Merry Chimek! If you’re not a big fan of turkey and sprouts, why not have yourself a Korean-style Christmas dinner this year? Just head out for some fried chicken and beer with friends.
Fried chicken and beer, chimek, actually isn’t just eaten at Christmas, but year-round, and is so well loved, it should probably be listed right up there with kimchi as a national dish these days. As of 2013, there were more than 20,000 fried chicken restaurants and cafes in the country, and the chimek market is worth 3 trillion KRW.
Chicken was once a fancy and expensive treat in Korea, but after the chicken industry grew, and frying oil was introduced to the country in the early 1970s, fried chicken became the standard post-work snack. While it’s been a popular pairing with beer for decades,
hit drama My Love From the Star gave chimek another boost in popularity, as protagonist Cheon Songyi scoffs it repeatedly.
If you’re in Korea, you’ll be fair tripping over chimek restaurants everywhere- but CNN wrote a good article earlier this year about some good Seoul spots to try.
At home, you can try making chimek style chicken yourself. Here’s a pretty straightforward recipe. Here’s another, from Good Food magazine.
Lastly, here’s a vid version using a Korean packet mix, if you can get your hands on one. Don’t forget the beer!
