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The Best of Korean Cuisine

(book, Karen Hulene Bartell)

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h4. From the publisher

Korean cuisine has its own distinctive flavors and cooking methods. While China’s main meat is pork and Japan’s mainstay is fish, beef is Korea’s favorite entrée. Korean recipes also rely on grains such as barley and buckwheat in addition to rice. Korean cuisine emphasizes wild roots, fiddlehead ferns, and wild mushrooms, but ginger, chile pepper, garlic, green onions, sesame oil, soy sauce, and fermented bean paste are still the primary flavorings.

“Food is the soul of each ethnic culture, and in Korean cuisine Seoul takes on a double meaning,” writes Karen Hulene Bartell. “The food of Korea is a reflection of its climate, customs, beliefs, and history. Because of its similar cultural heritage with China and Japan, it would be easy to dismiss Korean cuisine as a subtle variation of Chinese cookery, but that would be an underestimation. Korean cuisine is unique.”

Sample such delicacies as Barbecued Beef Sirloin, Capon with Ginseng and Korean Dates, Azalea Pancakes, and Persimmon Punch. With more than 100 authentic recipes, The Best of Korean Cuisine blends the rich diversity of Korean cuisine with the seasonal fare, holiday feasts, and auspicious foods suggested by the lunar calendar.