Koreans love noodles. Actually, I think all cultures love noodles. But in Korea there are some very interesting superstitions, beliefs, and even more delicious ways of eating them.

Some of the good beliefs are that long noodles signify long life, so… a person should eat them on birthdays-especially on the 60th birthday because that means that person will live a longer, fuller life.

Also, noodles marked a special occasion. One of the dishes, Janchi Guksu, translates to Banquet noodles. In the past, because wheat was a luxury, these would only be eaten at weddings. They symbolized a long and prosperous life for newly married couples. The light noodles in a light and crisp anchovy broth are often topped with green onions, bright orange carrots, black seaweed, and strips of yellow and white egg. It is as delicious to eat as it is to look at.

Also, if you are at a wedding and someone asks you, "When are we going to get to eat your noodles?" the person might be asking you when you plan on getting married,
or possibly that person would like to know if you might be available for a date.

Noodles in Korea are closely related to the history as well. The buckwheat noodles in Korea, or naengmyeon, were originally from north. The dish of chilled buckwheat noodles in light radish kimchi broth was originally a wintertime dish. It was common to eat this in winter while sitting on the hot, floor-heated rooms. They say that buckwheat were introduced to Korea by the Mongol Empire during the Goryeo Dynasty.

Now, the most famous area for naengmyeon came from Pyeongyang city and the most noodles are from Okryugwan restaurant. In the past, all the important dignitaries and, sometimes, lucky South Korean guests would visit this famous restaurant. They said that, Kim Il-Sung, the former great leader of North Korea before the Kim Jung-il and Kim Jung-eun, ordered the flavor of Okryugwan noodles to be preserved forever. And as we know, whatever the Korean dictator ordered had to be done.

Now if soup noodles aren't really your thing, another Korean favorite dish is bibimguksu which means mixed noodles. The noodles are now usually mixed with vegetable such as cucumbers, onions, slivered pears, and a spicy sauce. However, long ago, this noodle dish was made from strained buckwheat noodles mixed with vegetables, pear, chestnut, beef, pork and a sesame soy sauce. This dish was called Golddon-gmyeon which means, "different things mixed together." The current version of spicy bibimguksu was invented after the Korean war in 1945. After the war, wheat was more available and Koreans developed a strong flavor for spice.

So, I think there is time for one more story.

Now what goes well with noodles?

Mandu or Korean-style dumplings. Often the dough used to make noodles were used to make round wrappers and filled with meat, veggies and tofu. These dumplings can be steamed, fried, or boiled.

The dumplings, they say, were invented by the Chinese general Zhuge Liang. While he was returning to his homeland, he consulted a Shaman who said that in order to cross a treacherous river, he would have to offer the river 49 heads. He refused to sacrifice people. Instead, he tricked the gods by stuffing dough with meat and soon the water calmed enough for him to cross. He named these “meat heads” or mandu which means "deceptive heads." In Korea they are called mandu to this day.

Well, I hope you learned some things about the delicious noodles and dumplings in Korea. I hope I made you hungry. This was Daniel Gray. I hope you’ll join us again soon for another Korean food story. Bye for now and happy eating.