Experiencing Korean culture through its food is one of the great joys for visitors to the both the peninsula and Korean restaurants around the world.
Korean food’s diverse flavors and superb presentation come from the focus on balancing yin and yang, spicy and cool, sweet and salty.
Its remarkable nutritional value reflects the Korean people’s firm belief that food is medicine.
Korea is roughly the size of Greece, but incredibly, owing to the isolation caused by the mountainous environment, each region has unique specialty dishes, which use ingredients local to that area.
The more you sample regional specialties, the more intriguing Korean food becomes. Luckily, you can explore Korean food without going too far, as Korea hosts a wide selection of food festivals throughout the year.
Here are some events featuring traditional Korean food as well as a wide range of international cuisines.
◇ Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival
Hadong has a long history as the site of Korea’s first tea plantation starting from about 1,200 years ago. Every May the Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival is held to promote the area’s historical tea culture and wild green tea. Depending on the conditions of the tea-picking season, the flavor of the tea can vary greatly. Festival visitors can get hands-on experience picking the tea and participating in the tea-making process. It is the best opportunity to taste and purchase high-quality Korean green tea.
* Major programs: Tea Ceremony at the site where the first green tea in Korea was planted. Tea seminar, hands-on experience at a green tea farm, wild green tea harvesting and roasting, auction of cheonnyeoncha, tea from a thousand-year old tree, tea etiquette competition, temple stay, mountain temple concert, etc.
* Location: Gyeongsangnam-do, Handong-gun, Hwagae-myeon, green tea field around Ssanggyesa Temple, and near Baengnyeon-ri kiln site in Jingyo-myeon
* Related column: The Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival: Working at a Green Tea Plantation
* Official site: http://festival.hadong.go.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
◇ Yangyang Songi Mushroom Festival
Only found growing below mature pine trees, the songi mushroom (known as pine mushroom in English) is so rare that it is often referred to as the “golden mushroom”. The town of Yangyang in Gangwon-do Province is well known for its songi mushrooms, which are known to be the best in the nation. The Yangyang Songi Mushroom Festival is held at sites where songi production is carefully managed. Visitors can view how these rare mushrooms grow in the wild and have the opportunity to pick them. A variety of uniquely flavored songi mushroom dishes are available for sampling.
* Major programs: Picking of songi, visit to songi site, cooking and sampling songi food, folk performances, etc.
* Location: Gangwon-do, Yangyang-gun, Namdaecheon and surrounding areas
* Official site: http://song-i.yangyang.go.kr/ (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
◇ Icheon Rice Culture Festival
Only the best rice would be served to the king, and Icheon’s rice has a long history as being the royal preference. Come and learn about Icheon rice and experience the agricultural lifestyle. The vast fields of Icheon have been known as a major rice production area for countless generations. That reputation exists to this day as it continues to produce the highest quality rice. Try Icheon rice cooked in a huge cauldron or watch the reenactment of a parade that transported rice to the king.
* Major programs: Harvest rituals, parade transporting rice to the king, rice performance, good harvest madanggeuk theatre, straw craft, threshing of rice, sampling of rice made in a cauldron, rice food competition, etc.
* Location: Gyeonggi-do, Icheon-si, Seolbong Park and its vicinity
* Official site:http://www.ricefestival.or.kr/ (Korean, English)
◇ Gwangju Kimchi Cultural Festival
Come and experience making Korean kimchi at the Gwangju Kimchi Cultural Festival. You will discover Korea’s unique kimchi tradition by learning how over twenty types of kimchi are made. In addition to trying the kimchi, you will also be able to sample various dishes that go well with it. The festival continues to draw an increasing number of foreign visitors as it offers a great chance to learn about the life, history, and culture of the Korean people.
* Major programs: Kimchi exhibition pavilion, kimchi industrial fair, kimchi fermentation science café, kimchi making demonstration, kimchi school, kimchi rice ball making, harvesting of Napa cabbage, etc.
* Location: Gwangju-si, Seo-gu, Gwangju World Cup Stadium and surrounding areas
* Related column: Kimchi, The Fundamental Korean Food / History of Kimchi
* Official site: http://kimchi.gwangju.go.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
[English News Team]
