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Munbae-ju
Munbaeju is a Korean traditional distilled liquor that is considered one of the finest Korean spirits. Its name consists of the words ''munbae'' ( 문배), which means "wild pear" ( ''Pyrus ussuriensis'' var. seoulensis), and ''ju'' ( 주; 酒), meaning "alcohol". This name is derived from its fruity scent from the wild pear, though no pear is used in its production. Ingredients and production ''Munbaeju'' is brewed from wheat, hulled millet, Indian millet, and ''nuruk'' (fermentation starter), then distilled. Origins Although it is South Korea's " Important Intangible Cultural Property Number 86-1", it originated from North Korea's Pyeongyang. Its origins are traced to the Goryeo Dynasty. The water used to produce Munbaeju comes from the Taedong River. A royal subject of Wang Geon presented him with home-brewed munbaeju, which his family had made with a secret recipe for generations. Wang Geon was so impressed with its taste, that he gave the subject a high-ranking position in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Korean Alcoholic Beverages
Korean cuisine has a wide variety of traditional alcoholic drinks, known as ''sul'' (). Many of these drinks end with the Sino-Korean word ''-ju'' (), and some end with the native Korean word ''-sul''. The Sino-Korean ''-ju'' is not used as an independent noun. There are an estimated 1,000 or more kinds of alcoholic drinks in Korea. Most are made from rice, and are fermented with the aid of yeast and ''nuruk'' (a wheat-based source of the enzyme amylase). Fruits, flowers, herbs, and other natural ingredients have also been used to craft traditional Korean alcoholic drinks. There are six distinct flavors: sweet, sour, pungent, roasted, bitter, and spicy. When the flavors are balanced, the alcohol is considered of good quality. Etymology There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the word Sul, for one it is thought to have come from Chinese characters or Su-eul meaning Korean milk porridge (Korean word Tarakjuk). It can be understood that Sul must have derived from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Korean Wine
Korean cuisine has a wide variety of traditional alcoholic drinks, known as ''sul'' (). Many of these drinks end with the Sino-Korean word ''-ju'' (), and some end with the native Korean word ''-sul''. The Sino-Korean ''-ju'' is not used as an independent noun. There are an estimated 1,000 or more kinds of alcoholic drinks in Korea. Most are made from rice, and are fermented with the aid of yeast and ''nuruk'' (a wheat-based source of the enzyme amylase). Fruits, flowers, herbs, and other natural ingredients have also been used to craft traditional Korean alcoholic drinks. There are six distinct flavors: sweet, sour, pungent, roasted, bitter, and spicy. When the flavors are balanced, the alcohol is considered of good quality. Etymology There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the word Sul, for one it is thought to have come from Chinese characters or Su-eul meaning Korean milk porridge (Korean word Tarakjuk). It can be understood that Sul must have derived from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pyeongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 population census, it has a population of 3,255,288. Pyongyang is a directly administered city () with equal status to North Korean provinces. Pyongyang is one of the oldest cities in Korea. It was the capital of two ancient Korean kingdoms, Gojoseon and Goguryeo, and served as the secondary capital of Goryeo. Much of the city was destroyed during the First Sino-Japanese War, but it was revived under Japanese rule and became an industrial center. Following the establishment of North Korea in 1948, Pyongyang became its ''de facto'' capital. The city was again devastated during the Korean War, but was quickly rebuilt after the war with Soviet assistance. Pyongyang is the political, industrial and transport center of North Korea. It is home to Nort ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Korean Distilled Drinks
Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language **See also: North–South differences in the Korean language Places * Korean Peninsula, a peninsula in East Asia * Korea, a region of East Asia * North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea * South Korea, the Republic of Korea Other uses *Korean Air, flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea See also *Korean War, 1950–1953 war between North Korea and South Korea *Names of Korea, various country names used in international contexts *History of Korea The Lower Paleolithic era in the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. Christopher J. Norton, "The Current State of Korean Paleoanthropology", (2000), ''Journal of Human Evolution'', 38: 803–825. The earlies ..., the history of Kor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Korean Culture
The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, including countries like China and Russia. Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean states, resulting in a number of cultural differences that can be observed even today. the practice of Confucianism and Korean shamanism is deeply rooted in Korean culture. Clothing The traditional dress known as ''hanbok'' (한복, 韓服) (known as ''joseonot'' 선옷in the DPRK). The ''hanbok'' consists of a shirt (''jeogori'') and a skirt (''chima''). According to social status, Koreans used to dress differently, making clothing an important mark of social rank. Costumes were worn by the ruling class and the royal family. These upper classes also used jewelry to distance themselves from the ordinar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wang Geon
Taejo of Goryeo (31 January 877 – 4 July 943), also known as Taejo Wang Geon (; ), was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to the 14th century. Taejo ruled from 918 to 943, achieving unification of the Later Three Kingdoms in 936. Background Wang Geon was born in 877 to a powerful maritime merchant family based in Songak (modern Kaesong) as the eldest son of Wang Ryung (). According to the ''Pyeonnyeon tongnok'' (편년통록; 編年通錄), quoted in the ''Goryeosa'', Wang Geon's grandfather Jakjegeon was the son of Emperor Suzong of Tang. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' and the ''Doosan Encyclopedia'', this is hagiographical. The ''Pyeonnyeon tongnok'' (c. late 12th century) said: While on a sea voyage to meet his father, Emperor Suzong of the Tang dynasty, 16-year-old Jakjegeon encountered a dragon king, slayed a shape-shifting fox, and married a dragon woman; the dragon woman later transformed into a dragon and went away. Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taedong River
The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening the Soviet Connection" ''Asian Survey'' 27(1): pp. 56-63, page 62 In between, it runs through the country's capital, Pyongyang. Along the river are landmarks such as the Juche Tower and Kim Il-sung Square. The river is 439 km or 272.7 mi in length, and is generally deep. It is the fifth-longest river on the Korean peninsula and the second-longest in North Korea. Pyongyang is approximately 110 km upstream from the mouth, Sunchon 192 km upstream, and Taehŭng 414 km upstream. Because of its depth, it is widely used for river transport; it is navigable by large ships up to 65 km inland, although most commercial traffic stops at Songrim. History The kingdom of Koguryo was founded on its shores. Many archeological sites d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goryeo Dynasty
Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unification" by Korean historians as it not only unified the Later Three Kingdoms but also incorporated much of the ruling class of the northern kingdom of Balhae, who had origins in Goguryeo of the earlier Three Kingdoms of Korea. The name "Korea" is derived from the name of Goryeo, also spelled Koryŏ, which was first used in the early 5th century by Goguryeo. According to Korean historians, it was during the Goryeo period that the individual identities of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla were successfully merged into a single entity that became the basis of modern-day 'Korean' identity. Throughout its existence, Goryeo, alongside Unified Silla, was known to be the "Golden Age of Buddhism" in Korea. As the state religion, Buddhism achieved its highest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Important Intangible Cultural Properties Of Korea
The Intangible Cultural Heritage (, ''Muhyeong Munhwajae'') are aspects of intangible culture that the government of South Korea has officially designated for preservation in accordance with the 1962 Cultural Property Protection Law. They are proclaimed and maintained by South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration. Practices of particular importance can be designated as Important Intangible Cultural Properties (, ''Jungyo Muhyeong Munhwajae''). The first practice so designated was '' Jongmyo jeryeak'', the ancient music and dance performed at the Jongmyo Royal Ancestral Shrine in Seoul; it was proclaimed on December 7, 1964. The most recent, announced on November 16, 2006, was Important Intangible Cultural Property 119, ''geumbakjang'' (gold leaf decoration), practiced in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. A similarly named yet distinct designation, "Intangible Cultural Properties," also exists, with 33 items having been proclaimed. These are proclaimed by provinces or cities rather t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs used to pronounce them, and they are systematically modified to indicate phonetic features; similarly, the vowel letters are systematically modified for related sounds, making Hangul a featural writing system. It has been described as a syllabic alphabet as it combines the features of alphabetic and syllabic writing systems, although it is not necessarily an abugida. Hangul was created in 1443 CE by King Sejong the Great in an attempt to increase literacy by serving as a complement (or alternative) to the logographic Sino-Korean ''Hanja'', which had been used by Koreans as its primary script to write the Korean language since as early as the Gojoseon period (spanni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nuruk
''Nuruk'' () is a traditional Korean fermentation starter. It is used to make various types of Korean alcoholic beverages including ''takju'', ''cheongju'', and soju. It is an essential ingredient in Shindari and is mixed with rice.Nowicki, Stephen. Holt McDougal Biology. Orlando, FL: Holt McDougal, 2012. Print. Historically, it was used in a variety of provinces of Korea, including Jeju Island. Wheat, rice (of both the glutinous and non-glutinous types), and barley are used to make ''nuruk,'' either as whole grain or in the form of grits or flour. Wheat ''nuruk'' is the most common variety. The dry grain is moistened, shaped into a large cake, and hung up to ferment for 2‒4 weeks in an ondol room. The cake matures at a precise temperature until a mold forms. Origin ''Nuruk'' has been used in Korea since the period of the Three Kingdoms in the 3rd century CE, while similar fermentation starter, '' jiuqu'', was first made in China during the Warring States period beginning in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sorghum
''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many others are used as fodder plants, either cultivated in warm climates worldwide or naturalized in pasture lands. Taxonomy ''Sorghum'' is in the Poaceae (grass) subfamily Panicoideae and the tribe Andropogoneae (the same as maize, big bluestem and sugarcane). Species Accepted species recorded include: Distribution and habitat Seventeen of the 25 species are native to Australia, with the range of some extending to Africa, Asia, Mesoamerica, and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Toxicity In the early stages of the plants' growth, some species of sorghum can contain levels of hydrogen cyanide, hordenine, and nitrates, which are lethal to grazing animals. Plants stressed by drought or heat can also contain toxic lev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
