Korea’s local agriculture and ingredients have set this cuisine apart from others for thousands of years. As a peninsula, Koreans relied heavily upon seafood and crops such as rice and vegetables. Pork, chicken, beef, and tofu are also commonly used in Korean cooking, bringing the cuisine great variety. Fermenting methods practiced in early Korean history brought us kimchi, the most frequently eaten food in the Korean diet.
Regional variations between recipes have also contributed to the diversity of Korean cooking. The royal court of Korea was the first to combine many of these regional variations, although the global popularity of Korean cuisine today has blended influences to an even greater degree.