More facts about Korean food

There are hundreds of types of kimchi

If you have been to any Korean restaurants, you may have had various versions of kimchi. How many? 2, 3? In reality, there are hundreds! They can be prepared with various vegtables and in various ways. The most known remains the beachu kimchi, a classic one with Chinese cabbage marinated in gochujang sauce. It can also be prepared from cucumber, white raddish or with lotus roots. Each year a South Korean will consume an average of 18 kg of kimchi per year!

The case of banchans

Most of the time you visit a Korean restaurant, you most likely have been served at least three of five small accompaniments along your main dish, these are called banchan 반찬. They can be fermented cabbage (surprise, kimchi again!), but also steamed plants, stir-fried vegetables or pancakes! The formal meals are, the more bancahn there will be, to impress the table gallery!

Drinking: a culture in its own right

Contrary to popular belief, South Korea holds the prize for the world's largest heavy drinker (13.7 shots per week), ahead of Russia. Soju occupies an important space in typical Korean meal parties. It plays a big role in social relations, but comes with a certain etiquette: the custom is to have someone else serve your glass of soju or refuel everyone. In Korean tradition, both hands must be used to give and receive a glass of soju.

Is Korean food healthy?

Well, did you know that the WHO has recognized Korean cuisine as exemplary from a nutritional point of view? It is balanced with flavored foods originated from plants (representing 80% in a dish). In addition, the fermented foods are endowed with antioxidant and anticancer properties. According to Korean tradition, five colors must compose a dish: green for the liver, red for the heart, yellow for the rattle, black and white. They symbolize the vitality of the nature and offer a light cuisine.

Is the Korean cuisine that spicy?

Some dishes are spiced with the famous Gochujang, made from red peppers that are fermented. Generally, you can opt to add more or less of this spicy sauce, as in the bibimbap for example. All the dishes that make up the meal are not spicy, you can still dose according to your palate.

Korean cuisine is eaten with chopsticks and a spoon

The spoon is for soups or rice broths and the chopsticks for everything else. The chopsticks are very often made of metal in restaurants, as are some bowls. Do you know why metal is used a lot in table services in Korea? This production is dated from the old royalty days, because poison was more easily detected on metal containers.

Which other food haven't we mention in this guide?

As rich the Korean cuisine is, there are still too many tasty dishes that are also served from Korean restaurants in Singapore:

- Bulgogi 불고기 : thin slices of meat (like tender pieces of beef) marinated in a tasty mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, but also rice wine (or even apple juice!), with onions, mushrooms and more vegetables.
- Samgyeopsal 삼겹살 : made from slices of pork belly, generally served as an evening meal. It is usually served with ssamjang (a thick spicy paste for wrapping) and ssam, known as a set of vegetables (lettuce and perilla leaves) to use for wrapping the meat with onions, mushrooms, garlic and kimchi
- Japchae 잡채: made from cellophane noodles with spinach, carrots, onion and mushrooms, possibly mixed with meat cut into thin slices, previously marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.

Can you order Korean food in Singapore online?

Yes a lot of Korean restaurants partnered up with foodpanda so you're only clicks away to get your chosen Korean dishes delivered at home, at the office or anywhere else. See below, a wide range of Korean restaurants islandwise!