Fruits

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!

The Schisandra Chinensis, commonly known as the Schisandra vine, magnolia vine, or Chinese magnolia vine, is a variety of plant native to the forests of Northern China, the Russian Far East, and the Korean Peninsula. The berries are commonly known as the schisandra berry, five-flavor fruit, five-flavor berry, magnolia berry, and more. In South Korea, people refer to this fruit solely as ‘omija’ (오미자). Literally, this means ‘five flavors.’ 

Of all the citrus fruits in the world, yuzu probably has the strongest, most intoxicating fragrance making it coveted in the culinary world, even more so because it is banned to import into the United States. While chefs in the Western countries increasingly use this ingredient in their kitchens, this East Asian fruit has been an important part of China’s, Japan’s, and South Korea’s culinary culture for generations. In this post, I will discuss this popular Korean ingredient in-depth!

When traveling in South Korea, you may notice how expensive fruit is in grocery stores. When living in Korea, I was shocked by the price of specialty apples, kiwis, pineapples, etc. Though that is the case, some of the locally grown fruits unique to parts of East Asia are much cheaper and more readily available. One of these fruits is the Korean melon! Many people describe this fruit as tasting like a combination of a honeydew melon and cucumber. Compared to Western varieties, this fruit tastes less sweet and milder.