Gaeseong, a town now in North Korea, was once the capital of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). There, commercial trade developed early and brought the blossoming of the food culture. Yoon Sook-ja, Director of the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, was born to a head family in Gaeseong. During the Joseon Period, in which Confucianism was pursued, a head family was responsible for holding numerous rites for paying homage to deceased ancestors, with many guests attending. And so, cuisine skills were a must for the daughter-in-laws of such families. Yoon grew up in such an atmosphere and had many opportunities of watching her mother making foods on special occasions. Thus, she naturally grew an interest in the country’s traditional foods. She said, “My mother’s skill in making foods was excellent and she fulfilled her role as a housewife of a head family greatly. I learned cuisine skills from her for 30 years, until she passed away.”
Having grown up in such an environment, her incessant curiosity and ardent efforts have made her the country’s highest authority on traditional foods. When talking about the excellence of hansik, she refers to her personal experience in addition to the theoretical facts that she has learned throughout her life. As she puts it, “It was when I was working under a tight schedule. I frequently skipped meals due to my too-tight schedule. I came down with stomach cancer, apparently as a result of irregular eating habits. I was determined to get through the disease, I decided to never skip meals and eat small portions of mostly traditional Korean foods. I especially enjoyed eating foods made of beans. Beans are rich in vegetable protein and estrogen. Bean itself is difficult to digest. However, if fermented to a soybean paste or made into tofu, it is delicious and easy to digest. Even now, each meal of mine includes beans, rice cooked with 12 types of cereal, soybean paste stew and dishes made of beans.”

She said that she was able to overcome the cancer with the help of the traditional foods, particularly those made of beans. She also pointed out the importance of rice, a major element in hansik. Containing a type of protein better in physiological functions than that contained in milk, rice is highly effective in preventing adult diseases, a worry for people throughout the world. Most of the banchan (side dishes) in hansik are made using vegetables. Vegetable fiber prevents cholesterol absorption and excretes salt from the intestines, thus preventing high blood pressure. There are numerous other effects of hansik.Some foreigners say, “Most hansik dishes, especially kimchi, are colored red and taste hot.” She said, “A U.S. health magazine selected kimchi as one of the world’s Top Five health foods, but there are people who have such misconceived prejudice. There is much more than just the red cabbage kimchi. More than 100 kinds of kimchi, including baekkimchi (white-colored kimchi) and dongchimi (watery young raddish kimchi) are available. You can choose the one that best suits your taste.”