Korean Job Discussion Forums

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Did anyone catch that bit in the IHT Korean section about why Korean bread is always so sweet? The explanation went something like "bread came to Korea via Japan. The Japanese considered anything made from flour a kind of dessert. So all flour-based products have always been treated as a kind of pastry."

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

That's what I have thought for a while now. Koreans see bread related foods as 'treats'. Like dessert. Didn't know that came from Japan though.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

rumdiary · Joined: 05 Jun 2006

Wangja · Joined: 17 May 2004 Location: Seoul, Yongsan

I bake my own bread: that avoids the sweetness issue.

(BTW, I can't think of where Ketchup does belong, except safely sealed in its original container. The original Indian Catsup is delicious though.)

Natalia · Joined: 10 Mar 2006

The sweetness of the bread here has nothing on the sugary mess you will find in South Asian countries like India. Here I barely notice it.

What bothers me more is that even when bought fresh, it tastes like it's a couple of months old. They truly have the worst bread in the world in Korea.

Mashimaro · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: location, location

the sugarless bread at the Emart I go to is almost 50%
cheaper than the other korean rubbish with sugar.

I intended going to buy the sugarless, but the big
price difference was a nice bonus

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

rothkowitz · Joined: 27 Apr 2006

Notice how Korean bread doesn't go off for a seriously long time? Confused

I've tried the sour dough roasted garlic loaves from costco but,they're oversalted.Paris Baguette in Suseo has good sour loaves-nice and crusty and chewy but they've stopped making or I'm too late for the sunflower sourdough loaves.

Has anybody come across seriously dark rye bread in Seoul before?

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

Well, if it's a pastry, then why do some sweet pastries have fillings like ham and cheese or sausage? I've seen sausage- filled pastries with icing on top . I swear, the baker brings his 2 year old to work somedays and tells the kid to come up with some yummy new concoctions Very Happy

I must say, though- at least I can go into a Korean bakery and purchase something- even if it's just a cookie. I went into a Chinese bakery once in Boston's Chinatown, and I couldn't find anything that I would've dared to try...