barbeque has become increasingly popular and it is enjoyed by not
only Koreans buts a wide variety of people from all different nationalities.
Korean immigrants have set up many Korean barbeque restaurants all over the
world with restaurants ranging from high quality food to all you can eat
buffets. Regardless people come to Korean barbeque to enjoy good food and have
long conversations with friends and loved ones and enjoy Korea’s most famous
meats and alcoholic beverages such as soju or makgeoli and it has become a
symbol or a social place as much as it is a restaurant.
