Dweeungbark Village- Traditional Korean Bean in addition to Paste Farm Cooking Experience
Korean nutrient continues to grow inward international popularity, however, few foreigners venture exterior of Korea's major cities to create got a firsthand sense amongst the truthful rootage of Korean nutrient culture. The metropolitan authorities has teamed upward amongst local farm villages, in addition to a fellowship named 'Happy Busday', to create a hands on learning sense most farming inward Korea. Saturday, September 28th I attended an unforgettable trip amongst SIWA (Seoul International Women's Association) that guided us to Dweeungbark Geoul Bean Village, to larn most the rootage of Korean nutrient culture.
With Korea's fast moving economy, huge eating seat industry, in addition to impressive speed of industrialization, it is hard to intend of an surface area that is non expanding inward the country. Outside of Seoul, the world's 2nd largest metropolitan area, you lot tin discovery a civilization of people that locomote on the farming in addition to nutrient processing of their ancestors. The bulk of farms are silent small-scale household unit of measurement run operations with fields ranging from 2.5-5 acres. In these small-scale farm villages, kimchi in addition to soy sauce are silent fermented inward clay pots that create got been passed downwards for generations. Restaurants serve local nutrient that is picked from Korean fields the same day.
Dweeungbark Village, inward Sejong City, is a working farm in addition to Korean glue hamlet that has been renovated to educate the populace most traditional Korean farming in addition to salubrious eating. The hamlet is located most 1.5 hours from Seoul. In Dweeungbark Geoul, mountains environs edible bean in addition to rice fields creating an enchanting in addition to relaxing atmosphere for a 24-hour interval exterior of the city. The hamlet has over 1,700 jangdok (clay jars) lined upward equally they ferment pastes in addition to soy sauce. Here you lot tin also discovery a eating seat specializing inward fermented food, the showtime Korean pastes museum, walking trails in addition to a sculpture park.
Our tour began inward the soy edible bean fields of Dweeungbark. Farmers led us past times rice patties to hundreds of rows of edible bean stalks. In the plain several u-shaped knives were passed out in addition to nosotros took turns chopping downwards stalks. Once our crop was harvested, nosotros picked upward piles of the stalks. A tractor hauling a carriage arrived to choose us into the village.
At the village, nosotros carried our edible bean stalks to a covered pavilion. Village elders at i time began plucking off the stalk's leaves in addition to throwing the beans into a massive boiling pot. At this point, each invitee was given an apron in addition to our showtime cooking shape of the 24-hour interval began.
Our showtime shape covered how to brand a foreigner friendly Doenjang, fermented soybean paste. Doenjang is made from boiled dry out soybeans that are stone-ground into a paste. The glue is formed into blocks called meju. The blocks are hence pose inward the sunlight to dry. At this point, dried rice plants, that are rich inward bacteria are attached to the surface of the blocks. This begins the fermenting process. After most 3 months, the meju is pose into clay jars amongst brine for farther fermentation. Good bacteria transform the blocks into a vitamin-enriched product. Once the production is ready, liquids in addition to solids are separated. The liquid becomes Korean soy sauce. The corporation is the finished Doenjang which is a staple component division for many Korean dishes.
Donenjang is real potent for many foreigners. For this reason, nosotros added several ingredients to brand it to a greater extent than pleasing for our palate. Ingredients included garlic, boundary onion, dark-green pepper, sesame oil, mulyeot syrup, mashilcheong syrup, in addition to gochujang. After dicing vegetable nosotros stirred all the ingredients together to create the paste. The bulk of the glue was bottled to create got habitation for our personal use. We kept a small-scale sum out to ready lunch.
Lunch consisted of pork that was covered inward our Donenjang glue in addition to pan fried. The local villagers also prepared an amazing spread of farm fresh traditional Korean food. What was described to us equally a humble farmers lunch, was for sure a feast! We were served several kinds of kimchi, rice, battered zucchini, a diverseness of potatoes, chestnuts, soup, in addition to an assortment of other small-scale dishes. Everyone was real satisfied later a delightful fresh lunch!
After tiffin the grouping toured Dweeungbark Village. The hamlet is beautiful amongst statues in addition to clay jars on display throughout it. The master kimchi pots from the families' ancestors are non currently inward use, merely they are silent on display inward the village. Each edifice is traditional hanok fashion including the glue museum, which is the showtime of its form inward Korea. The most impressive surface area of the hamlet has to live the 1,700 jangbok jars that are silent beingness used to compass fermented products. They are lined upward on a grand terrace amongst platforms for viewing.
After our tour nosotros returned to the pavilion for to a greater extent than or less other cooking class. Our soybeans were done cooking. Each grouping of guests was given a total soybean stem to shell ourselves in addition to eat. The beans were fresh in addition to delicious. The remaining beans had already been shelled past times the villagers. They placed massive scoops into wooden mortars amongst pestles. The mortars in addition to pestles were hence large that they were costless standing on the soil in addition to stood most 3 feet inward a higher identify the surface. We took turns smashing the beans in addition to turning them into paste. Once the beans were crushed, nosotros shaped them into meju blocks. Each invitee was allowed to create got their meju block home.
The lastly cooking shape was sweetness rice cakes. Fresh rice from the patties was boiled in addition to placed into the mortars. The rice was much to a greater extent than hard to nail than the beans. A woman somebody hamlet elderberry demonstrated how to make the glue past times taking the giant pestle in addition to raising it over her head. She swiftly lowered her arms in addition to smashed the rice amongst dandy force. We continued to practise this for most 10 minutes until the rice was transformed into a pasty dough. The dough was flattened out on trays in addition to divided. Powders for flavoring were added to the cakes in addition to they were hence ready to eat!
The memories from this trip to Dweeungbark Village volition rest amongst the entire tour grouping throughout the years. Seeing the means of traditional Korean farming, in addition to learning how to brand these timeless products, provided a novel appreciation for Korean nutrient culture. "It is of import to yell back that nutrient doesn't come upward from e-mart. We necessitate to encounter it from the ground, peculiarly later things locomote to a greater extent than in addition to to a greater extent than processed. Everything hither was hence delicious in addition to fresh," concluded SIWA president Terri Hartman later the day's events. Learning most Korean nutrient civilization through a trip to Dweeungbark Village is an sense for all ages.
Dweeungbark Village: 90-43 Baeil-gil, Jeondong-meon, Sejong City
Phone: +82-44-866-114
Directions:
Gyeongbu Expressway: Gyeongbu Expressway cheonan – Cheonan Nonsan Expressway NamCheonan IC –Route 1 to Sejong City twenty km – Jeondong/Seokgok nadeulmok – Dweeungbark Goeul(town) Public transportation:Gyeongbu delineate of piece of occupation Jochiwon station – Jeonui administration jitney – Take off at Dweeungbark Goeul(town) – walk 10 min
Fermented Food Restaurant