Memil-buchimgae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Memil-buchimgae

Type	Buchimgae
Place of origin	Korea
Region or state	Gangwon
Main ingredients	Buckwheat, vegetables or kimchi
Similar dishes	Blini, Kaletez

Memil-buchimgae (Hangul: 메밀부침개), also known as buckwheat pancake, is a popular Korean dish. It is a type of Korean pancake that looks a bit like a crepe. This tasty pancake is made from a thin batter of buckwheat flour and water. It often includes napa cabbage inside.

This pancake is a traditional food from Gangwon Province. This area is known for growing a lot of buckwheat. This is because of its cool, mountainous weather. Places like Pyeongchang and Jeongseon counties are famous for their buckwheat dishes. These include memilmuk (buckwheat jelly) and memilguksu (buckwheat noodles). Pyeongchang used to have a big festival called the Memilbuchigi festival. It was renamed the Pyeongchang Festival in 2015. Memilbuchigi is how you say memilbuchimgae in the local Gangwon dialect. You can often find many memilbuchimgae at the Pyeongchang Market. This is a farmers' market that happens every five days.

How to Make Memil-buchimgae

Memilbuchimgae cooking on a pan.

To make memil-buchimgae, you first mix buckwheat flour with water. This creates a thin batter. Sometimes, a little wheat flour or starch is added. This helps the pancake hold together better. Buckwheat naturally has less glutinous (sticky) elements.

Traditionally, buckwheat and water are ground using a millstone. Then, the batter is passed through a sieve to make it smooth. The filtered batter is cooked on a sodang (소당). A sodang is actually the lid of a sot (솥). A sot is a large traditional pot. The sodang is used like a frying pan.

To cook, you place several pieces of salted napa cabbage and scallions on the hot sodang. Then, you pour the thin batter over them. You can also use sour kimchi instead of cabbage. It's important to pour the batter very thinly. A thin memilbuchimgae is considered more delicious. Perilla oil is often used for cooking this dish.

Dishes Made with Memil-buchimgae

Bingtteok, a specialty from Jeju Island.

Memil-buchimgae can also be an ingredient in other Korean foods. One example is memil chongtteok (메밀총떡), also called memil jeonbyeong (메밀전병). This dish is like a dumpling or wrap. It is filled with different ingredients. The fillings can change based on the recipe, taste, or region.

In the Jeju region, this dish is called bingtteok (빙떡). It is also known as Jejudo bindaetteok. For bingtteok, the memil-buchimgae is filled with boiled, shredded radish.

In Gangwon Province, common fillings include japchae (a noodle salad). Other popular fillings are shredded sour kimchi, radish, scallions, and garlic. Sometimes, pork or squid are added. These ingredients are seasoned and stir-fried together before being wrapped. In the Pyeongchang area, a special type of clear noodle called cheonsachae (천사채) is used. These noodles are made from kelp.

Memil-buchimgae is often enjoyed as an anju. An anju is a food eaten with alcoholic beverages. The savory and slightly plain taste of the pancake, combined with the strong flavors of the filling, makes it a good companion for drinks.

See also

In Spanish: Memiljeon para niños