By Kim Jin-heon
From coastal areas spanning the Southern part of South Jeolla Province to the Western part of South Chungcheong, mudflats are well developed. Moreover, their shallow depths, fast currents and strong sunshine provide these areas with optimal growing conditions for shellfish and seaweed.
Various types of seafood available around the peninsula have led Korean food culture to have abundant and diverse dishes. Among seaweed, laver, in particular, is one of the most popular dishes for people.
In the 1960s and the 1970s, food production was much less robust than it is today because fishermen didn't have many laver farms. Most of them had to export abroad, and as a result, it was so expensive that the writer had no chance to eat it.
Fortunately, however, as family events were held over the years, my mom bought a bundle of laver at a traditional market, coated each piece with salty sesame oil, baked them over the fire, and put them on the table with different dishes. The savory and crisp taste of chewing laver with hot rice strongly stirred my appetite.
With low cholesterol and a unique flavor, laver has been loved as a diet food by people at home and abroad. It's not surprising that its farm fields have been continuously increasing. In 2021, laver was exported to 112 countries, bringing in an amount of $500 million.
In fact, people on the Korean Peninsula have eaten this food since the Three Kingdoms Period, by catching laver grown naturally at sea. In 1454, according to King Sejong's Annals, laver was considered so rare and delicious that it was served as a gift for the king or as a tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
During the Joseon Kingdom, Kim Yeo-ik (1606-1606) developed the first laver farm on the island of Taeindo, Gwangyang City, South Jeolla Province, and it was then that its production began to increase. Realizing that the area provided suitable growth conditions for seaweed, Kim made a laver field using bound chestnut branches.
As a result of his ingenuity, he was able to give the food to his king. After tasting it, the king asked what the Korean name for laver was. In those days, though laver had many different names, Kim answered that it had no name. On the spot, the king named laver "kim," after his family name. Today, the name "gim" (pronounced with a similar consonant to "kim") is most widely used in Korea.
Back in Kim Yeo-ik's day, the area around the island was filled with shallow mud, and so the laver field was well developed. Moreover, the estuaries and currents of the Seomjin River met together there, and these conditions helped many seafood and fish to grow well, soon becoming famous for high-quality laver.
Unfortunately, before Gwangyang Steel Company was built in the early 1980s, it claimed the sea in this area and it has since been used as a rear base of the company.
Gwangyang City built a museum on Taeindo to showcase Kim Yeo-ik's life and laver production tools, memorializing the history of this laver farm. It was designated monument No. 113 of South Jeolla Province in 1987.
Kim Jin-heon is a retired English teacher who published a book titled, "Flower Is Flower."
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Various types of seafood available around the peninsula have led Korean food culture to have abundant and diverse dishes. Among seaweed, laver, in particular, is one of the most popular dishes for people.
In the 1960s and the 1970s, food production was much less robust than it is today because fishermen didn't have many laver farms. Most of them had to export abroad, and as a result, it was so expensive that the writer had no chance to eat it.
Fortunately, however, as family events were held over the years, my mom bought a bundle of laver at a traditional market, coated each piece with salty sesame oil, baked them over the fire, and put them on the table with different dishes. The savory and crisp taste of chewing laver with hot rice strongly stirred my appetite.
With low cholesterol and a unique flavor, laver has been loved as a diet food by people at home and abroad. It's not surprising that its farm fields have been continuously increasing. In 2021, laver was exported to 112 countries, bringing in an amount of $500 million.
In fact, people on the Korean Peninsula have eaten this food since the Three Kingdoms Period, by catching laver grown naturally at sea. In 1454, according to King Sejong's Annals, laver was considered so rare and delicious that it was served as a gift for the king or as a tribute to the Ming Dynasty.
During the Joseon Kingdom, Kim Yeo-ik (1606-1606) developed the first laver farm on the island of Taeindo, Gwangyang City, South Jeolla Province, and it was then that its production began to increase. Realizing that the area provided suitable growth conditions for seaweed, Kim made a laver field using bound chestnut branches.
As a result of his ingenuity, he was able to give the food to his king. After tasting it, the king asked what the Korean name for laver was. In those days, though laver had many different names, Kim answered that it had no name. On the spot, the king named laver "kim," after his family name. Today, the name "gim" (pronounced with a similar consonant to "kim") is most widely used in Korea.
Back in Kim Yeo-ik's day, the area around the island was filled with shallow mud, and so the laver field was well developed. Moreover, the estuaries and currents of the Seomjin River met together there, and these conditions helped many seafood and fish to grow well, soon becoming famous for high-quality laver.
Unfortunately, before Gwangyang Steel Company was built in the early 1980s, it claimed the sea in this area and it has since been used as a rear base of the company.
Gwangyang City built a museum on Taeindo to showcase Kim Yeo-ik's life and laver production tools, memorializing the history of this laver farm. It was designated monument No. 113 of South Jeolla Province in 1987.
Kim Jin-heon is a retired English teacher who published a book titled, "Flower Is Flower."
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