Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends.
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day. Together, both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Christendom and Western society.
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day, when men give reciprocal gifts to women who gave them gifts on Valentine's Day. It began in Japan in 1978; its observance has spread to several other East Asian nations like China, Taiwan, South Korea and countries worldwide.
In legal definitions for interpersonal status, a person who is single is an individual not in a committed relationship, married, or part of a civil union.
The observance of Christmas around the world varies by country. The day of Christmas, and in some cases the day before and the day after, are recognized by many national governments and cultures worldwide, including in areas where Christianity is a minority religion which are usually found in Africa and Asia. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration ; in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday.
Zhajiangmian, commonly translated as "noodles served with fried bean sauce", is a dish of Chinese origin consisting of thick wheat noodles topped with zhajiang, a fermented soybean-based sauce. Variations may include toppings of fresh or pickled vegetables, beans, meat, tofu, or egg. In the Western press, it is occasionally dubbed "Beijing bolognaise" due to its superficial similarity and ubiquitous nature.
Tianmian sauce, also known as sweet bean sauce, sweet flour sauce or sweet wheat paste, is a thick, smooth, dark brown or black paste with either a mild, savory or sweet flavor. It is commonly used in Northern Chinese cuisine, Northeastern Chinese cuisine, as well as Korean-Chinese cuisine. Peking duck and jajangmyeon are two popular dishes that feature the sauce.
Naengmyeon or raengmyŏn is a noodle dish of northern Korean origin which consists of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients, including buckwheat, potatoes, sweet potatoes, arrowroot starch, and kudzu. Buckwheat predominates. Other varieties of naengmyeon are made from ingredients such as seaweed and green tea.
Singles Awareness Day is celebrated on February 15 each year. It is an unofficial holiday celebrated by single people. It serves as a complement to Valentine's Day for people who are not married or in a romantic relationship. It is a celebration of love in all forms recognizing the love between friends, family and loving yourself. Some people who observe Singles Awareness Day do so out of spite for Valentine's Day, as a Hallmark holiday, or for other reasons.
Jajangmyeon (Korean: 자장면) or jjajangmyeon (짜장면) is a Korean Chinese noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of chunjang, diced pork, and vegetables. It is a variation of the Chinese dish zhajiangmian; it developed in the late 19th century, during the Joseon period, when Chinese migrant workers from Shandong arrived in Incheon. The Korean variant of the dish uses a darker and sweeter sauce than the Chinese version. Variants of the dish use seafood, or other meats.
Korean Chinese cuisine, also known as Sino–Korean cuisine, is a hybrid cuisine developed by the ethnic Chinese in Korea.
Tangyuan are a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes, anything between a marble to a ping-pong ball, and are sometimes stuffed with filling. Tangyuan are traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival, but because the name is a homophone for reunion and symbolizes togetherness and completeness, this dish is also served at weddings, family reunions, Chinese New Year, and the Dōngzhì festival.
Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of the Christian feast day celebration, and form a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate the arrival of Christmastide. In many cases, there is a ritual element to the meal related to the religious celebration, such as the saying of grace.
Seollal is a Korean traditional festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the lunisolar calendar. It is one of the most important traditional holidays for ethnic Koreans, being celebrated in both North Korea and South Korea as well as Korean diaspora all around the world.
Jjamppong is a Chinese-style Korean noodle soup with red, spicy seafood- or pork-based broth flavored with gochugaru. Common ingredients include onions, garlic, Korean zucchini, carrots, cabbages, squid, mussels, and pork. The dish was inspired by Chinese cuisine.
Patjuk is a type of Korean juk consisting of red beans and rice. It is commonly eaten during the winter season in Korea, and it is associated with dongji, as people used to believe that the red color of patjuk drives off baneful spirits.
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. The birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Pickled radish, called chikin-mu in Korean, is a radish dish served and eaten with Korean fried chicken. Like other banchan, it is a free side dish in South Korea.
New Year's foods are dishes traditionally eaten for luck in the coming year. Many traditional New Year dishes revolve around the food's resemblance to money or to its appearance symbolizing long life, such as long noodles or strands of sauerkraut. Sweets, symbolizing a sweet new year, are often given or consumed. Some cultures and religions have evolved complex food traditions associated with the new year.
