Every country has a food people want when the weather changes. In England, it might be tea and biscuits. In Italy, maybe a hot bowl of soup. And in Korea, when it starts to rain, people think of jeon and makgeolli . Jeon is a Korean-style pancake, and makgeolli is a traditional rice wine. So, why do Koreans eat jeon on rainy days? Listen to the sound when it cooks— sizzle, sizzle . People say it sounds like the rain. That’s why jeon and makgeolli have become a classic rainy-day combination in Korea. How to make nuruk. The key ingredient in makgeolli is nuruk , a traditional Korean fermentation starter. To make nuruk , wheat is mixed with warm water to make a dough. It’s wrapped in cloth and pressed into shape, traditionally by stepping on it. Then it’s dried and fermented. **The wheat is roughly crushed so the good microorganisms can get inside more easily and help with fermentation. ** So, why do they step on the nuruk ? It’s to press out the air. Less air mean...
Let me tell you where the phrase “Heungcheong Mangcheong” (흥청망청) comes from. This expression was born during the reign of Yeonsan-gun , the 10th king of the Joseon Dynasty, who ruled from 1494 to 1506 . He was one of the most famous tyrants in Korean history. Yeonsan-gun loved pleasure more than politics. He often held huge parties at places like Gyeonghoeru Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung Palace. For these parties, he brought in over 1,000 entertainers , especially a group of women known as “Heungcheong” . They were singers, dancers, and performers whose only job was to entertain the king. He spent a crazy amount of money on these events—food, music, wine, clothes, decorations. There were more than 80 kinds of royal dishes on the table, including rare meats and exotic foods. These feasts sometimes went on for days . Now, here’s the important part: The name “Heungcheong” (흥청) comes from the entertainers he invited. The word “Mangcheong” (망청) was added later to rhyme with it, and i...