A thousand year old tradition: Kimchi (2)

A meal without Kimchi is unthinkable for most Koreans.
There are more than 10 different types of Kimchi. Today I am going to introduce "Nabak Kimchi"

Nabak Kimchi

The primary ingredients of nabak-kimchi (watery Korean radish kimchi) are radishes and cabbages.
It is usually made during the early months of spring and is popular for its cold and invigorating broth.

Korean Rice Cakes: Tteok

Tteok (Rice cake) is a traditional Korean dessert. They are made in times of celebration and festivities.
These days rice cakes have become very common; People eat them as snack or as a substitue for meals when they are on the road. Rice cakes are superb in taste and high in nutrition and are made in various shapes and colors.

Mujigae-tteok (Rainbow rice cake)

A multi-color layered rice cake. iIt uses natural food coloring to achive this effect.

Maehwa-tteok (Plum flower rice cake)

The small white flowers of maehwa have a sweet, subtle fragrances.
It is one of Korean's traditional foods that mirrors the simple yet elegant image of the country. The rice flour dough is mixed with natural dyes and shaped into a plum flower. Depending on individual taste, red bean, peanuts, pine nuts, or dried jujubes are added, and then steamed.

Origin of Bibimbap

It is difficult to find another dish like bibimbap where a variety of ingredients is mixed into one bowl.  The beauty of Bibimbap is in the perfect harmony between various tastes and nutrition that results from mixing various ingredients into one bowl.  Mixing ingredients together is the secret to eating a nutritious meal.  When various ingredients are mixed into one bowl, it is easier to eat one or two types of food that you do not like that are mixed into the bowl.  Also, the mixing of various ingredients creates a harmony of taste between different ingredients.

Professor Mi-suk Lee at Seoul Women’s University has said that, “The best thing about Bibimbap is that it has all the five major food groups.”  By eating one bowl of Bibimbap, you can take in carbohydrate (rice), protein (beef and egg), vitamins and minerals (various vegetables), and of course fat (sesame oil).  In addition, most of the fat in Bibimbap is vegetable fat.