We visted Korea in August-September 2018. Besides family visits, a big and delightful part was a food pilgrimage. The foods I missed while in Korea were not fancy: good bread and steamed spuds—just as Asians in Australia miss their favourite rice and noodles. Starch maketh the food homely, it seems. It used to be almost impossible to get good coffee in Korea. Now it is widely available.

Here are some of the dishes we shared.

Our first (delicious) food after we arrived, tired and famished: fish soup with sesame powder sprinkled on top.

Dolsot bap (rice cooked in a hot stone bowl … there are many variations) in James’s home town, Gimhae-si.

Almost every Korean meal is served with side dishes (Banchan). Sometimes the side dishes really are the meal.

Andong-jjimdak (안동찜닭) a braised chicken stew with various marinated vegetables. One large plate serves two.

Samgyetang: chicken in ginseng soup.

Bindaetteok: mungbean pancake.

Jeonbok-duk: abalone rice porridge. Something of a luxury and a traditional food for convalescence, it doesn’t look much but is truly delicious.

Usually we’re not big pork fans, but Jeju black pork barbeque is the best there is. Scrumptious. (Actually, it’s the pigs that are black, not the pork.)

Celebrated our arrival in Seogwipo on Jeju with a scrumptious fish dinner washed down with some equally delicious makgeolli (막걸리).

James continued the food pilgrimage with Al Tang, spicy fish roe stew; I was more conservative with simple fish stew.

Galbi: Korean beef rib bbq with James’s brother and his wife in Gim Hae. The very best I have tasted.

Traditional Patbingsu (팥빙수): shaved ice with red beans and nut powder; delicious for the summer heat, but not easy to find.

Haemul pajeon: seafood and spring onion pancake.