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Korean food, or hansik, is characterized by a clear distinction between the main dish (rice, noodles, etc.) and the side dish (called banchan), diverse recipes, a balanced mix of animal and plant products, and fermented foods..^[1] The Korean people have also believed that food and medicine share the same origin, following the adage that “food is the best medicine.”^[1]

Fermented foods are the core of Korean cooking. These foods are mostly referred to as "chang". This includes soy sauce (ganjang). soybean paste (doenjang), red chilli soybean paste (goch'ujang). Green onion, garlic, and red chilli are also the foundations Korean cooking^[2]

Kimchi is one of South Korea's staple food, normally eaten as a side dish. Steamed rice with one to three side dishes (such as kimchi, more specifically baechan (cabbage)).^[3] Kimchi has its own fermented taste not just because of its health functionalities due to its ingredients but also by fermentation products that contribute taste, texture, quality, and health functionality, owing to its special fermentation process.^[3]

Soondubu jjigae can be described as a spicy Korean tofu stew. Unlike typical stews, it is not thick and heavy. It has a deep umami flavor, seasoned with fish sauce, garlic, scallions and mushrooms.^[4]

Bibimbap is a very colorful dish with various colorful vegetables and eggs, which are mixed with the addition of gochujang (red chili paste), making its texture very different from what it was in the beginning.^[5] Although bibimbap is usually served with meat, many Korean's eat bibimbap with only eggs as the source of protein in the simple rice dish.^[6]

Tteokbeokki (Korean rice cake dish) is also another very popular dish in South Korea. Historically, tteokbokki was considered a refined food that was eaten by nobles and members of the royal court. But in the wake of the Korean War in the 1950s, it transformed into a different kind of dish, made by boiling wheat flour cakes with fish cakes and vegetables in a red pepper sauce mixture. By the 1970s, it had become the people’s snack, enjoyed by people from all walks of life.^[7]

Buddaejjigae is Korea's popular stew, originating during the Korean War. The base is similar to many traditional spicy Korean stews like soondubu or kimchi jjigae, which are usually made of anchovies, seaweed, and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) steeped together. But its other ingredients set budae jjigae apart from its counterparts.^[8] The stew includes spam, baked beans, hotdogs, and ramen noodles with green onions garnished on top.^[8]