Why is traditional Korean food so spicy?

[P for Pancetta]

I also didn't mean all spices, I mean obviously Asian cuisine has spices beyond hot stuff, but really? The most common Korean spicy spice is from South America? Huh. That's crazy! Maybe the Korean War? I'd never really thought of that.

The same goes for pretty much any cuisine. The most unchanged pre-colonials cuisines are maybe French (not all dishes but a lot can be made without too many oversea spices etc) and Mexican (although it's nearly impossible to find authentic meats, since there were no sheep, cow, pork or chicken in Mexico.) There are also regional dishes in each country that are generally more authentic, China has a lot of these but so do even tiny countries if you know where too look.

Indian, Chinese, Italian, Korean, and the vast majority of other cuisines are vastly different. Most of the traditional recipes (not all) have been lost to time or are stuck in some ancient cookbooks nobody bothers with anymore because the more modern post-colonial food that we associate with these cuisines is far better, and often times significantly different because it uses a lot of ingredients that were previously unavailable.

[Poopymonster]

They have spices. I wouldn't say those spices are 'spicy'. Truly hot stuff is generally from the americas: chilies. India basically had mustard and black pepper as their hottest spices before American peppers got there. So yeah, via trade mostly. The pepper I would think most identify as iconic in Korean food is a chili pepper originally from S. America IIRC.

"Ranch" is too spicy for some.

[Ripster42]

"Ranch" is too spicy for some.

Looking at your location, I can see how that would be the case.

[vian]

Because it's delicious and they have excellent taste.

You should look up the origins on spicy food.

[Sorensen]

You should look up the origins on spicy food.

Masochism exists, so what, your point?

[dope_danny]

Is it spicy? like i eat those samyang buldak 2x noodles and they are fine and i use them in homemade budae jjigae all the time, no hotter than the currys i get at the local curry house i guess. But then i guess england has been pretty spice heavy with a lot of food since colonising such a huge chunk of the world way back when lead to a massive influx of foodstuffs and cooking techniques that have long become a staple to be fair. I know some american folks who can't deal with korean food but i always thought that was them self denigrating like part of the whole "the spiciest thing americans eat is ketchup and bbq sauce" meme. Maybe its just a cultural thing based on what you grow up on. Like personally i find a lot of japanese sweets either too sugary or too mild and thats probably because the english way of making sweets is way more dairy leaning than outright sugarey sweetness or muted tea and blossom sorts of flavours. But reverse the culture and diet of someone and what they grew up on the sentiment would probably be the opposite.

[uuuhname]

the only Korean food I've really had is Korean BBQ aaaaaaannnnnnddd it's not particularly spicy, unless you want it that way.

[Sorensen]

Is it spicy? like i eat those samyang buldak 2x noodles and they are fine and i use them in homemade budae jjigae all the time, no hotter than the currys i get at the local curry house i guess. But then i guess england has been pretty spice heavy with a lot of food since colonising such a huge chunk of the world way back when lead to a massive influx of foodstuffs and cooking techniques that have long become a staple to be fair. I know some american folks who can't deal with korean food but i always thought that was them self denigrating like part of the whole "the spiciest thing americans eat is ketchup and bbq sauce" meme. Maybe its just a cultural thing based on what you grow up on. Like personally i find a lot of japanese sweets either too sugary or too mild and thats probably because the english way of making sweets is way more dairy leaning than outright sugarey sweetness or muted tea and blossom sorts of flavours. But reverse the culture and diet of someone and what they grew up on the sentiment would probably be the opposite.

Bbq sauce can be really spicey if it's made that way, also we are like the chili capital of the world. Idk if other cultures have a dish that's just called chili. Probably just lazy naming conventions but still.

I thought it was always more of the meme when british people drink tap water and talk about the different notes in the water and remark about how it's "too spicy"

[Cinnamilk]

Like personally i find a lot of japanese sweets either too sugary or too mild and thats probably because the english way of making sweets is way more dairy leaning than outright sugarey sweetness or muted tea and blossom sorts of flavours. But reverse the culture and diet of someone and what they grew up on the sentiment would probably be the opposite.

A lot of the overly sweet Japanese confections are supposed to be had alongside prepared unsweetened matcha, like usucha(thin) or koicha(thick).
The milder ones are usually eaten alone; outside of the super sweet stuff meant to be paired with matcha, the average Japanese palette doesn't like overly sweet stuff. See: a bunch of Japanese tourists in NYC calling frosted cupcakes "sweet hell." And I'd agree, most American frosting is way too goddamn sweet.

[Deathknightish]

only korean stuff i can remember being bothered by is this...



i thought i was going to succumb to it... it was so bad...

That fucking shit is not only 9000 scoville like they claim. No way at all. I've eaten sausages that were 5 million scoville and that piece of shit noodle package almost had me tear up more than that sausage ever did.

9000 scoville is Tabasco level. That thing is NOT Tabasco level...

[dope_danny]

That fucking shit is not only 9000 scoville like they claim. No way at all. I've eaten sausages that were 5 million scoville and that piece of shit noodle package almost had me tear up more than that sausage ever did.

9000 scoville is Tabasco level. That thing is NOT Tabasco level...

Personally i like those and think a lot of those youtubers making videos where they puke are massively overacting but then there is the limited edition Buldak mini which is between 4 and 8 times spicier and boy those were the only thing i've ever eaten to make me need some peppermint tablets after. It was spicy beyond tasting good.




The Samyang carbo is probably to most peoples tastes, its only about half as spicy as the black packet ones and also comes with cheese powder and flatter noodles closer to tagliatele, throw in some mushroom, cut up hotdog and spring onion and you got a solid meal.

[Attackrabbit]

The Samyang carbo is probably to most peoples tastes, its only about half as spicy as the black packet ones and also comes with cheese powder and flatter noodles closer to tagliatele, throw in some mushroom, cut up hotdog and spring onion and you got a solid meal.

Those things rock Little market round the corner from me has them in sometimes and my gf buys the entire stock when she spots them

[dope_danny]

Those things rock Little market round the corner from me has them in sometimes and my gf buys the entire stock when she spots them

The college students at the local asda raid the shelf of them like rats on saturdays. The pot noodle and cup noodle abandoned in favour of T H E S P I C Y C A R B O on sale.

[Gaaz]

Fridges are a new invention. Spices traditionally have been used to preserve food and to mask products that are already spoiled and rotten. Most regions used several methods to achieve that. And depending on geography, people tended to shift in the direction that allowed to achieve that easier. Some regions mostly used salt as a preservative. Some, where climate allowed to grow spicy ingredients, used hot peppers and such. In addition, smoking, drying etc. were also used. Depending on ease of access, traditional dishes shifted in one or several alternative directions.
So the short and blunt of it - because eating rotten food is easier when you can not taste it.

[Elegiac]

Fridges are a new invention. Spices traditionally have been used to preserve food and to mask products that are already spoiled and rotten.

Nah, this is a pop history myth in the vein of vomitoriums.

People who could afford spices in sufficient quantity to "mask spoiled food" generally had access to fresh meat. People back then used spices for the same reason they do now - they either deem it medicinal or simply like the taste.

[Felya]

Nah, this is a pop history myth in the vein of vomitoriums.

People who could afford spices in sufficient quantity to "mask spoiled food" generally had access to fresh meat. People back then used spices for the same reason they do now - they either deem it medicinal or simply like the taste.

Yeah, people don’t realize the cost and even where the spice had to come from, as discussed earlier in the thread.

But, my go to in all of these examples is Lutefisk... that lye flavor isn’t a spice...

[Low Hanging Fruit]

I know a pretty specific red pepper (the name escapes me at the moment) is native to Korea and was pretty widely available in the past before mega farms. Probably has a lot to do with it.

[breadisfunny]

Personally i like those and think a lot of those youtubers making videos where they puke are massively overacting but then there is the limited edition Buldak mini which is between 4 and 8 times spicier and boy those were the only thing i've ever eaten to make me need some peppermint tablets after. It was spicy beyond tasting good.


.

do they still sell them?

[Logwyn]

Fridges are a new invention. Spices traditionally have been used to preserve food and to mask products that are already spoiled and rotten. Most regions used several methods to achieve that. And depending on geography, people tended to shift in the direction that allowed to achieve that easier. Some regions mostly used salt as a preservative. Some, where climate allowed to grow spicy ingredients, used hot peppers and such. In addition, smoking, drying etc. were also used. Depending on ease of access, traditional dishes shifted in one or several alternative directions.
So the short and blunt of it - because eating rotten food is easier when you can not taste it.

Using spices to mask flavor is a myth. The use of spices as a preservative is also a myth as well. Except using salt. Historical cookbooks are rarely ever seen saying to use spice to cover the flavor of rotting meat. A whole pig cost about the price of a pound of pepper. Spices were reserved for the rich and royalty throughout history. They could afford them but they also could afford to buy fresh meat that was not rotting or spoiled.

[dope_danny]

do they still sell them?

I think its like a anniversary thing with a different design on the packet each year? they did a big pack once but now once a year do these smaller one serving ones i think. Baring in mind i dont speak korean but you still hear folks getting them like once and year and boy, they are something. Even a Phal curry is a bit milder.



This for example is a different solo pack but i've seen others in this weird tray.