Jeongseon — Where easy on table Begins
Flavors shaped by mountains and valleys
Our story begins in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, Korea
Another Side of Korea
When people think of Korea, they often picture the busy streets of Seoul and bold, spicy dishes. Yet Korea reaches far beyond Seoul, and Korean food offers much more than heat.
Easy On Table is rooted in Jeongseon-eup, a small town in Jeongseon County, Gangwon Province. Surrounded by layer upon layer of mountains and valleys, the people here have long prepared simple, wholesome meals from what nature provides.
Through Easy On Table, we hope to share the spirit of Korean nature and the value of tradition that live in these meals, and to bring them to tables around the world.
Korean Flavor Is More Than Spice
The food of Jeongseon is modest. In mountain country where rice paddies were scarce, people grew buckwheat, corn, and potatoes, and each spring they gathered wild greens from the hillsides. Nothing was wasted. Ingredients from this limited land were prepared with care, resulting in dishes that are mild and gentle in flavor, and that reflect a deep respect for nature.
These are not dishes reserved for special occasions. They are the everyday meals of the people of Jeongseon, and this is the kind of food Easy On Table hopes to carry forward.
Gondeure-bap
Gondeure is a wild green that grows in the mountains of Gangwon Province. It is cooked together with rice and enjoyed with a light soy-based sauce. Its aroma is soft and subtle, making it easy to enjoy even for those tasting it for the first time.
Buckwheat dishes
Buckwheat thrives in the cool mountain climate and is at the heart of Jeongseon’s cuisine. Kotdeungchigi-guksu is a thick, chewy buckwheat noodle whose name playfully suggests that the noodles tap the tip of your nose as you eat them. Memil-jeonbyeong, a thin buckwheat crepe rolled around a vegetable filling, is another well-loved local dish.
Corn dishes
Olchaengi-guksu is a noodle made from corn. Its short, plump shape resembles a tadpole, which is how it earned its name.
Traditional Korean melodies filled with soul
Arirang, the Song of Jeongseon
Arirang is a traditional folk song known to virtually every Korean. Rather than a single piece, it has been sung in many regional versions, each with its own lyrics and melody. Jeongseon Arirang is considered one of the oldest among them.
Its slow, gentle melody carries the longing and everyday stories of people who lived among steep mountains. Auraji, the place where two streams meet to form a single river, is known as the home of Jeongseon Arirang, along with the legend of two lovers separated by the water.
In 2012, Arirang was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
A Table Set by the Seasons
In Jeongseon, the table follows the seasons.
In spring, wild greens appear on the hillsides.
In summer, corn and potatoes ripen in the cool mountain air. In autumn, the mountains turn silver and gold with pampas grass and changing leaves, and the harvest is gathered in. In winter, as snow covers the valleys, dried greens and stored grains carry families through to the new year.
Eating in step with nature has long been Jeongseon’s way of keeping meals wholesome.
The Jeongseon Five-Day Market
In rural Korea, traditional markets are held once every five days. The Jeongseon Five-Day Market is one of the best known in the country, held on dates ending in 2 and 7.
On market days, villagers from the surrounding mountains bring greens, grains, and herbs they have grown or gathered themselves. The stalls change with the seasons, offering a genuine glimpse of the ingredients that have long filled Jeongseon’s tables.
Why Easy On Table Began in Jeongseon
We believe in the mountains and valleys of Jeongseon, and in the wisdom of the meals that have been passed down here.
Through Easy On Table, we aim to create wholesome food that carries the spirit of Korean nature and tradition, so that anyone can enjoy it easily and comfortably at their own table.
Korea beyond Seoul. Korean flavor beyond spice. We warmly invite you to taste what began in Jeongseon.