This is the fifth part of our series “Food Tourism,” which highlights local delicacies and the culinary history and culture of Korea’s eight provinces. This time, we introduce our readers to Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla Province).

Located in the central southwestern part of the peninsula, Jeolla-do was named after the initial syllables of its two major cities: Jeonju in Jeollabuk-do and Naju in Jeollanam-do. “Jeon” plus “Na,” when connected, is pronounced “Jeolla.”


Jeonju is the capital of Jeollabuk-do. For a brief period of time, Jeonju served as the capital of the Hubaekje Kingdom, or Later Baekje Kingdom (892-936). Also, later becoming the hometown of King Taejo of Joseon (r. 1392-1398), Jeonju enjoyed many special benefits.

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Its province, Jeollabuk-do, is divided into a mountainous east and plains in the west. The east of the region is surrounded by mountains, many of which are higher than 1,000 meters, including the Noryeongsan mountain range and the Sobaeksan mountain range. In between these high mountains are some basins and flat plateaus. Along the Sobaeksan mountain range in Jeollabuk-do, there sits Deokyusan Mountain, Jeoksangsan Moutain and Jirisan Mountain. Meanwhile, the Noryeongsan mountain range embraces Unjangsan Mountain, Seongchisan Mountain, Myeongdeoksan Mountain, Bangjangsan Mountain and Munjusan Mountain. Many branches of these large mountain ranges have been turned into national or provincial parks.

On the other hand, in the west, the Gimje Plains are surrounded by the Mangyeonggang River and the Dongjingang River and form the peninsula’s rice bowl. The ancients are known to have settled the area around the riverbanks and enjoyed the benefits of fertile soil for cultivating their crops.

Jeollabuk-do’s natural geography has produced abundant crops and harvests, earning the region’s capital the title of “City of Food.” Generally, barley, highland vegetables, ginseng and beef were popular in the mountainous areas while fruit, sweet potatoes, chickens and dairy products were successful in the lowlands.

Korea.net introduces three of Jeollabuk-do’s local delicacies below.

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[Baekhapjuk, rice porridge with clams]

The people of Gyehwado Island, in Buan-gun (Buan District), Jeollabuk-do, had close ties with the baekhap clam, or the common oriental clam. This species tends to outlive other types of clams, having the ability to survive over a month in dry conditions. The Gyehwado people used to place the baekhap clams around their doorway and gently stepped on them, giving just a bit of pressure, but not cracking them open. This helped the baekhap clams to close their shells more tightly and to live longer. That was how the people stored fresh seafood for a long time without refrigerators.

The baekhap clam can be cooked in versatile ways. It can be boiled, steamed, grilled or even eaten raw. In any recipe, they provide an amazing taste. The problem is that this species of clam is rare and only a relatively small amount can be harvested each season.

The people of Gyehwado Island long pondered over how to cook the small amount of baekhap clams that exist and they had to come up with a method of serving as many people as possible. Hence, baekhap clam porridge was born. The porridge is ready for eating when the clam and rice are boiled and it is then spiced up with sesame oil and salt. Baekhap clam porridge has now become one of Buan’s representative foods.

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[Aejeojjim, steamed baby pork]

Moving on, there is a sad story connected to aejeojjim, or steamed baby pork, the local delicacy of Jinan-gun (Jinan District) in Jeollabuk-do.

In the past, when Korea was stuck in desperate poverty, pigs took on an important role in farms. Pigs were easy to feed and their reproduction rate was high. Due to the high number of piglets, however, some unfortunate incidents occurred. Sometimes babies were born dead, or were crushed by the mother during feeding.

Farmers who raised the pigs but could not afford to eat pork themselves used the dead piglets to make their meals. They felt sad (ae) while eating the baby pork (jeo) and that is how it came to be called aejeojjim. The dish is rarely found these days, only in a few areas of Jinan.

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[Chueotang, loach in hot bean paste soup]

Finally, Namwon-gun (Namwon District), in Jeollabuk-do, is home to chueotang, or loach in hot bean paste soup, a famous traditional health-boosting food. When autumn came to the region and the chilly winds started to blow, farmers removed water from the rice paddies and dredged ditches in order to catch loach that were hiding there, hibernating. When the fish were caught, the villagers would hold a party, giving the meat, also regarded as being fairly healthy food, first to the elderly.

Since the days of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), chueotang has been recognized for its health-boosting qualities. The recipe shows a few regional differences, being roughly divided into three styles: Seoul, Wonju (Gangwon-do) and Namwon. In Seoul, the whole fish is boiled. In Wonju, it is cooked in a hot stew, while in Namwon the whole fish is ground up before boiling.

Namwon-style chueotang is known for being spiced up with vegetables from the highlands of Jirisan Mountain and regional spicy peppers.

Being proud of its local version of chueotang, Namwon prohibits loach raised elsewhere from coming into the region. The Namwon loach can be caught in the moderate temperatures found in the upper reaches of the Seomjingang River and it is known for its high quality flesh that is not-too-hard and not-too-soft.

The next time you visit Jeollabuk-do, be sure to sample the baekhapjuk, or rice porridge with clams, in Buan, the aejeojjim, or steamed baby pork, in Jinan and the chueotang in Namwon.

(Food images courtesy of the Korea Tourism Organization)

By Lee Seung-ah
slee27@korea.kr


[Source : Korea.net]