Korean Traditional Snacks

Korean Traditional Snacks or Han-gwa are always present on special occasions like Chuseok (Thanksgiving Day) and Seollal (Chinese New Year) specially when there's Jesa or when the family holds a ceremony for the repose of one's ancestors. Korean traditional snacks are included in the sacrifices offer for the death.

This box of hangwa is a gift from hubby's friend and because we don't practice jesa at home, we brought to my in-laws who always do jesa at home.



The long ones on the corner of the box are like pop rice. They are soft and sweet. In the middle of the right side are grains. They are a little bit hard and crispy. The brown ones on the middle left side of the box are too sweet and glutinous.

They are just snacks but the price is surprising. They are one of my favorite snacks.

Duck Barbecue in Mokpo

Koreans believe that ducks are very nutritious food so last time when we visited my hubby's uncle, he took us to the duck restaurant in Mokpo. He said it was delicious and nutritious food so he brought us there. Although my hubby doesn't like duck much, he couldn't oppose the invitation.

I can't see anything special with the menu but it's so expensive. It's just fresh duck in sticks or in short just normal barbecue duck. Oh well, except from the luxurious restaurant, there's nothing that I could like more. It was just expensive but there's nothing special with the taste. I prefer to eat samgyeopsal because the meat is more tender than duck's meat.

The cooking style is special but it suffocates me. It takes long time to wait for the meat to be done.



Finally, it is done. It takes long time to wait but this one stick doesn't take minutes to eat.



Here's the rest of the whole duck. When can we finish cooking it? Everyone was awkward while waiting for the meat to be cooked. I guess everyone was already hungry before cooking the three sticks again.

Dried Mangoes

Whenever we travel around Asia, mango is always my hubby's choice in the market. He loves mangoes that he can eat a kilo of riped mangoes in one seat. He can't stop eating once he started to eat. So, when a friend went home, my brother asked what I wanted so he could send through a friend. Actually, I don't miss any food from home except unripe mangoes and sauce (fermented shrimp). But it's impossible to bring mangoes here in Korea so I asked him to send dried mangoes for my hubby, instead. My hubby loves riped mangoes either dried or fresh. But I don't. So I told my hubby if he likes to eat dried mangoes and he was so happy to hear about it.

So when a friend came back, here's what my brother sent me. Dried mangoes for my hubby.

Korean Fruits

Apples from a friend, tangerines and persimmons from my mother in law. Koreans always have desserts after meals so having lots of fruits at home is just normal. I think it's one of the reasons why Koreans have flawless skin because they eat lots of fruits. Fruits are very expensive here specially when there's an occasion like Thanksgiving day and Seollal or Chinese New Year because they are famous for gift-givings. Boxes of fruits are sent to the relatives or friends during these occasions. You can't even buy retails of fruits. You need to buy bunches or boxes of them.

Although we always have fruits at home, I don't buy them. My mother in law always give or send us fruits that sometimes they get rotten and have to throw them away. I don't like fruits much specially apples. My stomach gets upset when I eat apples so sometimes I make fruit shake instead. But I'm usually lazy so I don't make often. But my hubby loves fruits.

Seaweeds Soup

Seaweeds soup or miyok gook is one of the most famous soup in Korea. It is popular on birthdays and after giving birth. After delivery, the mother eats lots of seaweeds soup because it contains lots of calcium and iodine, the nutrients that is very important for nursing mothers. It is also a tradition to eat miyok guk on birthdays to remind the first food of the mother and passed on to her newborn through her milk which also believes that it brings good fortune for the rest of the year.



Miyok guk or seaweeds soup is not only eaten after delivery or during birthdays but also anytime of the year. It is serve as soup at home or in the restaurants because it is known as a highly nutritious soup.

It is very easy to cook. Just soak the seaweeds. While waiting for it to become soft, boil some amount of water with minced garlics. It depends how much garlic you put. I like mine with lots of garlic. When the miyok is soft, cut it and put in the boiling water. Boil it for about 10 minutes and put some sesame oil and salt. It's as simple as that but it's more delicious if you put some beef (saute the beef first, if you put some). We always put beef on birthdays.