Korean culinary culture carries weight of history and tradition
Published: 06 Jan. 2025, 21:12
The author is a professor of archaeology at the University of Toronto.
As I fed rice cake soup to my three-year-old, I was reminded of the milky-white soup my grandmother used to prepare every New Year, insisting that eating it was essential to gaining another year of life. The tradition of using cherished ingredients to celebrate the New Year is, in fact, part of a global culinary heritage. According to records of seasonal customs from the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the practice of eating rice cake soup made with pure white rice cakes on the first day of the lunar year is longstanding. The long cylindrical rice cakes symbolize a wish for longevity, while slicing them into coin-like shapes signifies material prosperity. Foods imbued with monetary symbolism are common across the world.
In Italy, lentils — a Mediterranean staple — are a traditional New Year’s dish. Their green, disc-like shape has symbolized coins since the days of ancient Rome. In Brazil and Chile, lentils are carried in pockets or exchanged as gifts on New Year’s Eve to wish for financial abundance. In the southern United States, black-eyed peas — a crop introduced from West Africa during the trans-Atlantic slave trade — are a traditional New Year’s food symbolizing resilience and fresh beginnings. They are often served with collard greens, whose green hue represents money, and cornbread, whose golden color signifies wealth, creating a meal rich in symbolic meaning.
In Spain, it is customary to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, one for each chime of the clock, to ensure luck and prosperity for the 12 months ahead. This tradition, which originated in the 19th century, recalls the Greek myth of Persephone eating six pomegranate seeds in the underworld, a gesture tied to cycles of renewal and abundance.
In Korea, soybeans used to make fermented staples such as doenjang, gochujang, and ganjang (fermented soybean paste, chili paste, and soy sauce) are a powerhouse of nutrition, containing 35 percent protein. Unlike Western lentils, soybeans ferment exceptionally well. As for rice, traditionally believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, a discovery in Soro-ri, near the upper Geum River, suggests that rice cultivation may have begun on the Korean Peninsula as early as 11,970 B.C.
Reflecting on New Year’s foods reveals that Korea’s rich culinary culture did not emerge overnight. Each dish carries the weight of history and tradition. May the political landscape in Korea soon stabilize by the Lunar New Year, allowing us to fully savor and appreciate the deeper meaning behind these symbolic dishes.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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