Food Korea

Andong soju (안동소주) is a kind of distilled soju produced in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Andong soju is a strong alcoholic drink. Eumsik dimibang, a 17th century cookbook written by Jang Gye-hyang, stated that 18 litres (4.0 imp gal; 4.8 US gal) of rice is steamed, mixed with 9 litres (2.0 imp gal; 2.4 US gal) of nuruk (dried fermentation starter) and 36 litres (7.9 imp gal; 9.5 US gal) of water, let ferment for 7 days, then the rice wine is mixed with  2⁄3 parts water and distilled. Today, the rice wine for distilled soju is usually fermented for about 15 days. The process of making the fermentation starter of Andong soju (called nuruk) consists of washing and drying wheat, crushing it, and mixing it with water. It is then filtered, fermented, mixed with hard-boiled rice, and placed in a jug with water for about 15 days. The aged liquor is then boiled in a sot (cauldron). A soju gori (two-stored distilling appliance with a pipe), and a cooling device are placed on th...

Beer, called maekju (맥주; 麥酒) in Korean, was first introduced to Korea in the early 20th century. Seoul's first beer brewery opened in 1908. Two current major breweries date back to the 1920s. The third brewery established in Korea, Jinro Coors Brewery, was founded in the 1990s. It was later acquired by Oriental Breweries (OB). Hite Breweries's former name was Chosun Breweries, which was established in 1933. The company changed their name to Hite Breweries in 1998. OB Breweries established as Showa Kirin Breweries in 1933. The company changed their name to OB Breweries in 1995. The South Korean beer market is currently dominated by two major manufacturers, Hite-Jinro and OB, with several brands being sold in the local market. Most restaurants and bars in Korea only have one of these beer brands on tap (Hite or OB's Cass), as they are largely regarded to be similar in taste and price (they are mostly brewed from rice) 1. Hite A pale lager beer launched in 1993. Hite is 4.3% ...