Korean Food Rice Rice is used to make a number of items, outside of the traditional bowl of plain white rice. Rice is commonly ground into a flour and used to make rice cakes called tteok, of which there are over two hundred varieties. Rice is also cooked down into a congee (called juk in Korean), or gruel (called mieum in Korean) and mixed with other grains, meat, or seafood. Koreans also produce a number of rice wines, both in filtered and unfiltered versions. Soybeans are also commonly used in Korean cuisine; they are made into tofu (dubu), while soybean sprouts are sauteed as a vegetable (kongnamul) and whole soybeans are marinated and served as a side dish. They are also made into soy milk, which is used as the base for the noodle dish called kongguksu. A by-product of soy milk production is okara (kongbiji), which is used to thicken stews and porridges. Soybeans may also be one of the beans in kongbap (rice boiled together with several types of beans and other grains). Kimchi Kimchi, also spelled gimchi or kimchee, is a traditional Korean fermented dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings, most commonly referring to the spicy baechu (cabbage) variety. Kimchi is the most common banchan, or side dish. Kimchi is also a common ingredient and combined with other ingredients to make dishes such as kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae) and kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeumbap). Kimchi is so ubiquitous that the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) developed space kimchi to accompany the first Korean astronaut to the Russian-manned space ship Soyuz. Meat and fish In antiquity, most meat in Korea was likely obtained through hunting and fishing. Ancient records indicate that rearing of livestock began on a small scale during the Three Kingdoms period. Meat was consumed roasted or in soups or stews during this period. Those who lived closer to the oceans were able to complement their diet with more fish while those who lived in the interior had a diet containing more meat. Beef Hanwu galbiBeef is the most prized of all meats, with the cattle itself holding an important cultural role in the Korean home. The cattle were regarded as servants and seen as an equal to human servants. Cattle were also given their own holiday during the first 'cow' day of the lunar New Year. The importance of the cattle does not suggest that Koreans ate an abundance of beef, however, as pork and seafood were more likely consumed on a more regular basis as the cattle were valued as beasts of burden. The Buddhist ruling class of the Goryeo period forbade the consumption of beef. The Mongols dispensed with the ban of beef during the 13th century and they promoted the production of beef cattle. This increased production continued into the Joseon period when the government encouraged both increased quantities and quality of beef.s Fish and seafood Saengseon jjim, steamed seasoned fishFish and shellfish have always been a major part of Korean cuisine because of the oceans bordering the peninsula. Evidence from the 12th century illustrates that commoners consumed a diet mostly of fish and shellfish such as shrimp, clams, oysters, abalone, and loach, while sheep and hogs were reserved for the upper class. Both fresh and saltwater fish are popular and are served raw, grilled, broiled, dried, and served in soups and stews. Common grilled fish include mackerel, hairtail, croaker, and Pacific herring. Smaller fish, shrimps, squid, mollusks and countless other seafood can be salted as Jeotgal. Fish can also be grilled either whole or in fillets as banchan. Fish is often dried naturally in order to prolong storing periods and enable shipping over long distances. Fish commonly dried include yellow corvina, anchovies (myeolchi) and croaker. Dried anchovies along with kelp form the basis of common soup stocks. Vegetables Korean cuisine uses a wide variety of vegetables, which are often served uncooked, either in salads or pickles, as well as cooked in various stews, stir-fried dishes, and other hot dishes. Commonly used vegetables include daikon (mu), Napa cabbage (baechu), cucumber (oi), potato (gamja), sweet potato (goguma), spinach (sigeumchi), scallions (pa), garlic (maneul), chili peppers (gochu), sea vegetables, zucchini (hobak), mushrooms (beoseot), and lotus root. Several types of wild greens, known collectively as chwinamul (such as Aster scaber), are a popular dish, and other wild vegetables such as bracken fern shoots (gosari) or Korean bellflower root (doraji) are also harvested and eaten in season. Medicinal herbs such as ginseng (insam), wolfberry (gugija), Codonopsis pilosula (dangsam), and Angelica sinensis (danggwi) are often used as ingredients in cooking, as in samgyetang. Dining etiquette Dining etiquette in Korea can be traced back to the Confucian philosophies on the Joseon period. Guidebooks such as Sasojeol (Elementary Etiquette for Scholar Families) written in 1775 by Yi Tongmu, comment on the dining etiquette for the period. Suggestions include items such as "when you see a fat cow, goat, pig, or chicken, do not immediately speak of slaughtering, cooking or eating it", "when you are having a meal with others, do not speak of smelly or dirty things, such as boils or diarrhea... if someone is still eating do not go to the bathroom even if you have the urge", "when eating a meal, neither eat so slowly as to appear to be eating against your will nor to fast as if to be taking someone else's food. Do not throw chopsticks on the table. Spoons should not touch plates, making a clashing sound.", amongst many other recommendations which emphasized proper table etiquette. Chopsticks should always be lifted from the table by the eldest family member firstThe eldest male at the table was always served first, commonly served to them in the men's quarters by the women of the house. Women usually dined in a separate portion of the house after the men were served. The eldest men or women always ate before the younger family members. The meal was usually quiet, as conversation was discouraged during meals. In modern times these rules have become lax, as families usually dine together now and use the time to converse. Of the remaining elements of this decorum, one remaining decorum is that the younger members of the table should not pick up their chopsticks or start eating before the elders of the table. In Korea, unlike in China and Japan, the rice bowl is not lifted from the table when eating from it. This is due to the fact that each diner is given a metal spoon along with the chopsticks known collectively as sujeo (¼öÀú). The use of the spoon for eating rice and soups is expected. There are rules which reflect the decorum of sharing communal side-dishes; rules include not picking through the dishes for certain items while leaving others that the diner does not desire, the spoon being used should be clear of other food particles, and finally that one should not reach across the table for the side-dishes as they should request them to be passed. Diners should also cover their mouths with a hand when using a toothpick after the meal. The table setup is important as well, and individuals place setting moving from the diner's left should be as follows: rice bowl, spoon, and chopsticks. Hot foods are set to the right side of the table, with the cold foods to the left. Soup must remain on the right side of the diner along with stews. Vegetables remain on the left along with the rice, and kimchi is set to the back while sauces remain in the front.