Foods only Koreans eat

Foods that only Koreans mainly eat include acorn jelly, bean sprouts, whelk, perilla leaves, midea duck, melon, and soy sauce crab. It is known that some of these foods are neglected overseas because replaceable foods are popular.

• acorn(도토리)

Aged acorns are a native food with a longer history than you might think. Mature acorns were often featured on the king's table and are also famous as a food that saved the people who had nothing to eat during a famine. Acorns are a food made by dissolving acorn starch in water, boiling it, and hardening it. The slightly astringent yet soft taste of acorns is excellent. Because of the astringent taste caused by the tannin component, you cannot eat a large amount at once, but it has a high water content and makes you feel full, but it is low in calories, so it is often used as a diet food.

• Korea melon(참외)

Melon, also called 'Korea melon' among foreigners, is one of the summer fruits loved for its crunchy texture and sweet juice. It is said that in overseas countries, melons, which are superior in sugar, are eaten instead of melons because they have not been modified to make them sweeter like in Korea. It is said that just as Koreans eat mangosteen and papaya when they visit overseas, it is said to be a fruit that foreigners must try when they visit Korea.

• Perilla leaves​(깻잎​)

If foreigners enjoy eating herbs differently than us, we have perilla leaves. Perilla leaves, the leaves of the perilla plant, are used in a variety of foods for their unique flavor and texture. In fact, Korea is the only country that eats perilla leaves, and even North Korea, which has a food shortage, does not eat perilla leaves. To foreigners, pickled perilla leaves look like fallen leaves pickled in soy sauce. Just as people have different opinions about the scent of cilantro, it is said that it is difficult to eat because of its pungent scent. In Korea, it is a food ingredient used in various side dishes such as ssam vegetables, steamed perilla leaves, and pickled perilla leaves. The iron content is very high, preventing anemia.​

• Bean sprouts​(콩나물)

Bean sprouts are grown in Korea for the first time in the world. Foreign countries often use bean sprouts, which are more flavorful than bean sprouts and have an excellent crunchy texture. In Korea, most foods are eaten cooked, but in other countries, they are mostly eaten raw. In the West, people have a negative image of bean sprouts growing from beans, thinking that they are hairy and contain a one-legged ghost. Bean sprouts made by sprouting soybeans can be eaten seasoned with vegetables or boiled in bean sprout soup and eaten cold. Aspartic acid contained in bean sprouts has a detoxifying effect and is effective in relieving hangovers. In addition, it is a vegetable so nutritious that eating just two handfuls can satisfy all of your daily vitamin C needs.

• Whelk(골뱅이)

Korea is the only country in the world that consumes whelk. It is so popular that it is even canned. In contrast, even France, which is famous abroad for its snail dishes, is ignoring whelk. Korea consumes more than 80% of the world's whelk. Since it is impossible to farm it, it is imported from the UK, Ireland, Bulgaria, etc.

• Mideodeok(미더덕)

Mideodeok is commonly used in seafood dishes for its unique flavor and texture. It is a food ingredient that Koreans eat a lot along with its similar species, Omandungi. The reason foreigners dislike it is because it is full of the bitter and salty taste and aroma of the sea.

• Soy Crab(간장게장)

Soy sauce crab, famous for its unique salty and sweet taste, is a much loved food in Korea. There are many recipes using crab in other countries, but the recipe for marinating live crab in soy sauce can only be found in Korea.

• skates(홍어)

Skate, which is considered one of the most smelly foods in the world, is a food that people like and dislike even in Korea due to its unique pungent scent. It is a food that has a large fan base rather than a popular preference, and is famous for being eaten with boiled pork, aged kimchi, and samhap.

• pupa(번데기)

It is a high-protein Korean food made by boiling and seasoning silk moth pupae with seasoning. In Korea, it is a popular snack sold on the streets, often eaten as a side dish with alcohol, and has a savory taste. It is also made in canned form and sold at convenience stores.

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