Kim Jong-un's cuisine diplomacy back in spotlight
North Korean cold noodles are shown in this photo released by North Korean media on July 5, 2018. / Yonhap
By Kang Aa-young
All eyes are on Pyongyang-style cold noodles again as President Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un will have lunch at Okryugwan in Pyongyang on Wednesday, the second day of their third summit.
The restaurant, located on the banks of the Taedong River, is famous for authentic Pyongyang-style cold noodles.
Moon tried Pyongyang-style cold noodles in April when he met Kim for their first summit at the Joint Security Area. Back then, Kim brought a batch of the noodles for a dinner banquet at the request of President Moon.
North Korea's cuisine diplomacy created a cold noodle craze in the South after the first summit. Cold noodles are popular during summertime but a cold noodle craze in early spring is rare.
It remains to be seen whether the post-summit cold noodle craze will return after their third summit.
In the past, cold noodles were a winter-time specialty. Traditionally noodles were served in radish water with kimchi broth.
Pyongyang and Hamhung, both in North Korea, are two well-known cities for authentic noodles, called naengmyeon or raengmyeon in North Korean dialect.
Food columnist Hwang Young-chul said Hamhung cold noodles have different textures as they are chewier than those from Pyongyang because of the ingredients.
“South Hamgyong Province on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula is cold and dry and thus it's hard to grow crops there. So people there add more sweet potato starch when they make noodles because wheat powder was hard to get, whereas people in Pyongyang use more wheat powder,” he said.
Because of the ingredients, the noodles are chewier in Hamhung than Pyongyang.
The food columnist said cold noodles have become a popular cuisine to serve guests among Koreans because of the traits of the dish.
“North Koreans tend to feel embarrassed about food stains on clothes while having a meal and they think of it as bad manners to serve food that can cause stains. So they try not to serve food that can embarrass their guests,” he said.
“It's their meal etiquette. It's being said South Koreans use the most amount of tissues when they have a meal. North Koreans aren't different from southerners. We both share the same culture.”
People from the Hamgyong region, since it is a cold area, liked spicy dishes that could help them keep warm.
“Spicy sauce worked like a booster for them to fight the cold temperature.”
Pyongyang cold noodles, well known for their mild broth and texture, is considered the forefather of cold noodles, and mixed cold noodles is believed to have originated in Hamhung.
Cold noodles from Hamhung feature white noodles as they are made by mixing buckwheat with potato or sweet potato starch.
Though thin, it is hard for people to bite the Hamhung-style noodles because the texture is chewy. Because of the chewy texture, people use scissors to cut the noodles.
Unlike in the South where it's hard to find restaurants serving authentic Pyongyang-style noodles, in North Korea most restaurants follow traditional recipes, according to Hwang.
He said the popular categories of main dishes are similar to what South Koreans have, including rice, soup and noodles.
“North Koreans tend to season less and their recipes are considerably shorter than ours. South Korean cuisine has slightly more colors with style,” Hwang said.
“Most importantly, North Korean food doesn't rely on imported ingredients. They only use domestic ingredients.” They widely stick to traditional recipes, he added.