Korean table setting and the royal cuisine

Originally posted on August 18th 2013.

The next day we focused on the harmony of korean table setting and the elegance and authenticity of royal cuisine.

The royal cuisine can be characterized as sophisticated and varying. It developed during the reign of the royal Yi family between 1392 to 1910. They enjoyed rare, fresh, delicious and elaboaretely cooked dishes.
The most notable difference between court dishes and typical fare is the amount of spices that are used. In general the court food is mild with a subtle yet rich taste. Even some are similar to the ordinary dishes the court dishes have different names and sometimes use different ingredients too. Some examples are: Sura vs. Bap, Songsong vs. Kkakdugi or Jochi vs. Jjigae.

Some well-known court dishes are: various kinds of gruel such as pine nut gruel, noodles in soups, shinsollo ( a pot with various ingredients cooked right at the table) and kujolpan (eight different ingredients that the diner wraps in tiny pancakes).

Soy sauces are also divided into three kinds (Jinjang, Jungjang and choengjang) for different usages. So for instance choengjang has a light colour and is used for seaweed soup and namool.

The royal kitchen was on of the most important rooms int he palace and therefore the cooks were also very highly positioned.

#koreantablesetting #royalkoreancuisine #foodinseoul