KIMCHI (김치)is Korea's national dish with a spicy/sour taste made from fermented napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient. Kimchi also has many different kinds depending on the main ingredients and the different spices added before fermentation. You can usually get kimchi with almost any meal at a restaurant, and it is easily bought at the supermarket or Asian market. Most Korean families even have a seperate refrigerator in their home called the Kimchi Fridge. Kimchi fridges are designed specifically for storing various kimchi types allowing the right temperature control and different fermentation processes.
BULGOGI [COMING SOON]
JAPCHAE [COMING SOON]
BANCHAN (반찬), otherwise called side dishes, are what make the vision of the traditional Korean dinner table so feast-like. These side dishes sit in the middle of the table so they can be shared by everyone. In the center is the secondary main course, usually a meat, as well as a pot of jjigae that is also for sharing, but each person gets their own bowl of rice and soup. Banchan come in small portions with expectation of finishing them all. If you run out, you can usually get a second helping! Usually, the more formal the meals are, the more banchan there will be. Some of the catagories of banchan are: kimchi, namul, bokkeum, jorim, jjim, jeon, and sometimes japchae.