Learn About Korean Food and Alcohol At HANSIK Space E:eum
A visit to the Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, Korea is a must and always included on basic Seoul itineraries. When you get there though, it’s easy to wander and wander and wonder what’s worth a stop in. I recently visited the HANSIK Space E:eum (한식문화공간이음) and can say it’s definitely worth a stop in, especially for those interested in Korean food culture and traditional Korean alcohol.
Learn about Korean food and join a class in Bukchon Hanok Village:
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How To Get There
Address: 18 Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (서울시 종로구 북촌로 18)
Directions: From Anguk Subway Station exit 2, walk straight and you’ll find the space just up a bit on the right.
Basic Info
Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 7:00pm
Admission: Free
Tastings and Food Galleries
HANSIK Space E:eum is really a space that invites visitors to get involved. Opened in 2022, the space merged the existing cultural establishments of the Hansik Gallery from Mugyo-dong, and the korea Food Grand Master Center and Sool Gallery from Yeoksam-dong.
Now, there is a small gallery of information, quite engaging exhibitions, but the biggest opportunity here is to partake in classes and tastings. It’s a more encompassing experience from information to action.
Hansik Gallery
Upon entering you’ll find yourself directly in the Korea Food Grand Masters Center and E:eum Cafe. The menu here has Korean tea, traditional Korean sweets, and rice cakes. There’s information available here in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.
Before you take a seat though, head to the back and right and you’ll find the Hansik Gallery. There’s a lot of great information here about Korean food and how it relates to Korean culture. Learn about the traditional holidays on the lunar calendar and what to eat each month of the year. Learn about some of the top dishes you should definitely enjoy in Korea and see if you know how to put certain dishes together.
Grab some cards with recipes so you can go home and try your hand at cooking delicious Korean dishes. Play some games in the experiential installations. If you have kids, this is a great space to take them to.
The Sool Gallery
Continue back and you’ll find The Sool Gallery. Take a look at the beautiful wall of Korean spirits. There are exhibitions here, traditional Korean alcohol tastings with sommeliers, and a shop to purchase some hard to find traditional alcohol options.
The Sool Gallery showcases about 300 types of traditional Korean liquor while sampling and selling about 80 of them. If you’re living in Korea, count how many of them you’ve tried and how many more you still need to try.
- Tastings: There are ‘Liquor of the Month for Tasting’ every month and each month a new theme is selected.
Classes and Learning With Masters
If you’ve signed up for a class or tasting, then you’ll probably head to the second floor of the building that holds the Korea Food Grand Master Center, Hansik Learning Center, and the E:eum Studio.
Korea Food Grand Master Center: Programs are offered here for participants to experience creating traditional Korean dishes taught by food grandmasters who are dedicated to nurturing the tastes and values of Korea. Programs include the “Traditional Food Experience” which offers secrets and ingredients of the grandmasters to make Korean traditional sweets, makegolli, or Korean rice wine, gochujang and kimchi.
There is also a program called “Meet the Food Grandmasters Online” for people that want to participate but can’t make it into the space. It should be noted that the classes with the masters are only offered in Korean.
Hansik Learning Center: Learn how to cook and taste authentic Korean food using seasonal ingredients and traditional fermented food. Offered in English, Chinese, and Japanese, the classes can suit up to 24 participants.
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