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...
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...