North Korean cuisine is gaining popularity because its unique flavors and ingredients, which reflects their cultural heritage.
The traditional dish is made by mixture of fresh and healthy ingredients such as garlic, fish, chicken, pork, onions, turmeric, ginger, rice, wheat among others.
Foods you easily found in North Korean restaurant are Naengmyeon, Jjigae, Pansanggi.
Here are some of North Korean traditional food & Health Benefits
1.Kimchi
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Kimchi is a popular food in Korean cuisine. The flavorful dish is prepared by mixing vegetables, such as radishes, cabbage with different varieties of spices including garlic, ginger, and chili peppers.
It is a popular dish because every meal consumed in Korean often contain kimchi as a side dish.
Another reason of it’s massive adoption is the huge nutrients deposit in kimchi. These nutrients include protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B3, folate, dietary fiber, fat, Beta-carotenoid, flavonoids, quercetin among others.
2. Naengmyeon
During summer North Korean and foreigners sought for Naengmyeon due to its unmatched flavors and benefits. The cold noodle dish consists of long, thin buckwheat noodles present in a tangy broth produced from dongchimi.
Topping it with boiled egg, cucumbers, radishes and pickled assist at improving its nutrients content.
These ingredients in Naengmyeon contribute in the nutrients content such as dietary fibre, protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, selenium, calories, iron, phytochemicals
3. Pyongyang-style cold noodles
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A popular dish in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea.
Its made from a thin wheat noodles eaten alongside chilled meat or fish broth and seasoned pickled, radishes, slices of beef or fish, julienned cucumbers, and a generous amount of hot mustard sauce.
It comprises of protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, phytochemicals as well as fat.
4. Jjigae
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Jjigae a traditional stew of North Korea made by combination of spices, vegetables tofu, meat and seafood. Although, there are different types of jjigae such as kimchi jjigae, budae jjigae, and, haemul jjigae
5. Pansanggi
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There is presence of pansanggi in many homes and restaurants of North Korea; It is usually served during special events like birthday, wedding and social assembly.
Ingredients such as marinated vegetables, meat, soups, grilled meats, seafood, and rice. It has a diverse flavors and textures.
Incorporating pansanggi offers you vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, protein and antioxidant.
6. Mandu
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Mandu is considered as Korean-style dumplings that consists of minced meat, vegetables, tofu, or kimchi.
Steaming and boiling are methods of cooking mandu though it is served with dipping sauce. It is usually consumed as snacks.
7 Samgye-Tang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)
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Ginseng Chicken Soup is an important traditional food in North Korea. It is widely eaten because of it’s cultural value and medicinal prowess.
Ingredients involved in making Ginseng Chicken Soup includes chicken with fresh garlic, rice, fresh ginseng and jujube.
Ginseng Chicken Soup is highly celebrated in North Korea due to the nutrients and antibacterial properties(1).
8. Bibimbap
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A popular North Korean food consists of rice, mixed with tofu, pork, kimchi, vegetables as well as Korean chilli sauce.
People often cracke raw egg into the middle of the bowl and then served yo derive abundance of nutrients.
9. Garaetteok
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A Korean rice dish made from rice flour and consists of vegetables, salt, spices bean paste to name a few.
It offers numerous benefits since it contains vital nutrients.
North Korean traditional food Health Benefits
Immune Boosting: This prevents pathogenic attacks and enhances our body’s functions. Therefore, consuming substantial amount of nutrient-dense food is recommended in order to support immune system in strengthening the body.
Moderate cholesterol levels: Many ingredients used in making North Korean dishes are loaded with dietary fiber and antioxidant such as garlic, ginger, cloves, lemon and vegetables. They help at moderating bad cholesterol or low density lipoprotein, a risk factor of high cholesterol.
Excellent source of Energy: Incorporating traditional food of North Korea aid in energy generation. There are numerous Korean foods high in calories such as Naengmyeon, Pyongyang-style cold noodles among others.
Promote growth: As a rich source of protein, Korean foods facility adequate growth if eaten appropriately. Protein offers wide range of benefits in the body, such as enhancement of growth hormones.
Maintains digestive tract: The presence of dietary fiber, fermented food products, and antioxidants helps promote effective functions of the digestive tract. They support beneficial bacteria in order to improve overall well-being of the gut.
