''Memil-buchimgae'' () or buckwheat pancake is a variety of ''

buchimgae ''Buchimgae'' (), or Korean pancake, refers broadly to any type of pan-fried ingredients soaked in egg or a batter mixed with other ingredients. More specifically, it is a dish made by pan-frying a thick batter mixed with egg and other ingredie ...

'', or

Korean pancake ''Buchimgae'' (), or Korean pancake, refers broadly to any type of pan-fried ingredients soaked in egg or a batter mixed with other ingredients. More specifically, it is a dish made by pan-frying a thick batter mixed with egg and other ingredie ...

. It is a crepe-like dish made of thin

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...

batter and

napa cabbage Napa cabbage (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''pekinensis'' or ''Brassica rapa'' Pekinensis Group) is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China that is widely used in Asian cuisine#East Asia, East Asian cuisine. Since the ...

. Along with other buckwheat dishes, it is a traditional local speciality of Gangwon Province, where buckwheat is extensively cultivated due to its cooler mountainous climate.

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...

and Jeongseon counties are famous for buckwheat dishes such as ''

memilmuk ''Memil-muk'' () or buckwheat jelly is a light gray-brown '' muk'' (jelly) made from buckwheat starch. It is commonly served as ''banchan'' (a side dish accompanying rice) as well as '' anju'' (food accompanying alcoholic drinks). In post-war K ...

'' (buckwheat jelly) and '' memilguksu'' (buckwheat noodles). Pyeongchang's biggest local festival was called Memilbuchigi festival before it was renamed Pyeongchang Festival in 2015. (''Memilbuchigi'' means memilbuchimgae in

Gangwon dialect The Gangwon dialect is spoken in South Korea's Gangwon Province and in North Korea's Kangwŏn Province. Although they are large provinces by area, relatively few people lived in the Gangwon Province. As a result, people living in the western s ...

.) Numerous memilbuchimgae can be seen in Pyeongchang Market, a

farmers' market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...

held in Pyeongchang every five days.

Preparation

The batter is prepared by mixing buckwheat flour and water to a thin consistency. Sometimes a small amount of

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...

can be added to it because buckwheat has less

glutinous Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domestication of animals, domesticated animals, or domesticated plants. These traits were identified by Charles Darwin in ''The Variation of Animals and Pl ...

elements. In a traditional way, buckwheat mixed with water is ground by

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

and the batter is strained through a

sieve A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. T ...

. The filtered batter is cooked on a ''sodang'' (소당) which is the

lid A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a container, and serves as the closure or seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and drums. S ...

of a ''sot'' (솥, a traditional big pot) and used for

pan-frying Pan frying or pan-frying is a form of frying food characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil or fat (compared to shallow frying or deep frying), typically using just enough to lubricate the pan. In the case of a greasy food such as baco ...

. Several pieces of vertically ripped salted

and

scallion Scallions (also known as spring onions or green onions) are vegetables derived from various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions and their close relatives include garlic, shallot, leek, ch ...

s are put on the heated ''sodang'', and the batter is poured over them from their margin. Sour

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including ''gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), sprin ...

can be replaced with the cabbage. When making the ''memilbuchimgae'', the batter should be poured thinly because thick ''memilbuchimgae'' is considered less delicious.

Perilla oil Perilla oil ( ''Deulgireum'') is an edible vegetable oil derived from perilla seeds. Having a distinct nutty aroma and taste, the oil pressed from the toasted perilla seeds is used as a flavor enhancer, condiment, and cooking oil in Korean cuisine. ...

is used to cook the dish.

Foods made with ''memilbuchimgae''

''Memilbuchimgae'' can be used as an ingredient in other dishes such as ''memil chongtteok'' (메밀총떡), also called ''memil jeonbyeong'' (메밀전병). The dish is formed like a

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

wrap Wrap, WRAP or Wrapped may refer to: Storage and preservation * Gift wrap or wrap paper, used to enclose a present * Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package or a wrapping over packages * Plastic wrap, a thin, clear, flexible plastic used to co ...

stuffed with any available ingredient according to recipe, taste, or region. In the

Jeju Jeju may refer to: * Jeju Island (Jejudo), an island near South Korea * Jeju Province (formerly transliterated Cheju), a province of South Korea comprising Jejudo **Jeju City, the biggest city on Jejudo **Jeju dog, a dog native to Jejudo ** Jeju l ...

region, the dish is called ''bingtteok'' (빙떡) or ''Jejudo

bindaetteok ''Bindae-tteok'' (), or mung bean pancake, is a type of ''buchimgae'' (Korean pancake) that originated in the Pyongan Province. * It is made by grinding soaked mung beans, adding vegetables and meat and pan-frying it into a round, flat shape. Et ...

'' and stuffed with boiled shredded

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an Eating, edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman Empire, Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, be ...

. The fillings commonly used in Gangwon Province are ''

japchae ''Japchae'' () is a savory and slightly sweet dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables that is popular in Korean cuisine. * ''Japchae'' is typically prepared with '' dangmyeon'' (당면, 唐麵), a type of cellophane noodles made from ...

'' (noodle salad), shredded sour kimchi,

, scallions, garlic, and

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

which are seasoned and stir-fried together. In the

region, half transparent noodles called ''

cheonsachae Kelp noodles or cheon sa chae (Korean: 천사채), are semi-transparent noodles made from the jelly-like extract left after steaming edible kelp. They are made without the addition of grain flour or starch. Kelp noodles have a crunchy texture and ...

'' (천사채), which are made from

kelp Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms. Kelp grows in "underwat ...

, are especially used. The dish is considered a good '' anju'' because the combination of the savoury and somewhat bland taste of ''memilbuchimgae'' combined with the pungent flavour of the filling makes a good companion for drinking

alcoholic beverage An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...

References

External links

{{Portal bar, Food Korean pancakes Buckwheat dishes

Preparation

Foods made with ''memilbuchimgae''

See also

References

External links