The lotus is a lovely plant, and in Korea every single part of it has a purpose.
Categoryfall
Ueong: Burdock root
Ueong (우엉, pronounced ooh-ung) is known as burdock root in English, and can be found in temperate zones around the world.
Gam: persimmons
If there’s one fruit to represent fall, we’d have to go with gam (감), or persimmons.
Goddeulbbaegi: The bitter old man of the vegetable world
Of all the vegetables in the traditional Korean diet, godeulbbaegi (고들빼기, Crepidiastrum sonchifolium) is the most intensely bitter.
Daechu: Jujubes
The daechu (대추, jujube) is a small fruit that you can find growing just as happily in the countryside as in the city, alongside sidewalks and between old brick buildings.
Doraji: A bittersweet root
There’s an old song in Korean about doraji (도라지, bellflower root).
Korea’s most common mushrooms
You can find them in marts around Korea year-round, but fall always gets us thinking of mushrooms.
Jeoneo: Spotted gizzard shad
Mention jeoneo (전어, spotted gizzard shad) anywhere in Korea, and someone is bound to bring up the popular saying “전어 굽는 냄새는 집 나간 며느리도 돌아오게 한다.”