Many places that we find hot and spicy food around the world have a couple of things in common which includes the location and the spices that are available in their country. These locations are usually tropical and or hot places, geographically, or they were part of a major spice route centuries ago. Korea is neither tropical nor hot, having a rather cold climate overall. Nor has it ever been on a major spice route, but they love to have spicy foods. The food is mostly based on seafood, a spicy and bold taste, rice, and also pickled foods.
Widely Cooked Food:
Seafood plays a vital role in Korean recipes because of the location of Korea. Korea is on a peninsula and seafood is readily available at any time. Meat is served like beef, pork, and chicken. Grilled shellfish and raw fish are often served. In the Korean culture, they say that the seafood is eaten by the poor because they are always available at a low cost while the livestock are preferred by the wealthy community. Every part of the pig is used for cooking, even the intestines and head.
Everything is cooked in some way or another, nothing goes to waste and most of the meat is grilled, giving it a unique charcoal flavor. Korean food is based on noodles, kinds of rice, meat, vegetables, and tofu. Meals are usually served with many side dishes, as well as steamed rice, soup, and fermented vegetables, most often cabbage but sometimes cucumber or radish. Spices and seasonings are widely used, including fermented soybean paste, garlic, ginger, red chili paste, salt, and soy sauce.
Reason For Eating Spicy Food:
Garlic is a commonly used ingredient and it makes the food amazing. Sesame oil and soy sauce are used as well and a big part of the flavor is from all the chili paste, which is why the food tends to be so spicy. Ginger, sesame seeds, and scallions find their way in the cuisines and all these things are very strong and these rich flavors make the cuisine stand out and become irresistible. Teas and alcoholic beverages make up an important part of the cuisine. Rice wines are very popular and are served warm or cold, mostly warmed up tastes better. There is an important part of Korean culture.
Koreans think eating spicy food reduces their stress level because when we eat spicy food, we sweat. This makes us get relieve from stress and cools down. Also, many Koreans say that when they eat spicy food, it feels like something that stresses them and causes depression will go away. Kimchi is an exotic, super spicy side dish and none is quite sure whether it is a pickle or a salad, its wide range of flavors, types, and styles make it a nice part of an irresistible side-dish, a great appetizer, and a naturally cultured healthy raw vegetable. It is garlicky, peppery, pungent pickled cabbage, and it may safely be said that kimchi represents Korea. For more details refer https://www.bekorean.com/how-to-eat-korean-food/.