Memilmuk — Buckwheat Jelly from Gangwon (메밀묵)

Gangwon province highland tradition; buckwheat cultivation in Korea's mountainous regions dates to at least the Goryeo period; memilmuk is the cold-season comfort food of the highland farming tradition

Memilmuk (메밀묵) is buckwheat starch jelly — buckwheat flour (Fagopyrum esculentum, 메밀) cooked with water to a thick paste then poured into moulds and cooled to set into a grey-brown, slightly earthy-tasting jelly. Gangwon province (강원도), with its cool highland climate ideal for buckwheat cultivation, is the traditional home of meomilmuk and naengmyeon (the cold noodles made from the same flour). Memilmuk is served sliced into strips, dressed with ganjang, sesame oil, kimchi, and green onion in the banchan version (묵무침, muk-muchim) or served in a savoury broth as mucheok-guk in winter.

• Parallels Japanese sobagaki (そばがき, buckwheat paste) and Chinese liangfen (凉粉, starch jelly served with sauce) — all traditions of starch-jelly preparations dressed with savoury condiments

Memilmuk's neutral, slightly earthy flavour is the perfect vehicle for the bright, sharp dressing of ganjang and kimchi — it absorbs rather than competes with the dressing, much like tofu or clear noodles in other Korean applications.