Original subtitles

EXQUISITE DOUGH BORNE FROM BUCKWHEAT DOUGH

AN EXTREMELY COLD TASTE

THE EFFORT TO MAKE THE BEST STOCK

THE STORY OF ONE BOWL OF NOODLES

THAT CARRIES THE DEEP HISTORY OF KOREA

IN THE MOST KOREAN OF WAYS

191,4 KM WEST OF INCHEON

10 KM FROM NORTH KOREA

BAENGNYEONGDO, AN ISLAND FAR WEST IN THE YELLOW SEA

POPULATION: OVER 5,000

NAENGMYEON

NAENGMYEON

NAENGMYEON

PYONGYANG NAENGMYEON

THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA RATIO OF NAENGMYEON RESTAURANTS

BAENGNYEONGDO, INCHEON

PAIK JONG-WON - PRESENTER

The reason Baengnyeongdo is so special is because

one of the regional types of naengmyeon

is from Baengnyeongdo, called Baengnyeongdo naengmyeon.

People of Baengnyeongdo eat naengmyeon very often at home.

BAENGNYEONGDO BUCKWHEAT

Baengnyeongdo is close to the north.

We get a lot of wind from the sea.

The scent of the buckwheat husk is wonderful.

The husk of Baengnyeongdo buckwheat is quite thin.

So when we grind it, the scent from the husks is wonderful.

BUCKWHEAT HUSKS GROUND WITH THE KERNEL

BAENGNYEONGDO BUCKWHEAT NOODLES ARE DARKER BECAUSE OF THE HUSKS

The stock is made from Korean beef bones. About ten kilograms of them.

They simmer for about ten hours, until the stock is milky white.

"How to eat buckwheat noodles:

Take out the egg yolk before you eat."

Without the yolk?

Here's your naengmyeon.

BAENGNYEONGDO NAENGMYEON

Not much garnish and not much meat.

There's no meat.

Oh, right. They don't eat much pork in Baengnyeongdo.

Let's try the stock.

The beef stock is delicious.

Without the meat, you taste the buckwheat even more.

The reason Baengnyeongdo naengmyeon became popular

is because of the sand eels.

SAND EEL FISHING BOAT

If you're going to make naengmyeon, you have to make the noodles

and you have to make the stock…

HWANG GWANG-HAE, FOOD CRITIC

…which needs a good base.

It's hard to find land animal meat.

It's hard to make soy sauce.

Since soy sauce is rare on the island,

they make pickled eel sauce.

BAENGNYEONGDO USES PICKLED EEL SAUCE INSTEAD OF SOY SAUCE

SAND EEL

They're rounder than anchovies.

This species is a little bigger than anchovies.

They have animal protein and provide a richer taste.

It's salty when picked.

It has the taste of meat and of seasoning. It has it all.

This dish is known for seasoning its stock with picked eel sauce.

The taste of sand eels is actually subtle.

PARK CHAN-IL, FOOD CRITIC

It adds richness, but it's not fishy at all.

It's quite sweet, actually.

PARK CHUNG-BAE, FOOD CRITIC

So when you add the sand eel, it adds oiliness and sweetness.

They say it's good with the eel sauce.

There's a huge difference between adding and not adding the eel sauce.

It's stressful to not break the yolk.

Noodle water, please.

NOODLE WATER WATER USED TO BOIL NOODLES

Sir, how much do I pour?

-Just enough? -About a cup.

-A cup? -Yes.

It tastes rich with mashed yolk. Add some eel sauce.

PICKED SAND EEL SAUCE

People of Baengnyeongdo use eel sauce for everything.

Is this how people here eat this?

Long ago, they only had naengmyeon in the winter.

-Because of the cold? -Yes.

I might have another bowl just for this.

I heard a lot of people make this at home.

Yes, long ago.

We'd follow our grandmother…

BAENGNYEONGDO, INCHEON

…to the neighbor's house to eat a bowl.

-Hello. -Hello.

Wow, there it is! You have a noodle maker at home!

When was this made?

My father loved naengmyeon so much.

PARK JUN-SEONG, 65

We've had it here for a long time.

LEE BOK-SUL, 89

-He ate it once every three days. -Your husband?

Yeah, we planted buckwheat.

I don't think anyone ate it more than our family.

There were many elders in our village,

so they'd gather and eat noodles.

If you grind it too much,

you can't make the noodles.

Buckwheat is dark.

If you shake it, you get a white kernel.

Then we use a sieve to winnow the buckwheat.

We sift the chaff from the kernels.

We have to make the noodles and the stock.

If it isn't a special occasion, we just eat buckwheat noodles.

Otherwise, we can't say, "Let's have naengmyeon."

NAENGMYEON IS USUALLY FOR CELEBRATIONS

It requires a lot of labor and money.

The farming community started eating naengmyeon

in regions where the four seasons are distinct.

It's when they don't have to work in the field but can rest,

because it's really hard work, and the equipment is cumbersome.

When they want to make naengmyeon, the whole village gets involved.

-Celebration rice cakes… -Yeah.

Did you make them for birthdays?

We made those all the time

if we wanted something to do in the winter.

-In the winter? -Yeah.

That's what we did.

-Naengmyeon too? -Yes.

We needed kimchi,

-mussel, oysters, sesame seeds. -Sticky rice.

We add kimchi, so it becomes jjanji rice cake.

-North Korean style? -Hwanghae Province style, which is close.

-Here? Yes. -This daughter-in-law from Incheon

is learning from her mother-in-law right now.

JO YANG-SHIM, 62, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

CELEBRATION RICE CAKE

STEAMED BUCKWHEAT DUMPLING STUFFED WITH KIMCHI AND SEAFOOD

A BAENGNYEONGDO SPECIALTY

I've made this for a long time now.

SAND EEL SAUCE FERMENTED FOR TWO YEARS

We cook the eel stew to get rid of the fishy smell,

then mix it with stock so that it doesn't spoil.

We cook it so that it won't spoil for at least a year.

I've smelled this before.

Not fishy, but a rich scent.

-So, you cool down the stew and eat it? -Yes.

We use this instead of soy sauce.

PICKLED SAND EEL SAUCE

MAKING BUCKWHEAT NOODLES

Yeah, put that in.

It may taken a lot of people to make this.

You couldn't do this alone, huh?

-You can't. -It's too hard.

BAENGNYEONGDO BUCKWHEAT NOODLES

We eat it as often as every ten days.

Something like that.

When my husband wanted it, I couldn't say no.

We'd make it every chance we got.

BUCKWHEAT NOODLES MUST GO INTO COLD WATER TO BE CHEWY

It's important to rinse them, huh?

-Has this been rinsed? -Yes.

Wow. These are good by themselves.

-Isn't it? -What a scent!

I've made the pickled eel soup for a long time.

I used pickled eel sauce for seasoning.

I added water to it.

NAENGMYEON STOCK MADE FROM PICKLED EEL SAUCE

HOMEMADE BAENGNYEONGDO NAENGMYEON

Thank you. This is freshly made, right?

-Add some perilla oil. -Just a little.

I've never added perilla oil before.

We do that here.

How interesting. This is…

even better than the raw noodles.

We use perilla oil instead of sesame oil.

Wow. This is delicious.

I never thought adding sesame oil would work.

But when they told me to add perilla oil,

I assumed it would be a mismatch…

A NEW WORLD WITH PERILLA OIL

…but it opened up a new world.

Is this radish kimchi?

"RADISH JJANJI"

-Jjanji. -Here, we add

sesame oil and jjanji to the noodles.

Buckwheat and radish are a match made in heaven.

Ma'am, it must have been so hard to make this for your husband.

-Very much. -She's talked about that.

-He fled from North Korea. -Yes?

My husband couldn't find anyone back home.

Another man brought his cow yoke with him.

He brought the noodle maker with him.

He actually brought the noodle maker down here.

He started pressing noodles from that day. He would pull it down with a rope.

HER HUSBAND LOVED NAENGMYEON ALL HIS LIFE

He made and ate those noodles until he passed.

NAENGMYEON LOVE FROM BAENGNYEONGDO IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER

JUNG-GU, DAEGU

This is the oldest naengmyeon restaurant in Daegu.

MYEON OK

This place opened in 1951,

which means it opened during the war.

I heard that when it first opened…

THEN NAENGMYEON RESTAURANT IN 1952

…they were in a tent.

NAENGMYEON STALL INSIDE GYODONG MARKET, CIRCA 1960

People think of noodle makers as machinery

that makes noodles when you push a button, and the noodles go straight into water.

Those are hydraulic.

HYDRAULIC NOODLE MAKERS

But you come here, and you realize,

"This is how they used to make them."

The equipment is on display.

If you eat naengmyeon as you're looking at the gadget, you can enjoy it more.

You can feel the passage of time.

We are exploring the history of naengmyeon.

Not as a side dish, but as a main course.

I didn't know how to make Naengmyeon at all.

North Koreans came down and introduced naengmyeon and its types,

such as Pyongyang naengmyeon.

DAEGU NAENGMYEON

Wow. The portions are big.

The meat is shredded for garnish.

Usually, you get slices of the meat they use for stock.

Here, they shred it.

DAEGU BRAISED BEEF GARNISH

Yukgaejang was invented in Daegu more than a century ago.

The skills that we acquired from that stew

was applied to naengmyeon as garnish.

It looks like it's already seasoned.

No need to add anything.

-Oh, already? -Here you are.

This is the winter naengmyeon.

Wow, this is fancy!

WINTER NAENGMYEON

This is a different genre!

You have spicy radish. There's watercress. That's new.

There's so much garnish of cucumbers and julienned eggs.

Spicy stingray salad.

Finally, we have beef, which is so good.

BRAISED BEEF GARNISH

At first glance, without the noodles, it looks like bibimbap.

But it's the traditional bibimbap,

or bibim noodles.

Wow, the portion here is huge.

This is awesome.

The raw fish garnish is great, but each garnish has a different texture.

The stingray garnish crunches, which I love.

This is why people eat this in the winter.

A NOODLE MAKER THAT SHOWS THE PASSAGE OF TIME

So, is this what you used when you started out?

Not that one. This one.

METAL NOODLE MAKER

-So this presses the noodles? -Yes.

You go like this, the dough goes down, and the water is boiling under it?

-Of course, we boil the water here. -What did you use to boil the water?

Coal briquettes at first.

Wow, fire by coal? Fire by gas?

-You didn't have it. -We didn't have gas at all.

We'd have fire all day, as long as we switched out the briquette once a day.

Otherwise, it won't keep boiling.

Wow, changing coals must have been difficult as well.

It was much harder.

THE SMALLEST NOODLE MAKER

The noodle maker is typically huge.

Adult men pressed the dough down,

but it was still heavy.

It didn't work well.

There are paintings by the artist Kim Jun-geun.

Originally,

a man placed his legs on the wall.

Then he would use

his entire body to press the noodles.

These pictures prove that

using these noodle makers was very difficult.

ONE-MAN OPERATION POSSIBLE

"KIM KYU SHIK, OWNER OF IRON FOUNDRY INVENTS METAL NOODLE MAKER

IN SOUTH HAMGYONG PROVINCE"

The metal noodle maker was revolutionary.

It went from pressure by metal to pressure by electricity.

HYDRAULIC NOODLE MAKER INVENTED IN 1980s

The hydraulic noodle maker made the noodles on its own.

If the hydraulic one was never invented,

people would ask massive men,

"Do you work at a naengmyeon restaurant?"

They'd reply, "Yes!"

They would expect bodybuilders to work the kitchen.

It's hard to do alone.

It'd be at least a two-man team of big, burly men.

The third maker there…

It's really…

It's completely automatic.

How convenient is that?

The strength I had to use before this one

wasn't needed anymore.

After this came out,

I realized that I can keep doing this.

My body can take it.

That's how I felt.

JEONJU, NORTH JEOLLA PROVINCE

ANCIENT FOOD CULTURE RESEARCHERS

This is in a book called Seomyongji.

Here's the part about noodles.

I wanted to try the noodle maker used

to press noodles and to make naengmyeon.

KWAK MI-KYUNG ANCIENT FOOD AND CULTURE SPECIALIST

Fortunately, Mr. Seo Yu-gu wrote about these gadgets

in great detail, if you read the book Seomyongji.

So we used that information.

He said, "You have to use the same cooking equipment

in order to learn true wisdom."

Such was their mind-set.

We seek to restore noodles in the book

to find the greatest tastes of Joseon.

GIMJE, NORTH JEOLLA PROVINCE

LUMBER MILL

-Is there a blueprint? -No.

We have a picture from the book Seomyongji.

Then, draw it for me.

LATE-JOSEON-ERA NAENGMYEON HAD LONG BEEN FORGOTTEN

Looks like a UFO.

That's from the side. This is how it looks from the top.

There should be a hole in the middle.

The hole…

-It's where the dough goes, right? -Right, right.

It's like the pointy hats they used to wear.

Yes, it's similar to that shape.

This is going to be huge for something as little as noodles.

IMWON GYUNGJEJI ENCYCLOPEDIA FROM THE LATE JOSEON ERA

Instead of a person, a stone will press the cauldron down.

THE LATE-JOSEON-ERA NOODLE MAKER PRESSES WITH THE WEIGHT OF A STONE

In the future, it may warp or break.

To prevent that,

you'll need several layers of boards to reinforce it.

We used carbonized wood for the noodle maker.

Moisture will affect the part above the cauldron, and the wood will crack.

It'll warp and change in size.

It has to be strong against humidity and be durable

so that it lasts.

A LATE-JOSEON NOODLE MAKER IS BUILT

Can you hold it from there?

AFTER 15 DAYS OF PRODUCTION

Noodle makers now use hydraulics.

This one is the very beginning of hydraulics.

JEONJU, NORTH JEOLLA PROVINCE

-A little more. -Okay.

We applied a coating of camellia oil to the end.

-On top of this… -Yes?

…we place a heavy stone to apply pressure.

-Let's put in the buckwheat dough. -It'll go into the boiling water.

People that make noodles ruin their teeth

because they clench their jaws so hard.

-Because they clench their jaws? -Yeah. When they apply pressure.

-One, two, three! -Careful.

They're coming down.

Wow. It's working well.

Wow!

THE JOSEON-ERA NOODLE MAKER APPLIES PRESSURE BY THE WEIGHT OF A STONE

It's beautiful.

So beautiful.

When we do get to eat this?

That's the first thing on your mind?

Mr. Seo Yu-gu wrote,

"When a guest visits, you no longer need

the strength of men to make noodles and still serve them well."

Pheasant naengmyeon is mentioned…

JOSEON RECIPE BOOK

…in Joseon Recipe Book.

In Seoul, they had stalls that sold raw pheasant.

Some places sold half the bird, and some sold dried pheasant meat.

You could buy pheasant meat from so many places.

People ate pheasant a lot in the Joseon era.

PHEASANT MEAT

To get rid of the flesh smell, we add ginger,

scallions,

peppercorn,

and dried red pepper.

This needs to simmer until the skin slides off

and until the stock is thick as possible.

Chicken has a lot of fat,

but pheasant rarely releases fat.

That's why pheasant stock was perfect for naengmyeon.

If you shredded the meat,

you could make raw pheasant kimchi.

The shredded meat kind of looks like the noodles.

SHREDDED PHEASANT MEAT

PHEASANT STOCK

You add the pheasant stock

and one part watery kimchi, as written in Gyuhap Chongseo,

and two parts pheasant stock.

That completes the stock for naengmyeon.

The pheasant meat is a garnish.

SHREDDED PHEASANT GARNISH

PHEASANT NAENGMYEON

Pyongyang naengmyeon probably also began as part-water kimchi

for stock.

Only Koreans would eat cold kimchi

with water kimchi in a noodle dish

in the winter.

This banji kimchi has fermented well.

BANJI KIMCHI: HALF TRADITIONAL AND HALF WATERY KIMCHI

In the book Dongguk Seshigi,

banji naengmyeon is mentioned.

Banji kimchi doesn't have too much water,

and it's not quite the traditional kind.

It's cabbage kimchi but with a lot more water than the traditional.

So, take a look

at the color of the water.

We only sprinkle some red pepper flakes, just enough to change the color.

This kimchi was the kind that nobility ate.

-Yes. -They had chestnuts

and a lot of watercress.

In the Joseon era,

they added sliced beef.

They also used a lot of pork.

SLICED AND STEAMED HAM HOCK

We made a lot of steamed ham hock, so there's plenty of that.

BANJI NAENGMYEON

JOSEON NAENGMYEON TASTING PARTY

This kimchi called banji is really special.

It's sweet and crunchy.

You can tell a lot of love went into it.

The moment you put it in your mouth,

-it's really something else. -It really is.

It's very sweet.

This is a new culture. Food really is culture.

The idea of naengmyeon started from kimchi.

Watery kimchi and banji as well.

Kimchi-making culture has to continue,

so that naengmyeon culture can continue to develop.

Without kimchi culture,

we wouldn't have naengmyeon at all.

The starting point of naengmyeon was delicious watery kimchi.

The kimchi-making process is where it began.

VARIOUS KINDS OF KIMCHI WATER WERE USED AS NAENGMYEON STOCK

Even now, restaurants that use more watery kimchi than meat stock

deserve great respect.

It's so much easier

to achieve great taste with meat stock than watery kimchi.

For watery kimchi, you consider the method,

the number of days, which season,

and the fermentation, as in how sour it is.

It's so hard.

JUNG-GU, SEOUL

AN OLD NAENGMYEON RESTAURANT THAT USES WATERY KIMCHI AS STOCK

We salt the radish the day before,

so that the watery kimchi is crisp and lasts a long time.

NAENGMYEON

WATERY KIMCHI IS MADE EVERY MORNING

If you put it into clay jars,

it naturally ferments.

It might take a week during the summer

for it to be done.

JUNE 28

When you mix

watery kimchi with meat stock, it tastes fresh.

Typically, one jar may contain

300 servings.

The start of naengmyeon was adding noodles to watery kimchi

and eating it by the furnace with a blanket on your back.

The role of watery kimchi is so important for naengmyeon.

MAY 30, MAY 31

MAY 31

Wait a minute. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,

eight, nine, ten.

What are these dates?

The date we made it.

DATES WRITTEN ON EACH JAR

Hang on. The most recent one…

Oh, it starts here.

-The white coating. -Yes.

Did you always bury these in the ground?

Yes, we did.

-Your mom taught you? -Of course.

APRIL 2, MARCH 27

-Wow, it's got a kick to it! -Right?

-It ferments fast. -Yes.

-I think we can add noodles right now! -We could.

Long ago, watery kimchi was served like this.

No meat stock, just this?

Right.

Some people ask for only watery kimchi for stock.

WATERY KIMCHI NAENGMYEON

I didn't order it, but they have a boiled meat platter.

Typically, a lot of Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurants

sell the boiled meat platter.

It has beef plate, which has a rich taste,

and brisket, which is the chest area of the cow.

BOILED MEAT PLATTER

The stock has a deep taste like bone broth, and it's simmering.

This platter is good too.

You can tell by looking at the menu

that they have hanwoo bulgogi, hanwoo stock, hanwoo plate.

They boil a lot of meat,

so they have to use up the meat somehow after the stock is made.

The stock is a mix of watery kimchi and beef stock, I think.

HANWOO PLATE AND HOCK

If you boil the beef for about two and a half hours,

it cooks like this.

We then ladle out the fat,

clean up the beef stock,

and let it cool.

We mix the watery kimchi and meat stock. Then it's ready for use.

Naengmyeon-making is all about the speed.

Buckwheat noodles have to be eaten immediately.

The hot noodles are dunked into icy water,

so that the heat is killed instantly.

The noodles taste best if they are eaten immediately.

PYONGYANG NAENGMYEON

Oh, you give the stock?

It's mixed with watery kimchi, so it has a kick to it.

You taste the stock when you eat a bundle of noodles.

EATING THE NOODLES WHILE THEY'RE FRESH BEFORE THE GARNISH

Take the garnish with the noodles…

and drink the stock.

That's the beauty of this dish.

CUSTOMERS CAN'T FORGET THE TASTE OF THE WATERY KIMCHI STOCK

Sir, how long have you been here?

We've been open for 50 years.

-You had lots of naengmyeon in your youth? -Oh, I did.

Those were tough times, you know?

We were a family of five,

so we ordered three bowls and added rice.

You added rice to the noodles?

Yes, a lot of people ate like that.

People still do that?

RICE IN NAENGMYEON

No, but I do.

-How strange. -You add seasoning.

Makes sense!

-Well, not really. -Rice in kimchi water.

It's pretty good.

-It is good. -Right.

Why didn't I know this?

Naengmyeon is about noodles and stock,

about how the stock was made.

Is it watery kimchi, pork, chicken, pheasant or beef?

A lot can change.

Some places use beef.

Some places use mostly cow bones and add some meat to it.

In North Korea, they still use

chicken, beef and pork.

They blend the flavors.

NORTH KOREAN NAENGMYEON

In Jinju, they create depth in their stock with seafood because they are

so close to the sea, but seafood must've been expensive in the past.

Seafood is more expensive than beef.

In naengmyeon, or any food,

depth in taste is everything.

But even if

you don't use meat, you can create depth in taste

with MSG.

Ajinomoto was introduced.

They would promote MSG for businesses.

The patent for MSG was approved in 1908.

I'm sure they worked hard to promote this newly created substance called MSG

to the global market.

Naengmyeon was a dish that people of all classes ate,

so Ajinomoto sought to create an experience.

I think the strategy was to add it to any dish.

Back then, refrigeration was an issue.

Food poisoning happened often in the summer.

Ajinomoto solved this problem for us.

When MSG was added to the stock,

people didn't have to boil meat, which decreased costs.

For about 500 years, the taste of naengmyeon always changed.

The noodle ingredient,

the stock,

the cooking method,

and the tools

constantly changed and developed.

It always evolved.

JONGNO-GU, SEOUL

TRADITIONAL NAENGMYEON

I came here often during college.

I loved the atmosphere back then, when the place was smaller.

You had walk to back alleyways to get here.

Yeah, I was shocked at the taste when I first ate here.

"Wow, what kind of naengmyeon is this?"

Do people who regret eating the spicy ones?

Women like them more.

-The spicy? -Yeah.

More women order the double portion.

Can we have a double portion and a spicy?

So, you want medium?

-And a medium. -Double portion is huge.

-Is that okay? -Oh, it's fine.

Twelve kilograms of red pepper flakes.

We need a lot of red pepper flakes to make it delicious.

Adding a whole cucumber that's julienned to the bowl balances the taste.

You have to generous with the ingredients.

Customers know immediately.

SPICY NAENGMYEON

Spicy.

We actually make it double for double portion.

It has to be double.

You can't call it a double portion when it's not really double.

DOUBLE PORTION SPICY NAENGMYEON

-This is double? -Yes.

Wow, it's so much.

-This is good. -Getting spicy.

-Yeah? -Really?

It's called "spicy."

SPICY NAENGMYEON NUMBS THE MOUTH

THE SPICIER THE NAENGMYEON, THE BETTER

-I'm full. -How full?

SPICY NAENGMYEON HAS BECOME A NICHE

This type of naengmyeon actually has become a niche.

It's not Pyongyang or Hamhung.

This is just according to what the customers want.

That's what makes the taste.

How refreshing.

Recent naengmyeon aficionados are very specific

about what they want.

If the customers want something stimulating,

they want it customized.

Although naengmyeon is a traditional dish, it also evolves with the times.

According to its environment and given conditions,

naengmyeon changes.

That's natural.

Just because it's naengmyeon doesn't mean there's a classic version.

THE WORLD OF NAENGMYEON CONSTANTLY EVOLVES

THERE IS GREAT PASSION TO CREATE NEW TYPES OF NAENGMYEON

Naengmyeon morphs constantly, always.

KIM YOUNG-BOK CULTURAL RESEARCHER

Naengmyeon may be served in a massive bowl,

so that the customer can be satisfied with a full belly.

Watermelon naengmyeon, or other fruits, can be added to the bowl

for a refreshing taste in the summer.

WATERMELON NAENGMYEON

You can come up with all kinds and create naengmyeon heaven.

LIVE OCTOPUS NAENGMYEON

NAENGMYEON ON SKEWERS

SEA SQUIRT NAENGMYEON

When eating out,

you see all kinds of creativity.

I think naengmyeon is going to continue to develop.

SEOCHO-GU, SEOUL

You've been to every old-school naengmyeon place.

I think I have.

-You keep count? -You can't.

I've been to the ones by the seaside over 30 times.

I've met people who had naengmyeon in North Korea.

I asked Zico what it tasted like.

ZICO, MUSICIAN OKRYU-GWAN NAENGMYEON

I've gone to all of them except that one.

I went to Okryu-gwan in Mount Kumgang.

They have a chain store there.

They bring in ingredients from Ulleungdo,

like the herbs: Siberian onions or amur wallflower.

Mixing naengmyeon with Ulleungdo herbs.

-Yes. -I love herbs.

HERB GOLDONG NOODLES

-Here you are. -Oh, yeah.

-It looks so authentic. -This.

-"Goldong" can mean "to mix." -Because you mix the bowl.

The real definition of goldong is "cheap and old junk."

-Okay. -At a pawn shop,

-there is all kinds of junk. -I didn't know.

-Really? -This dish is like that.

GOLDONG NOODLES USES MANY TYPES OF GARNISH

Oh, yeah, there's lime. Lime, lime.

-The presentation is awesome. -It is.

It looks like a mojito

because of the lime.

The presentation of this dish is so beautiful.

-Isn't it? -So good.

This was actually for hangovers,

by eating something fresh.

KIM IN-BOK, CHEF

The hardest thing about making naengmyeon is to be consistent

with the taste every day.

Recipes are just guides.

Meat tastes different every day.

Buckwheat noodles taste different, depending on

the weather or the season.

Also, other dishes can get away with seasoning adjustment.

-You can mask it. -Yes.

You can't mask it with this.

You can't undo the seasoning.

It's like showing your bare face.

-Must be hard. -Right.

The biggest question is when people add vinegar.

Do you add it to the stock or the noodles?

Actually, I add a lot of vinegar to raw fish naengmyeon.

North Koreans textbooks say to add…

-For sauced naengmyeon? -…vinegar to the noodles.

-But in naengmyeon… -Is that a joke?

-No, I'm serious. -Really?

-A textbook! -Lift the noodles.

-You add vinegar. -Like that.

-That's what they say at Okryu-gwan. -That's right!

NORTH KOREAN OKRYU-GWAN NAENGMYEON

We've seen a lot of North Korean-style naengmyeon restaurants.

There are two types:

Pyongyang naengmyeon

and nongma noodles from Hamhung Province.

SEOUL

PYONGYANG NAENGMYEON, NORTH KOREAN SPECIALTY FOOD RESTAURANT

I left North Korea on August 15, 1997.

I entered South Korea in 1999.

Let's sit.

That's the color of Pyongyang naengmyeon.

-"Pyongyang Okryu-gwan." -Over there.

Been a long time.

Pyongyang Okryu-gwan naengmyeon.

-Heard it's good. -When I lived it North Korea,

-I'd never heard the word naengmyeon. -No.

-Just noodles, noodles. -Just noodles.

Nongma noodles.

-Buckwheat noodles. -Buckwheat noodles.

North Koreans eat noodles at least once a day.

A wedding or a birthday party. Noodles are a must at celebrations.

The difference between North Korean and Seoul naengmyeon is the stock.

If you use beef plate…

for stock

and add Pyongyang noodles to that, you have Seoul naengmyeon.

What's particular about North Korean Pyongyang naengmyeon

is that you mix beef, pork and chicken in the stock.

You mix all three.

Our stock uses

pork, beef and pheasant.

Long ago they used pheasant, but now we use chicken.

NORTH KOREAN-STYLE STOCK MADE WITH BEEF, PORK AND CHICKEN

CHARCOAL STONES

These are charcoal stones.

The rocks purify the stock and get rid of the flesh scent.

Stock needs to taste clean.

We use a thin linen cloth to get clean stock.

That's how it's done…

FILTERING NORTH KOREAN-STYLE STOCK

…in North Korea.

We filter out fat and the inevitable solid bits.

The stock is clearer.

To bring out the scent, we pan-fry the buckwheat, which makes it dark.

Then when you press the noodles, you get the scent.

NORTH KOREA-STYLE BUCKWHEAT NOODLES ARE DARKER

You add beef, cucumbers, kimchi, julienned egg and boiled egg.

Thank you.

I think I'm gonna cry.

NORTH KOREAN-STYLE PYONGYANG NAENGMYEON

A TASTE OF HOME, WHERE SHE CANNOT RETURN

NORTH KOREAN NAENGMYEON PRANK

We used to play around like this.

It's North Koreans' way of fun.

We'd take the other person's bowl and walk around the restaurant

because the noodles were so long.

-So good. -Like it?

A TASTE OF HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG WHILE

-Really! Thank you, ma'am! -Thank you.

If you study information about naengmyeon,

you learn modern history.

THE HISTORY OF NAENGMYEON TELLS THE STORY OF MODERN HISTORY

When you study the ingredients,

Hamhung naengmyeon is made from potato starch

because there are a lot of potatoes in Hamhung.

Buckwheat, Pyongyang naengmyeon.

There is a lot of buckwheat around Pyongyang.

It makes sense.

JEJU ISLAND

I wondered why they didn't have naengmyeon on Jeju Island.

We think "seafood" when we think of Jeju.

But if you look closer, you see a new side to Jeju.

-Are you harvesting? -Yes.

Radishes are big!

You have a lot of radishes here?

Overwintered radish is typically from Jeju Island.

It tastes like pear.

Wow. It's good.

I thought, "What advantages does Jeju have?"

They have pork.

Korea's first pork export was from Jeju.

Jeju pork is well renowned.

Jeju also has massive buckwheat fields.

JEJU BUCKWHEAT MAKES UP 36% OF BUCKWHEAT IN KOREA

In season, they send buckwheat to Gangwon Province due to its quality.

Radish.

JEJU RADISH FOR OVERWINTERING

We can't make radish kimchi without Jeju radish.

You combine all that together, and you have…

naengmyeon ingredients.

GEUMAK-RI, HALLIM-EUB, JEJU

It began in a small town in Jeju.

There are many pig farms all over this town called Geumak-ri.

GEUMAK-RI IS FAMOUS FOR ITS PIG FARMS

Our town is like a hidden treasure.

You see a lot of green pastures,

mountains…

Our town has seven mountains.

We have wetlands that have not been touched by man.

We've maintained the old-town appearance.

We decide to make naengmyeon in Jeju

because there are so many ingredients but few eateries.

There are many tourist sites, but not as many restaurants.

With radish, you first think of radish kimchi.

Making radish kimchi is a lot of work, though.

So, they just decide to salt the radish.

THE DAY TO SALT RADISH

Make sure they don't get scratched. Wait, wait.

RADISH FOR OVERWINTERING 3,600 KG

We have a total of 3,600 kilograms of radish, which is a lot.

Honestly,

I wish they ran out of radish from making naengmyeon.

You need to plant radish.

I can't do that!

That ain't it.

Why are we talking farming?

Let's ferment them!

COMMUNITY CENTER

If the townspeople get to work

because of this joint business, that's great.

If we make a profit, you have public wealth.

So this isn't one individual's restaurant.

It's a public business for public profit.

AFTER FOUR MONTHS OF FERMENTATION

I saw a ray of hope in Baengnyeongdo.

I saw jjanji made into garnish.

I had a light-bulb moment.

So I applied that in Jeju.

The best parts of naengmyeon types

are going to be combined here.

JEJU RADISH KIMCHI

-Stock, yes. -Stock.

-Ham hock from Jeju. -Is that for stock?

Yes. Then you can use it for garnish.

-On the noodles. -For garnish?

RICH-TASTING HAM HOCK

Plenty of thin slices.

They should feel like they can wrap the noodles with the meat.

Imported buckwheat is expensive, but we're using Jeju buckwheat.

BUCKWHEAT FROM JEJU

The buckwheat scent is great.

-Oh, it's so cold. -It's so cold.

Meat from Jeju.

Pork.

Radish and cabbage from Jeju.

So, you can see the fancy presentation, inspired by Jinju naengmyeon.

We added some sesame seeds. There's some green, some red.

JEJU NAENGMYEON TASTING PARTY

This is all from crops

of our town,

starting with cabbages,

all vegetables.

The fact that we can make naengmyeon from our own crops

is so satisfying.

Isn't homemade food where the land and the man meet?

I'd say this is the taste of Jeju.

You can taste the soup ingredients typically used in Jeju.

That taste is in that bowl.

Only we know where this taste comes from.

A PART OF THE TOWN HALL RENOVATED INTO JEJU NAENGMYEON RESTAURANT

NAENGMYEON WORD SPREADS FAST

I hope that the townspeople work well for the town to support itself.

We're not aiming for great wealth with the restaurant.

I just want them to see hope.

YANG JUNG-SOON IN CHARGE OF THE STOCK, GEUMAK-RI WOMEN'S LEADER

LEE BONG-JA, IN CHARGE OF GARNISH CITIZEN OF GEUMAK-RI

JEJU NAENGMYEON: A NEW CHALLENGE

NAENGMYEON'S FUTURE CONTINUES TO CHANGE

To Koreans, naengmyeon is a complicated thing.

It could be something we think of in the summer,

but it could also be that naengmyeon is a culture unique to us.

Each region has its own taste.

There's a story to tell per region.

Those elements change the dish.

Naengmyeon is a clear, cold, humble and simple food.

Naengmyeon is clear and cold.

It's humble, yet simple.

Behind the scenes, there is so much unseen effort,

but still, it's a humble dish into which one pours his heart.

It is a beautiful dish that represents Korea.

It started with the calligrapher Jang Yu.

Naengmyeon has been constantly changing.

There will be further changes.

This is the power of Korean food.

This is the power of naengmyeon.

Subtitle translation by: Sung-ahn Choi