Home < The food culture of Andong < Traditional food

Grain food has great value and variety.
The chief article of food and a subsidiary food are clearly divided.
The sorts of food and the art of cooking are various.
Korean food contains many kinds of spices so that tastes
    of the food are diverse.
Food is regarded in the same light with medical supplies.
Food is flavor-centered, not appearance-focused and has modest
    taste.
There are strict rules of setting a meal table.
We have to observe table manners
There are manners and customs of preparing a festive day's table.

Andong is located in the interior (provinces) of a country and the Naktong river flows around the village in an S-shape so that most people do dry-field farming. Owing to the topographical features, there are many agricultural products such as red peppers, garlics, sesame, and the local foods are rather spicy and salty. When the people make Gimchi or prepare zigae, they always add many spices such as powdered red pepper and garlics. As they get lots of freshwater fish from the Naktong River, they often cook a hot chowder. The sweetfish from the Naktong River is so especially delicious that people used to present it to the king.

There are lots of traditional food in Andong, owing to the fact that many Yangban(noblemen) used to live there. The people of Andong don't make food luxuriously and extravagantly, but they prepare food for their guests wholeheartedly. It is because of this custom that each head family has their own food. Soup is an indispensable dish in Andong, and the soup is usually made by soybean flour or a radish. Furthermore, there are lots of famous food such as salted mackerel, Sikhye, and Heotjesabap.