North Korean cuisine

North Korean cuisine is the traditional culinary practices and dishes of North Korea. Its foundations are laid by the agricultural and nomadic traditions in southern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. Some dishes are shared by the two Koreas; however, availability and quality of Northern cuisine is much more significantly affected by sociopolitical class divides.
Historically, Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating in ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in southern Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula, it has gone through a complex interaction of the natural environment and different cultural trends. Rice dishes and kimchi are staple Korean foods. In a traditional meal, they accompany both side dishes (panch'an) and main courses like chuk (porridge), pulgogi (grilled meat) or myŏn (noodles). Soju liquor is the best-known traditional Korean spirit.
Some North Korean dishes and foods are also prepared in South Korea, and many dishes that originated in North Korea were brought to South Korea by migrating families after the Korean War. Many of these imported dishes became staples in the South Korean diet.
The most popular dish that originates in North Korea is called naengmeyon (냉면) in South Korea and raengmyŏn (랭면) in North Korea. The most popular type of naengmyeon is called P'yŏngyang-raengmyŏn (평양냉면) . It is usually served in a big and deep bowl with beef, pheasant, or tongch'imi broth. It is usually served with cold hand-pulled buckwheat noodles in the cold broth, topped with pickled radish, eggs etc. It is usually sided with vinegar and a diluted mustard seed condiment/oil. A different yet popular version of raengmyŏn originates from Hamhung, the hoe raengmyŏn (회 랭면). Hoe raengmyŏn is pibim raengmyŏn with additional marinated raw fish (hoe), usually skate. It is eaten with koch'ujang and other ingredients mixed. Vinegar, sugar, and sometimes sesame oil is added according to taste. The noodles of Hamhŭng raengmyŏn are typically made from potato or sweet potato starch, causing them to be chewier.
The flavors of some North Korean dishes differ from South Korean versions, with some being less spicy and more varied in composition than South Korean preparations. North Korean dishes have been described as having a specific tanginess that is derived from using ingredients with flavors of sweet, sour, pungent and spicy, in combinations that create this effect.
Some restaurants, particularly in Pyongyang, have expensive pricing relative to average worker wages in North Korea. North Korean citizens typically cannot afford restaurants. Per their pricing, upscale restaurants are typically available only to well-paid leaders of the North Korean government, tourists visiting the country, and the emerging affluent middle class of tonju (돈주) in the country. Tonju means "masters of money", and the tonju typically hold positions in the government, positions operating state-owned businesses outside of the country, and positions involving bringing investments and the importation of products into the country.
Some street foods exist in North Korea, such as in Pyongyang, where vendors operate food stalls. The first pizzeria in North Korea opened in 2009. Alcoholic beverages are produced and consumed in North Korea, and the country's legal drinking age is 18.
Some condiments used in North Korea to add flavor to foods are listed below.
Alcoholic beverages are consumed in North Korea, and drinking is a part of the culture of North Korea. North Korea's legal drinking age is 18, but minors are sometimes allowed to consume alcoholic beverages, and some shop keepers readily sell them alcoholic drinks. Some North Koreans brew and distill alcoholic beverages at home, despite such home alcohol production being forbidden in North Korea, and some sell these beverages to markets, although this is also illegal. Home brewed liquor is made using ingredients such as potatoes and corn. Some North Korean consumers purchase alcoholic beverages directly from alcohol-producing factories in the country, using cash. In recent times, imported Chinese liquor has been allowed to be sold in markets, and a well-known Chinese liquor purveyed in North Korea is Kaoliang Liquor, which has a 46–50% alcohol content.
North Korea has some bars and other drinking establishments, and in recent times, beer halls have become popular in Pyongyang.