Gochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment, a type of hot sauce. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in big earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, known as jangdokdae in the backyard.
It is believed that gochujang (hot pepper paste) was first used in Korea in the late 1700s. According to the Jungbo Sallim geongje , gochujang was prepared by adding powdered red chili peppers and glutinous rice powder to soybean paste, and aging this paste under the sun. This recipe is similar to the recipe used today to make gochujang.

Gochujang has traditionally been one of the three indispensable household condiments, along with doenjang and ganjang. Gochujang is rich in protein, fats, vitamin B2, vitamin C, and carotene.

Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, tofu, vegetables, and meats. Tofu, also Tōfu (the Japanese Romaji spelling), doufu (the Chinese Pinyin spelling often used in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (the literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin prepared by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu which has been processed in some way. Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own, so it may be used either in savory or sweet dishes, and is often seasoned or marinated to suit the food.

The production of tofu from soy milk is similar to the production of cheese from milk, although some tofu is made by processing non-soy products, like almonds or black beans. The byproduct of the process is soy pulp (also called okara in Japanese).

Dining etiquette in Korea may be traced back to the Confucian philosophies on the Joseon period. Guidebooks such as Sasojeol (Elementary Etiquette for Scholar Families) written in 1775 by Yi Tǒongmu, comment on the dining etiquette for the period. Suggestions include items such as “when you see a fat cow, goat, pig, or chicken, do not immediately speak of slaughtering, cooking or eating it, “when you are having a meal with others, do not speak of smelly or dirty things, such as boils or diarrhea… if someone is still eating do not go to the bathroom even if you have the urge, “when eating a meal, neither eat so slowly as to appear to be eating against your will nor to fast as if to be taking someone else’s food. Do not throw chopsticks on the table. Spoons should not touch plates, making a clashing sound amongst many other recommendations that emphasized proper table etiquette.

The eldest male at the table was always served first, commonly served to them in the men’s quarters by the women of the house. Women usually dined in a separate portion of the house after the men were served. The eldest men or women always ate before the younger family members. The meal was usually quiet, as conversation was discouraged during meals. In modern times these rules have become lax, as families usually dine together now and use the time to converse. Of the remaining elements of this decorum, one remaining decorum is that the younger members of the table must not pick up their chopsticks or start eating before the elders of the table.

Korean food uses a wide variety of vegetables that are often served uncooked, either in salads or pickles, as well as cooked in various stews, stir-fried food, and other hot foods. Commonly used vegetables include daikon (mu), Napa cabbage (baechu), cucumber (oi), potato (gamja), sweet potato (goguma), spinach (sigeumchi), scallions (pa), garlic (maneul), chili peppers (gochu), sea vegetables, zucchini (hobak), mushrooms (beoseot), and lotus root. Several types of wild greens, known collectively as chwinamul (like Aster scaber), are a popular recipe, and other wild vegetables like bracken fern shoots (gosari) or Korean bellflower root (doraji) are also harvested and eaten in season. Medicinal herbs such as ginseng (insam), wolfberry (gugija), Codonopsis pilosula (dangsam), and Angelica sinensis (danggwi) are often used as ingredients in cooking, as in samgyetang.

Pork has also been another vital land based protein for Korea. Records show that pigs have been a part of the Korean dishes back to antiquity, similar to cattle rearing. The island of Cheju Island has a particularly colorful tradition of raising pigs in special pens built around raised privies that held human excrement for pig feed. These pigs were considered a delicacy and were known as Ddong dwaeji.

A number of dishes have been avoided while eating pork including Chinese bellflower (doraji) and lotus root (yeonn ppuri,) as the combinations have been thought to cause diarrhea. Blood taken from the pig’s tail is thought to have medicinal values. All parts of the pig are used in Korean food in a variety of cooking methods including steaming, stewing, boiling, and smoking.

Korean soy sauce or other salty seasoning offers the right touch of salt (tchabtchalham).

The tolerable bitterness (ssubssulham) comes from ginger, ginseng, berries, seeds and certain vegetable and herbs

Nuttiness (kkosoham) is because of a variety of indigenous nuts and seeds such as pine nuts, chestnuts, walnuts, gingko nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds.

Korea has all varieties of eating establishments, ranging from street vendors (pojangmachas) and hole-in-the-wall shikdangs (small restaurants) to high-priced, formal restaurants will full-course meals. In between you can see many types of medium-sized places offering a large variety of food types, including traditional Korean food, fast food, Western and other non-Korean dishes. Happily, tipping is not customary in Korea