Naengmyeon

Naengmyeon

Raengmyeon (Korean: 랭면 (North Korea), 냉면 (South Korea), also known as naeng-myeon, naengmyun, or naeng-myun, meaning "cold noodles") is a Korean noodle dish of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients: buckwheat (메밀, memil), potatoes, sweet potatoes, 칡냉면, naengmyun made with the starch from arrowroot (darker color and chewier than buckwheat noodles), and kudzu (칡, chik). Varieties with ingredients such as seaweed and green tea are available. According to the 19th century documents of Dongguksesigi (동국세시기, 東國歲時記), it has been made since the Joseon Dynasty.

Originally a delicacy in northern Korea, especially in the cities of Pyongyang and Hamhung in North Korea, raengmyeon became widely popular throughout Korea after the Korean War.

Raengmyeon is served in a large stainless bowl with a tangy iced broth, julienned cucumbers, slices of Korean pear, and either a boiled egg or slices of cold boiled beef or both. Spicy mustard sauce (or Mustard oil) and vinegar are often added before consumption. Traditionally, the long noodles would be eaten without cutting, as they symbolized longevity of life and good health, but servers at restaurants usually ask if the noodles should be cut prior to eating, and use scissors to cut the noodles.