Top 10 Beauties Of The 19th Century

10. Lillian Russell

Lillian Russell, or “5-L” as I’m sure she would want to be called today, was likely the first modern female celebrity in America, a title which she actually earned thanks to her talent, and not a pathological aversion to clothing and shame.
For many years, Russell was synonymous with American operettas, which are like regular operas only more likely to feature fart jokes. She also appeared in vaudeville and music hall shows where she danced, acted, and sang for the entertainment of thousands, capturing the hearts of theater audiences nationwide. Although, with her looks, she could have just stood on the stage and did her nails, and the people would still have loved her to pieces.
Other than a renowned actress and singer, Russell was also a staunch feminist and fashion icon, whose choice of clothing and views were closely followed by the press at all times. If paparazzi existed back then, chances are there’d be pictures of her showing, like, her ENTIRE bare ankle while stepping out of a horse carriage.

9. Fanny Kemble

To many an English-major out there, Fanny Kemble might only be that one lady who wrote that anti-slavery book they had to read during freshman year. But before she published her Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839 in the middle of the Civil War, Kemble was an accomplished and celebrated Shakespearean actress.
Her beauty was obvious to all, but she was also considered a very talented thespian. Many speculate whether her immense presence on stage had something to do with her strong abolitionist views, which she expressed in her journal condemning slavery. And considering the time she published it, she might as well have titled it “Yeah, Come Burn My House Down! What Are You, Chicken?!”
In short, Kemble had both looks and balls, and not many things look sexier on a woman than a solid pair of balls. Wait…that came out wrong…

8. Lotta Crabtree

Lotta Crabtree was basically a late 19^th century Leonardo da Vinci you’d want to have sex with (you’re more than welcome for that mental image, by the way).
Her flirtatious personality, and stunning looks, definitely attributed to her early success as an actress, but there was always a keen mind hidden behind that pretty face. Crabtree reportedly had an affinity for finances and investments, not to mention foreign languages, paintings, and horseback riding. All of that is made even more impressive since, back then, any sort of female ambition was considered a form of aggressive schizophrenia.
It also puts her income of roughly $5,000 per week (or roughly the GDP of Libya in today’s money) into some envious-rage-inducing perspective.

7. Mary Anderson

Mary Anderson was an accomplished Southern actress who appeared in many Shakespearean plays, influenced more than one playwright, and went down in history as one of the biggest names in British social circles.
Anderson’s success on stage was due to two things: her classical beauty (which made her a perfect fit for classical plays like Pygmalion and Galatea,) and her natural talent for acting. Anderson’s only professional acting education was 10 lessons with actor George Vanderhoff, but her electric personality and sex appeal were more than enough to make her an audience favorite on two continents.

6. Anne Sutherland

As I’ve mentioned before, the biggest tragedy of the 19^th century (other than social injustice, the violence, and lack of medical knowledge) was the nonexistence of the Internet and, consequently, the inability to look for pictures of pretty women in various stages of undress. Though, to be fair, the Victorian-era people did have something almost as good: tobacco. Let me explain:
In the late 1800′s, many tobacco packages included postcard pictures of beautiful women, sort of like baseball cards with far more exposed thigh and cleavage. The collectible tobacco photos were kind of bold for their time, and Anne Sutherland was one of their most famous models, sporting outlandish clothing that sometimes barely totally covered the natural shape of her body. What a tramp.

Naturally, the best way for real gentlemen to get such racy pictures off the streets was to buy all of them and keep them under their beds, only occasionally pulling them out whenever no one else was home to…test their willpower? Yeah, let’s go with that.

5. Evelyn Nesbit

Sullen, gloomy, dark of expression, often showing a whole lot of her breasts. Those are the words that best describe the late 19^th-early 20^th century model Evelyn Nesbit.
In her days, Nesbit’s face and body graced nearly every medium possible, from paintings to photographs, playing cards and postcards. Not surprisingly, all of them were about as child-appropriate as a marital aid instruction manual. With the amount of skin Nesbit exhibited in her modeling work, some consider her the first modern pin-up girl.
If she was only alive to hear this today, I bet she’d react to it exactly the same way she reacted to being photographed: a mix of boredom, contempt, and lack of any doubt that she’s anything other than drop-dead gorgeous. Then she’d leave us to film another Twilight movie.

4. Isadora Duncan

Isadora Duncan was a passionate and influential art performer, and a beautiful woman who is said to have invented modern dance.
If, at any point in your life, you have had any form of contact with dancing other than ballet, chances are you have Isadora Duncan to thank. She was the one who first proposed that dancing might be more than memorized forms, perfectly executed in a choreographed fashion. She believed in freedom of expression and emotions in dancing which, to the people of her days, must have sounded like the idea of adding animal excrement to their Christmas dinners.
Thankfully, her strong personality and stunning looks opened enough doors for Duncan to be able to teach her philosophy on dancing, and show off those magnificent legs of hers while she was doing it. All in all, it was a win-win for everyone.

3. Billie Barlow

Similarly to Lillian Russell, Barlow got into the public spotlight by performing in operettas, vaudeville shows, and other venues that were like THIS close to being stripteases.
During her career, Barlow traveled the world and performed songs, plays, and pantomime acts, while most men in the audience were imagining her in some very undignified poses, probably. There was no denying her talent, but Barlow knew that, in order to make it in show business, she had to play it smart. And by “play it smart,” I naturally mean “show off her legs in tighter-then-tight tights as often as possible.”
It would have been nice for Barlow if she had been recognized as a talented performer first, and a masturbatory aid second, but what are you gonna do? It was a different time. Luckily nowadays, we only bestow the title of “celebrity” on people who have earned it with their talent and loads of hard work.
Wow, I actually managed to write that with a straight face.

2. Helene Anna Held

Helene Anna Held was another 19^th century stage performer whose strong, lively personality, and the willingness to show some leg brought her a hefty bit of fame all those years ago. And if you’re starting to grow bored of women like that, then you…obviously have a serious problem. I recommend alcohol.
She would often perform risqué roles, which allowed her to flex her talent of “being beautiful with great skin and OH GOD those eyes…” This quickly helped her become one of the most famous celebrities on Broadway. She soon amassed a fortune but, despite the ability to retire to one of her many homes with an army of enamored boy toys at her disposal, Held decided to tour France during World War I, and perform for French troops. You know, to remind them what they’re fighting for. Not that any of them had a chance with her but still…it was a nice gesture.

1. Lillie Langtry

So far we’ve talked about women who were pretty, women who were smart, women who had wit and passion, and women who had influenced history in their own ways. Lillie Langtry was all of them in one mesmerizing package, plus proof that success in life requires a minimum of 4 L’s in your name.
Langtry was a stage actress persuaded to go into the acting business by famed writer/poet/cape aficionado, Oscar Wilde. As her popularity grew, more people started to gravitate towards Langtry, because of her charisma and undeniable beauty. Whenever she entered the room at a party, all eyes were on her. Without even asking for permission, people were drawing and painting portraits of Langtry, which quickly became postcard favorites.
But it took more than just looks for Langtry to catch the eye of Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales and later King of the United Kingdom. Around 1877, Langtry became the semi-official mistress of the Prince because, back then, those sorts of things happened. She wasn’t just arm-candy, of course, and often reportedly engaged Albert in meaningful conversations, and delighted him with her wit. Even more amazingly, she is said to have had a pretty good relationship with the Prince’s

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Top 10 Commonly Known Witches

10. Christine Therese O’Donnell (born 27 August 1969)

The pretty and single Christine O’Donnell, a friend of left-wing comedian Bill Maher, became a notable American Tea Party Politician and Republican Party Candidate for U.S. Senator in 2006, 2008, and 2010. She lost in all three elections. During the most recent election, O’Donnell received much airtime over a statement she made back in 1999 on Maher’s television show. She claimed to have “dabbled in witchcraft”. As a result, the author and founder of ChristinePac became most known for this comment during the election to such an extent that she ended up releasing a political advertisement in which she claimed she was “not a witch,” but rather “you”. The advertisement was also mocked and even O’Donnell acknowledged it backfired. What makes this case particularly fascinating is that in the twenty-first century, still someone can be burned at the stake of public opinion for allegedly having had even an interest in witchcraft (quite the insult to the various peaceful Wiccans out there). Never mind that O’Donnell is not even a “witch” anyway, but a practicing Catholic.

9. Catherine Monvoisin (c. 1640 – 22 February 1680)

One of the most infamous incidents during Louis XIV’s seventy-two year reign (the longest in French history) involved fortune teller Catherine Monvoisin. The Affair of the Poisons followed the extreme torture and execution of murderess Madame de Brinvilliers (22 July 1630 – 17 July 1676); she had to drink sixteen pints of water before being beheaded and then burned at the stake for good measure. Brinvilliers’s trial drew attention to other mysterious murders. Monvoisin was among the most famous individuals brought under suspicions of such mysterious unsolved murders. She was accused of not just of providing poison to various murderers, but also of being a sorceress and as such was convicted of witchcraft and burned to death in public. She was only one of thirty-six people executed during the Affair of the Poisons. Some have speculated the so-called Man in the Iron Mask was also involved in the Affair of the Poisons (hence his punishment), although these beliefs have been doubted due to new evidence suggesting otherwise.

 8. Walpurga Hausmännin (died 1587)

France was hardly the only European country in the early modern era to experience serial killers condemned not just for their role in murders but also on inflated charges of witchcraft. Widowed Austrian midwife Walpurga Hausmännin probably was a child murder, but after being tortured for her confession, she was officially executed for witchcraft and even vampirism. According to her confession she had sexual relations with a demon and agreed on a written contract to serve Satan in exchange for being saved from poverty. The demon gave her a special ointment that she could use to inflict suffering upon her victims. She continued to have sexual intercourse with the demon visitor and murdered forty children via the demon’s salve, or by crushing their foreheads, or even sucking out their blood in some kind vampire-esque manner. The allegations against her included acts of cannibalism done with other witches. What makes her worthy of this list is just how extreme the authorities were in punishing this alleged child killer. First, they confiscated her property. Next, they took her through the city and mutilated her before they reached the place of execution. Along the way, they tore her left breast and right arm with irons followed by her right breast and then her left arm. Next, they tore the left hand When they reached the place of execution, they cut off her right hand and only after that did they burn her alive at the stake. Finally, they dumped her ashes into a stream.

7. The Last Executed European Witch?

Considering that the European witch hunts went on for so many years, the last person to be executed as a witch in Europe would have to be significant for finally ending such a long practiced disturbing epoch in human history. Yet, scholars do not agree on who exactly was the last executed alleged European witch. Here are several of the possible candidates. First we have Anna Göldi (24 October 1734 – 13 June 1782), known as the “last witch” in Switzerland, who was executed by decapitation for murder. After being tortured, she confessed that the Devil appeared to her as black dog and the two then entered into a pact; however, she was not technically sentenced for witchcraft. Moreover, on 27 August 2008 the Swiss parliament officially exonerated her. Next, we have an alleged Polish arsonist and witch named Barbara Zdunk (1769 – 21 August 1811) who lived in Prussia. In 1806, Zdunk was blamed and arrested for a fire that ravaged and nearly destroyed the entire city of Rößel. Despite actual evidence, she was not only sentenced for the alleged arson but was also executed by burning at stake on a hill outside Rößel in 1811. Although her conviction was upheld by several appeal courts, some speculated that Polish soldiers were actually behind the fire. As with Anna Göldi, some historians dispute whether or not Barbara Zdunk’s trial should be counted as an actual witch trial in a legal sense, because witchcraft was no longer a criminal offence in Prussia at the time of her sentencing. Sticking with alleged Polish witches, we next have the widow Krystyna Ceynowa (d. 1836) who also lived in what was then Prussia. Her community held suspicions that she too was a witch, but again, Prussian authorities were no longer interested in having formal witch trials. So, a lynch mob captured her and held an illegal trial in which they tossed her off a boat into the Baltic Sea. The idea being to test if whether she sank or floated to determine if she was a witch. Because she managed to stay a float for longer than the mob would have expected (probably due to her gown and skirt acting as a buoy), they declared her a witch and then killed her with the paddles they had on their boat. Because her death came about from an illegal trial and was more a lynching does it count? I guess it depends on what you want to believe. As for one of the last confirmed trials for actual witchcraft, we have 63-year-old peasant Anna Schnidenwind (1688 – 24 April 1751) in Germany. She too was blamed for a fire, after of course making a pact with the Devil, that destroyed most of a village, in this case the village of Wyhlen. She was strangled and the burned. As for which of the four you believe deserves the distinction of last executed witch in European history, please indicate as much in the comments.

6. Agnes Waterhouse (c.1503 – 27 July 1566)

Mother Agnes Waterhouse is known not for being the last woman executed for witchcraft, but rather for being the first woman executed for witchcraft in England. She alleged had a Satanic cat that technically belong to another accused witch named Elizabeth Francis. Purportedly Waterhouse’s own daughter testified against her mother who was alleged to used sorcery to kill everything from livestock to her own husband. Along the previous few alleged witches on this list, she was hung rather than burned or strangled.

5. Joan of Arc (ca. 1412 – 30 May 1431)

Saint Joan of Arc is undoubtedly the most famous woman on the list and rightfully so. Her victory in the Hundred Years’ War had incredible consequences for human history, because it meant a turning of the tide in the war and therefore the inevitable failure of England to rule France. Imagine if somehow the two kingdoms had merged, given all that England and France did afterwards. In any case, Joan claimed to hear the voices of saints and persuaded the French king to give her an army to relieve a siege taking place at a major strategic location in France. She succeeded and set in motion the decisive events that eventually lead to the official coronation of Charles VII as king of France and the gradual eviction of England from France. Nevertheless, her personal military successes did not last and she was captured by Burgundians and put on trial. To her supporters she was seen as divine help, but her opponents saw her as a witch and she was tried for heresy. She was condemned and executed by burning at the stake. Her career has been one of the most celebrated in Western history ever since and as such has appeared numerous time in films, plays, operas, advertising, paintings, video games, well, pretty much any form of media in existence.

4. The Bell Witch

The Bell Witch, also suspected to be a poltergeist rather than a witch, apparently harassed the family of a farmer named John Bell Sr. in Adams, Tennessee in 1817. The attacks included strange noises and phantom face slapping, among other suspicious unexplained happenings. In Martin Van Buren Ingram’s An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch (1894), the author claims that a poltergeist named Kate cursed the Bell family, while others claim the Bell Witch was a slave Bell had killed, someone Bell cheated, or even some kind of bizarre dog-rabbit hybrid. Future president Andrew Jackson, one of America’s bravest and most badass presidents (he dueled, for example) allegedly found the story interesting, but was scared away somehow when trying to investigate its validity. Obviously, so many different takes on what happens leave us a bit suspicious of what really happened. Making matters worse is that earliest known account of the so-called witch was published in 1866, quite some time after 1817. As such, the whole story, let alone the supernatural aspects, are likely legends. Nevertheless, it has found its place in popular culture. One notable retelling of the story is An American Haunting (2005). This film, which grossed nearly $30 million, suggests that the alleged hauntings were really imagined by Betsy Bell who was being sexually abused by her father.

 3. Anne de Chantraine (1605 – 17 October 1622)

Seventeen year old Anne de Chantraine was burned in either Waret-la-Chaussée (now central Belgium), Liège, or in France. Her case in itself is not really that unusual compared to some of the others on this list, but it has attracted interest in both the Francophone and Anglophone worlds. Full length books in French have covered her life and she is one of the main playable characters in a whole series of interactive video board games called Nightmare or Atmosfear,depending on the country of release. She is the titular character in the main game of the series and on the video, which can be viewed in multiple languages on Youtube, she progressively goes from being a beautiful albeit haunting, ghost-like young lady to a monstrous green, squealing stereotypical hag type of witch.

2. The Salem Witches

The Salem Witch Trials are by far the most notorious in American history and have been the subject of numerous documentaries, plays, and films. To Americans living during the Red Scare, the Salem Witch Trials seemed like a good parallel to the paranoia over suspected communists living amongst us. According to the stories, a group of young girls started the pandemonium that resulted in several hangings and the pressing to death of one man. Three people in particular from the trial have achieved the most notoriety and as such of the three females whose names are most typically mentioned with regards to these witch hunts. The first name of note belongs to Tituba, a slave who belonged to Reverend Samuel Parris. In 1692, Betty Parris (28 November 1682 – 21 March 1760), the Reverend’s daughter, and her friend Abigail Williams (12 July 1680 – 1699) accused Tituba of witchcraft. Under coercion, the slave became the first person to confess to witchcraft in Salem Village, claiming that she had spoken with the Devil, rode around on sticks, and that one woman had some kind of strange half bird/half woman creature in her possession. Betty, Abigail, and Tituba subsequently accused others of witchcraft with their allegations striking us as downright absurd, but were apparently considered credible back then. Miraculously for her, Tituba was not actually executed, but her fate after the trials remains a mystery. She has also been the subject of extensive scholarly debate over her ethnicity. As for Williams, she has become perhaps the most recognized accuser to star in various forms of popular media. She has been portrayed by such mainstream actresses as Winona Ryder (29 October 1971) in The Crucible (1996). In that film, Williams is a bit older than her historical counterpart, but serves as the main female lead. Williams is also one of the key antagonists in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010). Finally, Bridget Bishop (ca. 1632, England – 10 June 1692) is a name people interested in the Salem Witch Trials should be familiar with, because she was the first person of either gender to perish by execution as a consequence of the trials. The allegations against her include attacks on children and even appearing as a specter so as to assault sleeping men. All in the episode was one of the most shameful in American history and came to an end after scores of people were accused and again, after several executions. The incident shows that the era of the witch hunts was not just limited to Europe.

1. Iphigenia, Hecate, and Trivia

Of all the “people” alleged to be witches, to earn first place on our list, she must go back far into mythological history, in this case Greek mythological history. Iphigenia was the daughter of Mycenaean king Agamemnon and his queen Clytemnestra. According to the myths, Agamemnon was punished by the goddess Artemis for killing a deer in a sacred grove. Artemis would not let the king sail for Troy to fight the semi-legendary Trojan War unless the king perform a sacrifice to atone for his actions. To satisfy the goddess, Agamemnon seems to have no choice but to sacrifice his own daughter. According to Hesiod’s Catalogue of Women, Artemis transformed the innocent girl into the goddess Hecate, who is known as the goddess of witches. So, the possible real person Iphigenia thus did not just become known as any old witch, but the goddess of witches! She is still worshipped by various practitioners of Wicca and was worshipped by Romans as the goddess Trivia. She is considered not just goddess of witches, but also of crossroads. Nevertheless, the story that she was a mortal turned goddess is only version of her mythological origins. Other myths claim she was a more ancient goddess than only coming about during the Trojan War and still other myths claim that she was also the same goddess as Isis from Egypt. Hecate/Trivia is usually depicted in three forms (maiden, mother, and crone) and is generally accompanied by dogs. For being a goddess of witches in Greek and Roman religions as well as modern neo-Paganism, Iphigenia/Hecate/Trivia/Isis, or whatever you choose to caller her, must receive the number one spot on are list of people believed to be witches at some point in history. No one else has been believed a witch by so many for so long.

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Top 10 Korean Foods You Have To Try

10 Soondubu Jiggae

Soft Tofu Stew – 순두부 찌개 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

Soondubu jiggae is a Korean stew (jiggae) – thicker than a soup but thinner than a porridge. When cooked in the traditional way (in an earthenware pot – pictured above) all of the cooking is done in just the one dish. This makes it very easy to clean up afterwards – a job we all hate. It starts with a delicious fish stock and a little beef to deepen the flavor then finished off with fresh shell fish, hot pepper flakes, silken tofu, and eggs which are optional. The best thing about this stew is that you – the cook – can control how hot you want it but limiting the quantity of hot pepper flakes. You can have it blisteringly hot or very mild which is particularly handy if you are cooking for children who can’t stomach their food too spicy. The small amount of beef is typical of Korean food and illustrates how healthy it is – the meat is used for flavor rather than stomach filling. This is a dish everyone should try – it is really one of the nicest ways to introduce someone to tofu which picks up all of the flavors of the stew while adding a soft comforting texture. Eat it with rice and side dishes for a complete meal.

9 Seolleongtang

Ox Bone Soup – 설렁탕 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

Seolleongtang is an incredibly popular soup in Korea – there are even restaurants who specialize in making just it. Of all the items on this list, seolleongtang is the most time consuming as you must boil the beef bones (typically ox leg bones but you can make do with ox tail) for hours and hours to release all of the calcium which gives it the very distinctive white look. But don’t be fooled by the color – this is the beefiest tasting soup you can imagine! When you boil the bones you can also add a large piece of beef and radish which you slice and add to the soup at the last minute. While this is a great winter soup it is also delicious in summer. It also makes a huge quantity so you can make it on the weekend and consume it during the week. In Korea this might be eaten for breakfast – not just dinner – as Korean’s typically have soup, rice, and side dishes for breakfast.

8 Ddukbokkie

Rice Cake Street Food – 떡볶이 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

Ddukbokkie is the delicious smell of Korean cities at night. In large Korean cities like Seoul, the streets are filled with vendors selling their own special recipe versions of the most popular street food. Ddukbokkie (it is pronounced roughly like “dok-bok-ee”) is one of the most popular and it comes in various styles. In the example above I used the linked recipe but also added sliced fish cakes and boiled eggs. The sauce is spicy but it is also very sweet and packed with an immense amount of flavor. The spiciness is cut by the long cylindrical rice cakes which, when cooked, become chewy and soft. The rice cakes are probably the most unusual part of the recipe for most westerners but when they try it – they love it.

7 Dakjuk

Chicken Porridge – 닭죽 [Recipe]

When I first made Dakjuk I wasn’t expecting it to be one of my favorite dishes – it seemed far too simple a recipe. Boy was I wrong! Essentially you boil a chicken in a huge pot of water with onions and a lot of garlic – then you add sushi rice and cook it until the chicken is done. The end result is a thick stew (which Koreans refer to as a porridge even though it has no oats) caused by the rice breaking down bursting with rich chicken and garlic flavor. You tear the chicken up and eat it with the porridge. This is a meal you will make again and again because it really is super easy. I must add one warning though: if you are peeling the garlic by hand (instead of using pre-peeled store bought garlic) wear gloves; garlic oil in large quantities can cause third degree burns – which I found out the hard way!

6 Hoeddeok

Sweet Syrupy Pancakes – 호떡 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

If you have a sweet tooth you are guaranteed satisfaction with this amazing pancake sold by street vendors. It is a little more complex than a western style pancake because it is made with a yeast dough but the effort is well worth it. The dough (virtually identical to a western bread dough) is filled with a mixture of cinnamon, brown sugar, and chopped walnuts and fried in a lightly oiled pan until the filling has melted into a syrup. This really is the queen of pancakes and it is incredibly popular with children. Try this out next time the kids want pancakes for breakfast – they will love you for it. And if you don’t like the sound of the filling or don’t have a sweet tooth, just fill it with mozzarella cheese instead.

5 Yangnyeom Tongdak

Seasoned Fried Chicken – 양념통닭 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

I guarantee that once you try this, you will be ditching KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and switching to the other KFC – Korean Fried Chicken. This fried chicken has to be tasted to be believed. When you bite into a piece of this chicken you are initially met with a sticky, sweet, spicy red sauce. But then your teeth crunch through a triple cooked batter so crispy that you wouldn’t believe it possible. This then leads to the most incredibly moist and flavorsome chicken inside. This really is one of the most delicious Korean foods ever invented. In Korea there are many shops selling their own special version of yangnyeom tongdak and they deliver until the late house of the night. But home made is always better. This recipe is particularly good as it shows (because of the addition of ketchup) how Koreans are willing to adopt foreign flavors and use them to their advantage. You need to try this as soon as possible.

4 Japchae

Stir Fried Noodles – 잡채 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

Japchae is one of the most popular Korean dishes both inside and outside of Korea and when you taste it you will understand why. Originally japchae was made without noodles – it was invented for the King by one of his chefs and he loved it so much that it became famous across Korea. In more recent times the noodles were added and now they are an essential element to the dish. The noodles used are sweet potato starch noodles which give japchae its very distinct chewy texture. The vegetables are all lightly cooked so they retain all their flavor. This is definitely a great alternative to the typical (and often bland) stir fry we all cook at home when we want “Chinese”. If you like Korean pop music, here is an amusing video clip of Super Junior’s Eun Hyuk promoting japchae – his favorite Korean dish.

3 Bulgogi

Marinated Beef BBQ – 불고기 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

Bulgogi is an extremely versatile way of preparing beef and the one most westerners have sampled at Korean restaurants. Typically in the west we eat bulgogi on a korean barbecue – a hot plate in the middle of the table. But in Korea this is just one of many ways. It can be made into a stew (as in the recipe above) or as the basis for other dishes. It is such a versatile marinated meet that you could even use it to replace pulled pork in a western style sandwich. Bulgogi is very thinly sliced beef which is marinated in a sauce made from pear juice, garlic, soy sauce, and many other things. There are as many recipes as their are uses. The end result is a delicious sweet, savory, and soft slice of meat. My favorite way to eat it is to wrap it with a small amount of rice and dipping sauce in a lettuce leaf. It is also incredibly low fat and very healthy.

2 Bibimbap

Mixed Rice – 비빔밥 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

If you try only one recipe from this list – let it be bibimbap. In Korean, “bibim” means “mixed” and “bap” means rice. All of the ingredients except the meat (which is optional) are prepared in advance so you can add them at room temperature to the top of hot steamed rice. You then quickly fry and add the meat and a sunny-side up egg to the top. Bibimbap is usually served with a spicy sauce made from gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste) which you can add to your liking – allowing you to control how hot it is. You then use your spoon (Korean food is always served with metal chopsticks and a spoon) to “bibim” it all until it is completely mixed together. The trick then is to see how much you can fit in your mouth in one go! Well, not really, but it tastes so good that that is invariably what happens at my house. This really is a taste sensation and it really is impossible not to fall in love at first bite.

1 Kimchi

Fermented Cabbage – 김치 [Recipe | Wikipedia]

Kimchi is the national dish of Korea. At first it can sound daunting to us westerners because of the word “fermented” but don’t forget that we eat a lot of fermented foods already – yoghurt and bread for example. In the case of kimchi the cabbage is coated leaf by leaf in a delicious spicy mix of hot pepper flakes, garlic, chives, onion, pear juice, and more. It is then able to be eaten right away (in which case it is fresh, not fermented) or you can leave it out of the refrigerator for two or three days to start the fermentation process. As it ferments it develops a rich and slightly sour flavor – true also of German sauerkraut (which means sour herb or cabbage). It lasts for months and is also used as the base for many other dishes such as kimchi stew and even as a filling for kimbap (Korean sushi). Kimchi is such an important dish in Korea that it is eaten with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It may not look pretty but it sure tastes good! And if you don’t have time to make it yourself (it can be a little time consuming) it is always available pre-made at your local Korean grocery.

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