Foods to Eat VS Foods to Avoid During Jangma Season

Please, Let's Not Get Stomachaches, Us...

When the rainy season comes, warm soup naturally comes to mind. Soup dishes like gukbap (rice soup) that go perfectly with kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and Makgeolli, spicy gamjatang (pork bone potato stew), and gomtang (beef bone soup). And jeon (Korean pancakes) that sizzle as they cook. There are foods that pair well with rainy days like these. However, due to the increased humidity from continuous rain, there are also foods you need to be careful with. You shouldn’t just eat anything while soaking in the rainy day mood. Eating carelessly can lead to stomach upset at best and increase the risk of food poisoning, so when you do eat, choose healthy and delicious options. We have summarized the foods you should eat during the rainy season like now, and those you should definitely avoid.

Jeon (Korean Pancakes)

After all, isn’t jeon the perfect food for a rainy day! It’s great to eat sizzling jeon with Makgeolli, or with milk, juice, or soda according to your preference. Since you need to be more cautious about food during the rainy season, kimchi jeon with plenty of finely chopped kimchi rather than seafood, or buchu jeon (chive pancakes) with crunchy chives would be good choices. To enjoy kimchi jeon a bit spicier, you can add gochujang (red chili paste), or if you want it milder, cracking an egg on top works well. You can also enjoy a healthy taste by adding plenty of zucchini or onions to your jeon. Another option is to dip cleanly washed napa cabbage into flour batter and enjoy it as baechujeon (cabbage pancakes). Though carrying an umbrella is bothersome on unpredictable weather days, the joy of eating jeon somewhat offsets that annoyance.

Sujaebi (Hand-pulled Dough Soup)

Sujaebi is also an absolute must on rainy days. The thin broth with floating dough pieces, zucchini, eggs, and other ingredients is delicious, but the savory taste of sujaebi stirred with bright red kimchi is indescribable. The sujaebi from a restaurant near the office is tasty, but homemade sujaebi made haphazardly at home is quite appetizing too. The fun of tearing the dough into pieces and dropping them into broth made with anchovy and dashida stock, with chopped onions, zucchini, and other vegetables! When you reunite with the uniquely shaped sujaebi (dough lumps) in the bowl, it’s so delightful. Sitting down with a generous portion of sujaebi made for the whole family and enjoying the sound of rain while relaxing on the weekend is also nice.

Shabu-shabu

The fun of putting vegetables and meat into boiling water, waiting for them to cook, and then picking them out one by one to eat. Shabu-shabu is also a perfect dish for the rainy season. Since you can eat a balanced mix of vegetables and meat, it helps avoid picky eating, and after sipping the warm broth, you feel your body temperature rise as well. In other words, it feels like you’ve become healthier! After finishing the ingredients, you can add kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) or sujaebi for a second round. Since you might crave it again tomorrow after eating it today, it’s a dish you need to enjoy in moderation.

Suyuk (Boiled Pork) and Jokbal (Pig’s Trotters) NO

It’s pure happiness to wrap tender lean meat in lettuce and eat it in one bite, but why should you avoid it during the rainy season? Fatty or fried foods are harder to digest, and especially during the rainy season, it’s better to eat healthy foods. Pork, in particular, has a higher incidence of food poisoning compared to chicken or beef. When heated and then cooled, bacteria grow more easily. You should also get into the habit of thoroughly disinfecting knives and chopsticks used to cut raw meat. All of these can be causes of food poisoning.

Sushi and Yukhoe (Korean Beef Tartare) NO

It’s best to avoid all fish and seafood on rainy days. Vibrio bacteria attached to fish skin and gills can cause food poisoning through cooking utensils. Don’t be reassured by spicy fish stew (maeuntang), because the time between slicing sashimi and making the stew is also a risk factor. The toxins produced at this time are said not to be destroyed even at 100 degrees Celsius. Simply put, not eating it is the safest choice. For the same reason, it’s better to avoid yukhoe as well. During times when viruses are rampant, eating raw food is less advisable than eating cooked food, which is the first step to protecting your health in many ways.

For dishes that come to mind during the rainy season, click here

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.