The New York Times reports today that the first Korean astronaut will be bringing some of that nation's beloved kimchi into space with him. The Korean national dish, a powerful, extremely pungent fermented cabbage, is not exactly shelf- or space-stable, so finding a way to bring it safely into space required a costly and time-consuming effort: Three top government research institutes spent millions of dollars and several years perfecting a version of kimchi that would not turn dangerous when exposed to cosmic rays or other forms of radiation and would not put off non-Korean astronauts with its pungency. Related: Space Food Sticks Photograph from iStockphoto.com/bedo... More

I think this is a genuine commercial about kimchi. And that frightens me. Just a bit. Especially when the pile of fermenting kimchi pulsates. As for why the labels on the kimchi jars are in Japanese and the commercial is dubbed in English, I have no idea. Watch the commercial after the jump. Prepare to be blown away.... More

Forget barbecue or tofu stew: the true staple of Korean food is kimchi, the crunchy fermented cabbage that's always reliably on the table and growingly increasingly popular with Western palates. Did you know there's at least 200 different variations?... More

Daniel Gray of Epicourageous in Seoul visited Korean food chain Balena to try the portable food that you never knew you wanted: pasta in waffle cones! For as little as 2,000 won ($2.13) you can walk away with a cone of "Primavera" pasta, while meat-hungry eaters may prefer the 3,900 won ($4.16) cone stuffed with "Top Choice Chop Steak." Unfortunately, Gray didn't have the time to describe the taste of the pasta-cone combo—he was in a hurry to eat live octopus.... More

Budae jjigae, or "army stew," is a Korean soup dish whose name stems from the use of surplus foods from the US Army in a traditional gochujang-based soup. Su-Lin added the former Army surplus foods Spam and hot dogs to her budae jjigae along with ramen, spring onions, and Chinese cabbage, and served the stew over white rice.... More

"Bibimbap is basically rice mixed with vegetables, usually some type of meat, and gochujang. But that’s the simple of it. Each one of the ingredients is something special in itself. It’s like a bunch of little salads and meats individually and carefully prepared placed on shiny rice in a bowl." ZenKimchi explains the traditional Korean dish, bibimbap, and its many seasonal variations. Photograph from jetalone on Flickr... More

Austin area meat eaters and music lovers will tell you about the wonders of Stubb's, the barbecue restaurant and live music venue on Red River founded by the late chef and pitmaster C. B. Stubblefield. The recently published Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook has recipes from the restaurant as well as Stubblefield's personal cookbook, as well as photos and stories from his colorful life. The Austin American-Statesman's Kitty Crider shares the book's recipe for Korean Steak, Stubb-Style, created after Stubblefield served in Korea and "discovered that Koreans and Texans have much in common: Both love beef, chili peppers, and grilling over a charcoal pit."... More