Korean Ingredient Glossary

Interested in Korean cooking? If so, learn about the ingredients! Here, we discuss ginger, otherwise known as saenggang (생강)! This root vegetable is used in sauces, marinades, and more!

The Korean ‘bokbunja’ (복분자), scientifically known as Rubus coreanus, is a species of raspberry native to Korea, Japan, and China. In English, people refer to this berry as the Korean blackberry, Korean bramble, or Korean black raspberry. Learn about this berry here!

The Korean ‘hallabong’ (한라봉) is a variety of citrus developed by the cross-pollination of the Kiyomi orange and Ponkan tangerine. This hybrid fruit is native to Jeju Island and is now the Island’s representative fruit. Learn about this fruit here!

While you may have seen a lotus flower in gardens, paintings, or photographs, have you ever eaten part of the plant? In many East Asian countries, people have cooked with the plant for generations (historians can pinpoint lotus consumption for at least 7,000 years in parts of the world). Not only is the flower edible, but so are the leaves, seeds, and roots! Learn about the lotus root in Korean cuisine here!

Have you ever eaten dehydrated radish? In South Korea, people make dried radish strips after ‘Kimjang’ (김장), the process of preparing and preserving kimchi as a family for the year, which takes place during late fall/early winter. In Korea, people refer to this dried root vegetable as ‘mumallaengi’ (무말랭이). ‘Mu’ (무) means radish, while ‘mallaengi’ (말랭이) comes from the verb ‘malida’ (말리다), meaning ‘to dry.’