What Is Korean Soul Food?

The Comfort, Memories, and Personal Stories Behind Korean Food

Every culture has food that means more than just a meal.  It may not be the most expensive dish.  It may not be the most beautiful dish.  Sometimes, it is a simple food that reminds people of a certain place, a certain person, or a moment in their lives.  This is what many people call soul food.  But what is Korean soul food?  The answer may be different for everyone.  Because soul food is not only about the ingredients.  It is connected to our own stories.

Korean Soul Food Often Begins at Home

When people think about Korean comfort food, many dishes are not foods from expensive restaurants.  They are often foods from home.  The sound of something boiling in the kitchen.  The smell of a familiar dish.  A meal prepared by parents or grandparents.  At the time, these moments may seem ordinary.  But many years later, ordinary foods often become the ones people remember the most.

Kimchi Jjigae: The Taste of Everyday Life

Kimchi jjigae is one of Korea’s most familiar comfort foods.  It does not require expensive ingredients.  It often begins with simple things:  Aged kimchi. Tofu. A little pork. Vegetables.  But when these ingredients come together, they create a taste many Koreans recognize immediately.  A bubbling pot of kimchi jjigae in the middle of the table.  Bowls of rice around it.  Family sharing the same meal.  For many people, kimchi jjigae is connected with everyday memories of home.

Doenjang Jjigae and Cheonggukjang: The Smell of Memories

Some foods are remembered not only by taste.  Sometimes they are remembered by smell.  One example is cheonggukjang (청국장).  Cheonggukjang is a traditional Korean fermented soybean stew with a very strong aroma.  For someone trying it for the first time, the smell can be surprising.  Some may even find it difficult at first.  But for many Koreans, that same smell means something completely different.  It can bring back memories of: A grandmother’s kitchen. A countryside home. A cold winter evening. A simple family meal.  The same smell can mean different things depending on the memories behind it.

Miyeokguk: A Bowl Connected With Family

Some Korean foods are connected to special moments in life.  One example is miyeokguk (미역국), seaweed soup.  Many Koreans eat miyeokguk on their birthday.  But the meaning comes from something deeper.  Traditionally, Korean mothers ate seaweed soup after giving birth.  So a birthday bowl of miyeokguk is also connected with remembering mothers and the beginning of life.  A simple bowl of soup can carry a story across generations.

Gimbap and Ramyeon: Everyday Memories

Not all soul food comes from tradition.  Sometimes the simplest everyday foods become the strongest memories.  Gimbap (김밥) reminds many Koreans of: School trips. Family outings. Picnics. A lunch carefully prepared early in the morning.  Ramyeon (라면) is another example.  It is not a traditional Korean dish.  It is not a fancy meal.  But many people connect ramyeon with: Student life.  Late-night conversations. Friends.  Small moments from ordinary days.  Sometimes the memory around food becomes bigger than the food itself.

My Personal Korean Soul Food: Agujjim

Everyone has their own soul food.  For me, one of those foods is agujjim (아구찜).  Agujjim is a spicy Korean braised monkfish dish.  It is usually made with: Monkfish. Bean sprouts. Spicy seasoning. Seafood flavors.  But what makes agujjim special to me is not only the taste.  It is the way people eat it.  A large dish placed in the center of the table.  People sitting around it. Talking. Sharing. Reaching for the same food together.  Like many Korean dishes, the experience around the table becomes part of the memory.

Soul Food Is a Personal Story

The interesting thing about soul food is that everyone has a different answer.  For one person, it may be kimchi jjigae.  For another person, it may be ramyeon.  For someone else, it may be a dish that others do not understand at first.  For me, it may be the strong smell of cheonggukjang.  Or a shared plate of spicy agujjim.  Maybe years later, we do not remember every meal we ate.  But sometimes we remember:  A certain smell coming from the kitchen. A table where people gathered. A simple dish we once shared with someone. And that memory becomes our own soul food.

— O DosiRock Korean Food Stories