Oheng theory in the kitchen.
The Taoism coming from China has been great for many Asian cultures and even South Korea has not been less. The theory of 'Oheng, of balanced living, has even come to "contaminate" the culinary tradition of this country.
The Oheng, also called by some "relationship between mother and child" represents the natural cycle of the world and how each element nourishes the neighbor with its existence, in fact it is represented by elements of nature that are translated or recoded through the colors:
BLACK: to indicate water, winter, cold and salt
BLUE: to indicate wood, spring, wind and sour or sour taste
WHITE: to indicate metal, atunno, dryness and spiciness
YELLOW: to indicate on the ground, the end of summer, humidity and sweetness
RED: to indicate fire, summer, heat and bitterness.
The perfect example of the influence of the philosophy of the five colors in Korean cuisine are the Gomyeong (고명) decorations, trimmings, sometimes colorful fillings that we commonly find in all dishes where egg often represents white and yellow, The chilli and the juggiole exiccate the red, the mushrooms the black while the blue is replaced by the green using onion or celery.
Following some examples in the photos below, do you find anything familiar?
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