Get a Taste of the Korean New Year

The biggest holiday in Korea, Seollal, which starts today, is known as the Korean Lunar New Year. On this day, Koreans celebrate their culture by performing ancestral ceremonies in the morning, wearing new clothes, participating in a variety of cultural activities, and indulging in festive delicacies. This celebratory platter’s colors comprise a rare kind of beauty, including items that exhibit the beauty of unison, compassion, and elegance.

The food and drink consumed on Korean New Year’s Day are referred to as ‘Seol cuisine’ and ‘Seol liquor’ respectively. There is a broad set of these foods that are essential to Korea’s indigenous food culture and that locals frequently eat on holidays like Seollal. In the list below, I’ve chosen eight of them, the majority of which I’ve tried and loved.

Tteokguk (rice cake soup)

On the day of the lunar new year, a Korean family serves tteokguk (as a component of a shared feast) to their ancestors. Tteokguk is the dish that exemplifies the new year’s fare. The custom of eating white rice cake soup on New Year’s Day stemmed from the former sun-worshipping cult. The soup is served in a round bowl to represent the sun, and because the day marks the beginning of the new year, white rice cakes are served as a signifier of brightness.

Japchae (stir-fried glass noodles)

Japchae – a delicacy that was formerly only served at royal feasts and consists of stir-fried glass noodles with a variety of veggies, meat, and mushrooms – is one of the most popular holiday cuisines in Korea. The 15th king of the Joseon dynasty, King Gwanghaegun, as reported by The Spice Odyssey, designated japchae to be a royal meal after one of his chiefs, Yi Chung, served it to the king to suit his palate. Japchae experienced a meteoric rise in popularity in the latter part of the 20th century when cellophane noodles made of sweet potato starch were brought to Korea from China. Japchae is colorful, glossy, and tastes fab!

Jeon (pancake)

A mainstay of the traditional Korean New Year’s feast is jeon, which are delectable pancakes loaded with a range of ingredients, including meats, seafood and greens. Jeon is frequently paired with vinegar and spicy soy sauce to heighten its deliciousness and reduce the pancake’s greasiness. Jeon is also relished on rainy days and works well with makgeolli (a Korean alcoholic beverage). “You could say that jeon is a classic side dish, and we never fail to have or serve it on special occasions,” says my Korean friend, while also recommending trying it “once at least to whet your sense of taste.”

Kimchi mandu (kimchi dumplings)

Mandu, which is believed to have evolved in the Goryo era, is the Korean counterpart of the scrumptious Chinese jiaozi or Japanese gyoza. Kimchi mandu, in this context, are delightfully plump dumplings with a generous kimchi filling. They may be steamed or fried, but what makes them fantastic is the kimchi’s spice, lending the mandus a fiery, tangy punch that certainly peppers up the platter of Seollal. Nothing compares to the deliciousness of kimchi mandu with Korean dumpling sauce on a plate.

Bulgogi (barbecued or grilled meat)

In layman’s terms, ‘fire meat’ or ‘bulgogi’ refers to a quintessential Korean dish cooked by searing meat after marinating slices of beef or pork in sweet soy sauce blended with a large variety of seasonings. The origins of bulgogi in Korea date back many centuries, making it one of the earliest Korean traditional dishes. To give it a smoky, rich, meaty texture, bulgogi is grilled in the barbecue style. I’ve heard a lot about how much Koreans enjoy the thought of hosting a Korean barbecue at home, but nothing compares to how passionately they love to share their barbequed meat with their loved ones during celebrations.

Galbijjim (Korean braised short ribs)

Galbijjim is a dish that is frequently cooked with pork or beef and consists of well-seasoned, steamed, and somewhat sweet braised short ribs. Dates, pears, ginkgo nuts, ginseng and garlic are typically added to the recipe in order to enhance the taste and soften the meat. Likewise, vegetables are added to galbijjim to improve its aesthetics, richness and health benefits. Galbijjim is a local delicacy among Koreans when it is accompanied by a dollop of a rich, sweet sauce and rice wine.

Hangwa (Korean sweets)

Hangwa is the term for Korean sweets. Along with honey, yeot (made from steamed rice, glutinous rice, sticky sorghum, corn or mixed grains), spices like cinnamon and ginger, grain flour, fruits and roots are essential hangwa ingredients. The Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms says that the origins of hangwa may be traced to a period when royals savored a wide variety of sweets from time to time. In recent years, hangwa has begun to be associated with celebratory cuisine. Today, it is presented as a gift and served during ceremonial meals, notably during Seollal.

Sikhye (rice drink)

Sikhye is made by boiling cooked rice with malt water to a specific temperature until the rice grains are apparent on the surface. After thoroughly sifting the liquid, it is heated until it is sufficiently sweet. Sikhye is touted to aid with digestion in addition to possessing antioxidants and soluble fiber. A bowl of ice-cold sikhye is dubbed a delicious dessert that is good for your stomach following a heavy meal at a feast.