Summer Korean Cuisine

Korea’s summer is hot and humid. There are two kinds of known “summer dishes” in Korea.

The first category are hot dishes. Korea has the concept of “이열치열 (以熱治熱)”, which means to relieve heat with heat. It is believed that these dishes help to replenish stamina, which is believed to loss through excessive sweating during the hot summer season. An example is Korean Ginseng Chicken or what we call Samgyetang (삼계탕) in Korean.

Another kind of Summer Dishes are the ones that cools you down during the hot and humid season. We can’t possibly eat hot dishes every meal during the sweaty and humid summer. Examples are Naengmyeon (냉면) , Patbingsu (팥빙수) and more. Let’s take a look at these awesome summer cuisines that Koreans enjoy during summer season.

Patbingsu 팥빙수

Patbingsu 팥빙수 (Photo: CookCook TV)

Patbingsu (팥빙수) is a Korean shaved ice dessert which includes pat(팥) – a native Korean word that means azuki beans and bingsu (빙수;氷水) – a Sino-Korean word meaning ice water. Nowadays, bingsu are topped with many various kinds of fruits like kiwifruits, strawberries, watermelon, cherries, bananas and more. Cereal flakes, nuts, yogurt and small pieces of Korean tteoks can also be the choice of toppings. There are also different flavours like matcha green tea or coffee.

Kongguksu 콩국수

Kongguksu 콩국수 (Photo: Nate)

Kongguksu (콩국수) is a Korean summer noodle dish. This dish can only be found during the summer season in Korea usually. The literal meaning of the dish is “콩” meaning beans and “국수”, which means noodles. The dish is served cold in a soy bean broth. It is then usually topped with hard-boiled egg and julienned cucumber.

Chogyeguksu 초계국수

Chogyeguksu 초계국수 (Photo:초계국수.kr)

Chogyetang (초계탕), like naengmyeon (냉면); is a dish originating from northern Korean peninsular. The name of the dish comes from three Hanja – Cho (초/醋): vinegar; Gye (계/鷄); and Soup(탕/湯). We can also include noodles in the dish, which creates Chogyeguksu (초계국수). You can check out the dish in the website (초계국수.kr), to find out more about the dish and where to find them in Korea.

Isn’t it great to be in Korea during the summer season surrounding with these awesome cold dishes?

See also:
Noryangjin Fish Market
Gamjatang
Summer Fashion For Men
Bossam