Spring brings all kinds of good things to the fish market, and one of these is the bounty of fresh clams.
Categoryspring
Dureup, the king of spring: Aralia elata shoots
One of the last spring greens to grace the markets each year is dureup (두릅, Aralia elata shoots), a mildly bitter and fragrant vegetable.
Meonggae: Sea pineapple
You may have seen this grenade-shaped creature, a fiery-red sunset color, floating around in tanks at seafood restaurants and fish markets starting in spring.
10 Korean spring greens you should know
For those of us who’ve grown up abroad, shopping at Korean grocery stores can be both a beautiful and bewildering experience. What is this root? This tangle of leaves? How can I make it delicious?
Jukkumi: Webfoot octopus
When the breezes begin to lose their winter bite, usually in March here in Korea, we start talking about jukkumi (주꾸미, webfoot octopus).
Ggot-gae: Kind of blue crab
Ggot-gae (꽃게) is Korea’s best-loved crab, prized for its sweet flesh and soft shell.
Gomchwi: a pungent mountain herb
Jirisan, or Mt. Jiri, has a special place in the minds and hearts of Koreans—it’s often viewed as a wild place, a vast place, a place where nature still has some power.
Cham-namul (Pimpinella brachycarpa): A case of mistaken identity
Digging into the story of cham-namul turned out to be a case study in mistaken identities, a plant world mystery of invasion and identity theft.
Seolhyang ddalgi, Korean strawberries
10 years ago, almost 80% of strawberries grown in Korea were Japanese varieties. Today, over 80% of our strawberries are homegrown strains, representing tireless scientific work and no small degree of national pride