Looking back on fond memories... A Bowl of Sujebi

Sujebi (hand-pulled dough soup) is a popular dish for ordinary folks that is made by tearing off pieces from a flour dough by hand and plopping them one by one into a boiling broth made with anchovies, meat, and various other ingredients. According to the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, the dish was originally called “sujeobi,” meaning “food made by folding by hand,” but it gradually became altered into “sujebi” over the years.

Back when flour was precious, sujebi was a special type of food that was eaten on celebratory occasions, but following the Korean War in the early 1950s, flour began to be supplied to Korea from abroad as part of the emergency relief supplies. As a result, flour became cheaper than rice, and it soon became a staple in the commoners’ diet. Along with bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), it became a dish that people craved whenever it rained.

Pizza and pasta are, of course, the well-known staples of the Italian diet. In the case of pizza, it used to be made by cooking the dough and topping it with whatever food that was left over to be made as food for survival, rather than the pleasure of the taste buds. This is why there were no recipes that were recorded in the early days. Spätzle from Germany and pierogis from Poland were also food eaten by commoners in the beginning. Ordinary folks’ food — that is what these dishes have in common with sujebi.

Sujebi has become diversified over the years with a broad range of varieties that tantalize people’s taste buds including gamja-sujebi, where the flour dough is made chewier by mixing in mashed potato; eolkeun-hemul-sujebi, made with a wide variety of seafood and spicy chili pepper; kimchi-sujebi, made with kimchi, perhaps the most famous fermented food from Korea; sigeumchi-sujebi, which is highly nutritious as the dough is made with ground spinach; deulkkae-sujebi, which tastes extra savory with the addition of perilla seeds, and more.

There are many restaurants that offers delicious and nutritious sujebi that can be eat as soon as it is served from the kitchen, but there are also a growing number of restaurants that offer a chance for customers to make sujebi on their own, adding the hand-pulled pieces of dough into the broth, for a more enjoyable experience. Sujebi is a dish that pairs perfectly with any and all kinds of soupy dishes that you can find here in Korea, so why not try to find the perfect food pairing that suits your taste buds?

Daecheongho Lake,
a place to relax your body, mind, and soul

Daecheongho Lake, the third largest lake in Korea, is a place where you can enjoy the splendid beauty of the four seasons. It is probably the only lake in the country where you can take in an unobstructed view of the waters, which may perhaps deceive you into thinking that it is a sea with its grand size.

There are 21 trekking trails created around the lake that take you up to hills at 200~300m in elevation. Not only is the area surrounded by lush trees and breathtaking natural scenery, it also offers a chance for visitors to delve into history through historical sites, enjoy a wide range of fun activities and delicious foods, and even take part in exciting festivals. This is a place where you can heal your body, mind, and soul in the bosom of nature.

You can enjoy Daecheongho Lake in diverse ways through a number of trekking courses: there is a path where you can enjoy a sight of the lake on both sides, a path where you can try out farming, an area where you can meditate or be immersed in your own thought, and so on. The trekking trails offer many delightful things to see, feel, experience, and enjoy under various themes. So how about take a leisurely walk along Daecheongobaengni-gil with your family, or significant other, or friends and relish the peace and tranquility that Daecheongho Lake has to offer?

Special Introduction:

Dume Village, situated on the lakeside of Daecheongho, is an experiential farming village that offers a striking sight of cherry blossom trees forming a flower tunnel every spring. Here, you can try making fermented wild grass extract using some 30 different ingredients, in addition to harvesting agricultural products, making local food, and experiencing traditional culture.

At Haneulgang Atelier, run by a ceramist living in Dume Village, you can try making ceramics, the process of which will help bring a sense of peace to your heart and soul. You can also sip on traditional Korean tea and have a tour of the atelier that is daintily decorated.