How do you pronounce "the duck" in Konglish?* 🦆 If you do not speak Konglish, no problem! Here is the answer: Deo deok (spelled 더덕 in Korean letters). This piece of information may seem random, but it can also help you remember the plant that is the star of this post: Deodeok (더덕). The English... Continue Reading →
Vegan Food for the First Full Moon 정월대보름
Fifteen days after the Lunar New Year, the full moon appears in the sky. 🎑 This first full moon of the year is called Jeongwol Daeboreum (정월대보름) in Korean and it has particular significance in traditional culture. 🌕 There are various customs associated with the event and they involve e.g. sharing food, watching the moon... Continue Reading →
Pumpkin, sweetie, cutie-pie 호박
Did you eat your share of pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice latte last fall? 🥧🎃☕️ If it's not pumpkins, what in your opinion is a better symbol for fall?* In Korea, however, pumpkins are available all year round, regardless of the meteorological time! So this post is dedicated to Korea's sweet pumpkin [literally!] and other... Continue Reading →
Distinguishing Dates and Daechu 대추
If you see the title and expect info about dating, please move on. Unless you are interested in edible sweetness! Because you will be introduced to two lovely fruits! 💕 Love at first sight? 🤔Don't judge a book by its cover! Regardless of their dry and wrinkly appearance, these guys are very sweet! 🥰 Each... Continue Reading →
Korea’s Cosmos of Corn 옥수수
Is corn a grain? 🌽🌾 Is corn a vegetable? 🌽🥬 Is corn a fruit? 🌽🍌 After reading this article, you might end up confused! But hopefully more clever! At least this is clear:Corn is cool. 🆒🌽 Why? Because all over the world, corn is used in a multitude of ways, ranging from being a major... Continue Reading →
What the name on the food label says…
When doing grocery shopping in Korea, did you ever wonder why the "names" for food on the price tag are sometimes rather long? 🤔 You may also notice that some names deviate from what's on these lists: Korean names for vegetables, fruits, nuts, seaweed, mushrooms, cereals and beans. If you find that confusing, you can... Continue Reading →
Plant-based hiking the Korean way 비건 등산 간식
☀️ The sun shines, the sky is blue. 💙⛰ Days are warm, but nights are cool. 🌠 Hiking on Mt. Unak 운악산. Gapyeong, October 2017. Can you guess what season this is? 🌸 Plants blossom and insects arise. 🐛 That sounds like spring, doesn't it? But the description can continue like this: 🍎 Fruits ripen... Continue Reading →
Diverse delicious seaweeds of Korea’s seas
As a follow-up on last year's post "What you need to know about seaweed" (aka "Seaweed 101"), here is more information about Korea's edible seaweed! In this post, "Diverse delicious seaweeds of Korea's seas" [Can you pronounce this tongue twister? 🤪] or in short "Seaweed 102", you can learn about various other seaweeds in Korean... Continue Reading →
Comparison of common citrus fruits in Korea
Despite the cold of winter, South Korean markets constantly offer edibles. Apart from beans, grains and other dry foods, there is also some fresh produce. The cold temperatures allow the harvest of seafood and seaweed, which would easily spoil in the summer. Winter vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and root vegetables (e.g. radish, sweet potatoes,... Continue Reading →
The many faces of Korean Persimmons 감
No. This is not a tomato. 🍅 No. It's not advisable to use this fruit for classic pasta sauce. 🍝[But go ahead and try if you feel adventurous.]* Even though this fruit has a spherical shape and smooth, shiny skin with deep orange color, it has little kinship with tomatoes. 🚫🍅 It is the fruit... Continue Reading →