North Korean Cuisine

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North Korea – Cooking and Food


North Korea food comprises of the traditional foods and ancient preparation techniques of Korea.

The ingredients and preparation are richly diversified, and many dishes are becoming globally popular. Kimchi, a staple of Korean cuisine is a health diet with many nutritional benefits. Most people think of kimchi as a fiery hot and red food, but there are different types of kimchi. Some are quite plain and bland while others are spicy. Because of the its ingredients and preparation process, kimchi has many healthy stuff in it.

Some North Korean dishes are based largely on rice, noodles, vegetables, meats and tofu. Traditional Korean meals include the delicious side dishes like banchan that is made of fermented, spicy vegetable banchan, most commonly cabbage, radish or cucumber.

North Korean food is usually garnished with sesame oil, fermented soybean paste, soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger and red chili paste. Korea is the largest consumer of garlic in entire Asia. The cuisine varies season to season especially during winter.

North Korean food must harmonize warm and cold, hot and mild, rough and soft, solid and liquid, and a perfect balance of presentation of colors. Serving in a special arrangement of small dishes flipping to highlight the shape and color of the ingredients is a new innovative way is to make the food look appetizing.

In spite of severe food scarcity in North Korea the guide shall arrange all the traditional dishes for you. A visit to a local restaurant can only be possible with advanced booking. There is a relatively limited variety of food in North Korea, which can get very usual and accustomed during tours of more than a few days.

North Korea food is spicy and tasty with traditional styles of cooking that reflects their culture too.