Koryo-saram cuisine
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.
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[edit]
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 of 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[edit]
Basic staples[edit]
| English name (Latin) |
Koryo-mar (Cyrillic) |
Koryo-mar (Hangul) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Begodya | Бегодя | 베고자 | Steamed buns similar to jjinppang-mandu.[5] |
| Babi | Баби | 바비 | Steamed white rice (bap).[9] |
| Gamachibogu; gamachi; nurungji | Гамачибогу; гамачи | 가마치보구; 가마치 | Term for nurungji.[9] |
| Ogureji | 오구래지 | Patjuk.[10] |
Banchan[edit]
| Latin | Cyrillic | Hangul | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bkhanchani; dzhekukddzhi | Бханчхани; джекукджи | 판차니 | Kkakdugi.[10] |
| Gimi | Гими | 기미 | Gim.[10][9] |
| Jimchi | Чимчхи | 침치 | Descendent of kimchi, made without saeu-jeot.[11] Name pronunciation comes from the Hamgyong Province pronunciation of the word.[12] |
| Megi | Меги | 메기 | Miyeok.[10] |
| Morkovcha | Марков-ча | 마르코프차 | Carrot-based dish descended from kimchi.[2] Commonly called "Korean carrot salad" (морковь по-корейски) in Russian.[8] |
Noodle and soup dishes[edit]
| Latin | Cyrillic | Hangul | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pukjai | Пуктяй | 북자이 | A 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 | Фунчоза | 푼초자 | Cold or room-temperature variant of japchae.[14][15] |
| Kuksu; kuksi | Куксу; кукси | 국수; 국씨 | Cold noodle dish descended from janchi-guksu.[16][5] |
| Siryak-tyamuri | Сиряк-тямури | 시락장물 | Similar to siraegi doenjang-guk.[13] |
| Tedekugi | Тэдэкуги | 뜨더꾸기 | A 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[edit]
| Latin | Cyrillic | Hangul | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banchan; panchan | Панчхан, банчхан, панчан, банчан | 반찬 | Descendent of sikhae, a salted fermented fish dish.[13] |
| Sundya | Сундя | 순댜 | Blood sausage descended from sundae.[5] |
Other[edit]
| Latin | Cyrillic | Hangul | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gamdzhi | гамджи | 감지 | Mashed fermented rice, sikhye.[10] |
References[edit]
- ^ Lee, Kwang-kyu (2000), Overseas Koreans, Seoul: Jimoondang, p. 249, ISBN 89-88095-18-9
- ^ a b c d Lankov, Andrei (21 August 2012). "Korean carrot". Russia Beyond the Headlines. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Hay, Mark (2018-09-10). "How Survivors of Stalinism Created a New Korean-Fusion Cuisine". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ Logvynenko, Bogdan; Horban, Diana (2019-10-30). "Koreans of Ukraine. Who are they? • Ukraїner". Ukraїner. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
- ^ a b c d Mishan, Ligaya (16 February 2017). "At Cafe Lily, the Korean-Uzbek Menu Evokes a Past Exodus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ ""마리우폴에 있는 집 폭격 피해 한국행… 고려인 밥심은 나물 반찬"[나를 살리는 밥심]". Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ "This Simple Carrot Salad Tells the Story of a Diaspora". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ a b Eremeeva, Jennifer (2020-06-27). "Taming Morkovcha — Russia's Beloved Korean Carrot Salad". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ a b c Survey 2009, p. 128.
- ^ a b c d e Тен, Ю. П. (April 18, 2018). "Опыт словаря диалекта коре мар". Корё Сарам (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ a b "맛과 눈으로, 땟골마을에 녹아든 고려인 정착기". 고대신문 (in Korean). 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ "Kimchi? чимчхи[Jimchi]! Is It Korean?". The Argus (in Korean). 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ a b c 심, 효윤 (2021-11-28). "[더오래]모국어 잃었지만 김치만큼은…한식 명맥 잇는 고려인". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
- ^ 이, 명숙 (2017-02-28). "한식 대중화의 일등 공신 고려인 동포, 그들을 위한 배려의 필요성". 한국국제문화교류진흥원. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- ^ "Korean glass noodle salad "Funchosa" detailed photo and video recipe". Mix Markt. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ "Moscow Restaurants: Koryo-saram at K-Town". themoscowtimes.com. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
- ^ Survey 2009, p. 129.
Sources[edit]
- 곽, 충구 (December 2009). 2009년도 국외 집단 이주 한민족의 지역어 조사 [2009 Survey of the Regional Languages of the Korean DIaspora Community] (Report) (in Korean). Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Retrieved 2024-01-22.