Cold noodles eaten in the hot summer stimulate the appetite and help restore vitality. Buckwheat, or memil, the main ingredient of the cold noodle dish naengmyeon, contains more nutrients than most other grains. Koreans like to consume buckwheat powder in jelly (muk) and pancakes (jeon), but they especially love cold buckwheat noodles.
Simply the sight of Pyongyang naengmyeon with its slushy ice is cool and refreshing. The buckwheat noodles, freshly made and immediately boiled, feel firm and elastic in the cold meat broth. © Yonhap News Agency
When an inter-Korean summit took place on April 27, 2018, the temperature hovered over 22 degrees Celsius. After their talks at Panmunjom, President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sat side by side and ate a bowl of cold buckwheat noodles, a scene that was broadcast around the world. Pleasantly inspired, Koreans began lining up in front of naengmyeon restaurants and sales of instant naengmyeon soared 300 percent.
Naengmyeon is a summer delicacy today, but was originally eaten in winter. In the days before refrigerators, the cold broth – or the dongchimi (radish water kimchi) juice that was often used in its place – required ice that could only be procured in winter. The late autumn harvest of buckwheat was another reason. Buckwheat grows quickly and can be harvested after two or three months, but is difficult to store in warm weather. It can spoil quickly because of its high lipid content, which is twice that of most grains. As long storage is only possible in winter, it’s best to sow seeds in summer for a late autumn crop.
Hamhung naengmyeon is mixed with a sweet and spicy sauce, and garnished with sliced cucumber and raw pollack. Consisting mainly of starch, the noodles are thinner than Pyongyang-style noodles but still chewy. © Newsbank
A Seasonal Delicacy
There was another reason that naengmyeon was originally considered a winter treat: the very special feeling of enjoying cold noodles while sitting on a nice warm floor on a cold day. A “eulogy to naengmyeon” by a woman named Kim So-jeo was run in the popular magazine Byeolgeongon (“Another World”) in December 1929:
“Consuming the noodles in thinly iced kimchi juice with chopsticks and then moving to the hottest part of the heated floor to warm up your shivering body! That’s the real taste of Pyongyang naengmyeon! Those of you who haven’t tasted it – can you imagine it?”
This joy of contrast is also found in an article published in the Dong-A Ilbo daily newspaper on January 11, 1973. In a conversation with his son, Kim Seon-bong (1922-1997), a master performer of the Bongsan Mask Dance, recalls winters in his hometown in Hwanghae Province, beyond the DMZ.
“After playing yut [a traditional board game] late into the night, we would make makguksu with iced dongchimi juice, topped with pheasant meat. What a flavor it had! As we slurped the cold noodles, our teeth chattered while our bodies, wrapped in blankets, sweltered on the hot floor…”
Today, people think makguksu is a specialty of the mountainous province of Gangwon, but as indicated by the above statement, it is in fact another type of naengmyeon. Generally, mak means “rough,” so the name apparently refers to something roughly made, as in makgwaja cookies or maksoju liquor. It could also refer to the roughly ground buckwheat used to make the noodles. Both explanations seem valid; as the noodles are made of roughly ground seeds, they do feel rough in texture. Another meaning for mak is “just now,” and buckwheat noodles must indeed be made and cooked quickly. The lipid they contain decomposes easily and the volatile elements that provide their flavor can disappear when heated. If the grinding machine overheats, the savory, nutty taste of buckwheat flour is lost. For these reasons, buckwheat has to be made into noodles shortly after being ground. This is unlike wheat flour dough, which gets more elastic the more it is kneaded, due to its gluten content.
In fact, buckwheat doesn’t contain gluten at all. Consisting of 80 percent starch, 14 percent protein and a little mucilage, buckwheat doesn’t easily make a sticky dough. To enhance its stickiness, starch or wheat flour is added, and the texture of the noodles differs depending on the mixture. In order to get the best flavor and texture, the dough should be passed through a noodle maker as quickly as possible. That was the reason a noodle maker was transported from Okryugwan, the restaurant in Pyongyang famous for its naengmyeon, to the Panmunjom truce village for the summit banquet. Once the noodles have been extracted, they have to be boiled right away, but only for two or three minutes – any longer and they become mushy. Afterwards, the noodles should immediately be washed in cold water to stop them from further cooking in the residual heat, or from sticking together because of the starch on their surface. When mixed in cold broth, the noodles characteristically feel firm and elastic, whereas when mixed with a sweet and spicy sauce, they feel tender.
Buckwheat noodles are cooked for only two or three minutes – any longer and they become mushy. Afterwards, the noodles should immediately be washed in cold water to stop them from further cooking in the residual heat, or from sticking together because of the starch on their surface.
From a traditional noodle maker, buckwheat noodles fall directly into boiling water. Buckwheat contains absolutely no gluten, so the dough must be passed through a noodle maker as soon as it is made and the noodles immediately boiled to ensure a firm texture. © Yonhap News Agency
Bitter buckwheat is a variety that is usually roasted and consumed as tea. Grown mostly in the Himalayas in China and Nepal, it has become popular as a health food for its high rutin content. Recently, it has been successfully grown in Korea. © Naver Knowledge Encyclopedia
Gastronomic Debate
Hand-operated noodle makers of old have been replaced by noodle-making machines, and the development of refrigeration and freezing has made it possible for diners to enjoy naengmyeon at any time of the year. The July 1931 issue of Byeolgeongon carried the following report:
“In Pyongan Province, naengmyeon tastes better and seems more special in winter than in summer, but in Seoul it is eaten more in the summer. In truth, it is also eaten more often in summer in Pyongan Province, too. Regardless of where you are, for those who love to eat cold noodles in the summer, what’s better than a naengmyeon restaurant? The number of naengmyeon restaurants in Seoul is increasing every year. One bowl costs 15 jeon on average, but the taste varies depending on who makes the noodles.”
Naengmyeon has also sparked fierce gastronomical debate. A few years ago, the newly coined word “myeonsplain” appeared. Like “mansplain,” which denotes a man explaining something to a woman in a condescending manner, myeonsplain (myeon means “noodles”) indicates someone expounding on their ideas of “real naengmyeon.”
The debate centers specifically on Pyongan Province-style naengmyeon eaten in Pyongyang. Starting with whether the version eaten in Pyongyang today or the version eaten in Seoul is closer to the original from Pyongan Province, the debate goes on to question the noodles and the broth, the vinegar and mustard, and the garnish. Some insist on the principle of “drinking first and eating later,” arguing that only after drinking alcohol and eating a meat dish can the taste of the noodles be properly appreciated. They aren’t necessarily wrong. To really enjoy the flavor of a food, it’s better not to be hungry.
Regional Specialties
However, there are no real rules for eating naengmyeon. Too many different varieties exist for that. Although it was introduced to South Korea by North Koreans who came south during the Korean War, Pyongyang naengmyeon served in Seoul, Uijeongbu and Incheon all differ from one another. Daejeon and Daegu also have their respective specialties. In Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, naengmyeon is served in seafood broth and garnished with egg-coated, pan-fried beef slices (yukjeon), and in Busan, the noodles are made of 100 percent wheat flour.
Within Gangwon Province, where they call cold buckwheat noodles makguksu rather than naengmyeon, different types of noodles, broths and garnishes are found from region to region. In the region west of Daegwallyeong pass, fine, white buckwheat is used, and in the eastern coastal region, the noodles are rather dark and rough because they are made with unhusked buckwheat. Various soup bases are used, such as dongchimi juice, meat broth, or soy sauce broth. In Sokcho, a coastal town just south of the DMZ, residents hailing from Hamgyong Province in the North remember home as they eat yet another type of naengmyeon, which is mixed with spicy sauce made with red pepper paste and garnished with raw pollack.
Recently, noodles made with a new, bitter variety of buckwheat have been gaining popularity. Buckwheat contains rutin, a flavonoid with antioxidants, which helps keep blood vessels healthy. Bitter buckwheat has somewhere between 20 and 100 times as much rutin as ordinary buckwheat. Research is actively underway to reduce its bitterness while maintaining the rutin content. This is good news for gourmets who want to beat the summer heat by relishing a bowl of cold buckwheat noodles.
한국국제교류재단
