Koryo-saram cuisine

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A vendor selling Koryo-saram cuisine in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Two dishes closest to the camera are morkovcha (2007) kajaheuseutan almatiyi goryeoin - panoramio.jpg
A vendor selling Koryo-saram cuisine in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Two dishes closest to the camera are morkovcha (2007)

Koryo-saram are ethnic Koreans of the former Soviet Union. They have a distinct style of cuisine that is descended from Korean cuisine and influenced by the cuisines of various countries they have lived in. They are often considered distinct from Sakhalin Koreans, another Korean group from the former Soviet Union that has their own cuisine.

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The cuisine has achieved significant popularity throughout the former Soviet Union, with dishes like morkovcha widely available in grocery stores. However, to the reported surprise of some visitors from Russia, the cuisine is virtually unknown in South Korea. It is also considered by some to differ from South Korean cuisine significantly, especially as it descends primarily from the cuisine of regions now in North Korea.

Description

A Koryo-saram vendor in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with various Koryo-saram banchan, including morkovcha (center) and funchoza (front, right) Food Market in Uzbekistan.jpg
A Koryo-saram vendor in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with various Koryo-saram banchan , including morkovcha (center) and funchoza (front, right)

Of Korean regional cuisines, Koryo-saram cuisine is most closely related to that of the Hamgyong provinces, now in North Korea. This is because many Koryo-saram are descended from people from that area. [1]

Many of the dishes are adaptations of Korean dishes that use ingredients that Koryo-saram had access to. [2] [3] For example, while pork is popular in Korea, Koryo-saram cuisine in Uzbekistan lacks it since it's not widely available as a result of Islamic dietary restrictions on the consumption of pork. [3] [ better source needed ] Seafood is also popular in Korea, but inland Koryo-saram do not consume it. [3] The cuisine was also adjusted to suit the tastes of local non-Korean customers, notably by reducing the amount of pepper used. [2]

Koryo-saram also consume food typical to the region that they are in. For example, a significant proportion of Korean Ukrainians move to South Korea for work. Many of them report that they miss Ukrainian food and enjoy South Korean food less than their food from back home. [4] Cafe Lily, an Uzbeki Korean restaurant in New York City, serves Central Asian cuisine alongside Koryo-saram cuisine. [5]

The cuisine is also considered so distinct from South Korean cuisine (in part because it descends from cuisine from areas now in North Korea) that some Koryo-saram, like notable academic German Kim, [3] find many South Korean dishes unfamiliar and even unpleasant. [3] [6] Some Russians are reportedly surprised when they visit South Korea and find that morkovcha is virtually unknown. [2]

Koryo-saram have also incorporated elements of Korean cuisine into other dishes, particularly through the use of Korean spices. [3]

Some Koryo-saram dishes have achieved significant popularity throughout the former Soviet Union. Morkovcha can be found pre-made in many grocery stores. [7] [8]

List of dishes

Basic staples

English name
(Latin)		 Koryo-mar
(Cyrillic)		Koryo-mar
(Hangul)		Notes
Begodya Бегодя베고자Steamed buns similar to jjinppang-mandu. [5]
BabiБаби바비Steamed white rice ( bap ). [9]
Gamachibogu; gamachi; nurungjiГамачибогу; гамачи가마치보구; 가마치Term for nurungji . [9]
Ogureji오구래지 Patjuk . [10]

Banchan

LatinCyrillicHangulNotes
Bkhanchani; dzhekukddzhiБханчхани; джекукджи판차니 Kkakdugi . [10]
GimiГими기미 Gim . [10] [9]
Jimchi Чимчхи침치Descendent of kimchi, made without saeu-jeot . [11] Name pronunciation comes from the Hamgyong Province pronunciation of the word. [12]
MegiМеги메기 Miyeok . [10]
Morkovcha Марков-ча마르코프차Carrot-based dish descended from kimchi. [2] Commonly called "Korean carrot salad" (морковь по-корейски) in Russian. [8]

Noodle and soup dishes

LatinCyrillicHangulNotes
Pukjai Пуктяй 북자이A soybean stew descended from doenjang-jjigae . In one restaurant in Ttaetgol Village in South Korea, the dish was served with tomatoes, cabbage, and a hardboiled egg. [11] Jai (тя́й; джай) refers to doenjang . [13]
Funchoza Фунчоза푼초자Cold or room-temperature variant of japchae. [14] [15]
Kuksu ; kuksiКуксу; кукси국수; 국씨Cold noodle dish descended from janchi-guksu. [16] [5]
Siryak-tyamuri Сиряк-тямури시락장물Similar to siraegi doenjang-guk . [13]
TedekugiТэдэкуги뜨더꾸기A soup similar to sujebi. Egg is poured into boiling pork broth, then pieces of a dough made from potato and flour are inserted into the broth. [17]

Entrées

LatinCyrillicHangulNotes
Banchan; panchanПанчхан, банчхан, панчан, банчан반찬Descendent of sikhae , a salted fermented fish dish. [13]
Sundya Сундя순댜Blood sausage descended from sundae. [5]

Other

LatinCyrillicHangulNotes
Gamdzhiгамджи감지Mashed fermented rice, sikhye . [10]

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There is a population of ethnic Koreans or Korean nationals in Ukraine. A significant group among them are ethnic Koreans called Koryo-saram: these people arrived in the former Soviet Union during the Japanese colonial period and spread throughout the region especially after their forced migration in 1937. Another group is the Sakhalin Koreans, who lived on the island of Sakhalin and are often considered culturally distinct from other Koryo-saram. There are also South Korean expatriates in Ukraine.

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<i>Pyanse</i> Russo-Korean stuffed dumpling

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Pukjai or bukjai is a soybean stew dish in Koryo-saram cuisine. It is a descendent of the Korean dish doenjang-jjigae. The dish uses soybean paste as the base flavoring for the broth. Various ingredients are then added to the base stew.

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References

  1. ↑ Lee, Kwang-kyu (2000), Overseas Koreans, Seoul: Jimoondang, p. 249, ISBN   89-88095-18-9
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lankov, Andrei (21 August 2012). "Korean carrot". Russia Beyond the Headlines. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hay, Mark (2018-09-10). "How Survivors of Stalinism Created a New Korean-Fusion Cuisine". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  4. ↑ Logvynenko, Bogdan; Horban, Diana (2019-10-30). "Koreans of Ukraine. Who are they? • Ukraїner". Ukraїner. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mishan, Ligaya (16 February 2017). "At Cafe Lily, the Korean-Uzbek Menu Evokes a Past Exodus". The New York Times . Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  6. ↑ ""마리우폴에 있는 집 폭격 피해 한국행… 고려인 밥심은 나물 반찬"[나를 살리는 밥심]". Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  7. ↑ "This Simple Carrot Salad Tells the Story of a Diaspora". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  8. 1 2 Eremeeva, Jennifer (2020-06-27). "Taming Morkovcha — Russia's Beloved Korean Carrot Salad". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  9. 1 2 3 Survey 2009, p. 128.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Тен, Ю. П. (April 18, 2018). "Опыт словаря диалекта коре мар". Корё Сарам (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  11. 1 2 "맛과 눈으로, 땟골마을에 녹아든 고려인 정착기". 고대신문 (in Korean). 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  12. ↑ "Kimchi? чимчхи[Jimchi]! Is It Korean?". The Argus (in Korean). 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  13. 1 2 3 심, 효윤 (2021-11-28). "[더오래]모국어 잃었지만 김치만큼은…한식 명맥 잇는 고려인". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  14. ↑ 이, 명숙 (2017-02-28). "한식 대중화의 일등 공신 고려인 동포, 그들을 위한 배려의 필요성". 한국국제문화교류진흥원. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
  15. ↑ "Korean glass noodle salad "Funchosa" detailed photo and video recipe". Mix Markt. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
  16. ↑ "Moscow Restaurants: Koryo-saram at K-Town". themoscowtimes.com. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  17. ↑ Survey 2009, p. 129.

Sources

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