I am back today with a post for Viridian´s Blog (to see other posts plaese click on the link you find left Sunday Stamps), with food on stamps. I kind of love this theme, it has became one of my favorites. It´s a different way of learning about a country´s culture. As they say: you are what you eat, isn´t it?
So we have in our menu for today Korean food, as follows: neobiani (broiled beef), bindaetteok (pan-fried ground mung bean), jeongol (casserole), and hwajeon (pan-fried rice cake with flower petals). These traditional food plates demonstrate the cooking skills and unique flavors of Korean ancestors.
Neobiani a favorite dish of royal families in Korea, is the boiled lean meat of short ribs or sirloin, which is considered one of the most delicious and tender cuts of beef. The thinly sliced meat is marinated in a mixture of soybean sauce, powdered sesame, salt, sesame oil, Welsh onion, garlic and other seasonings. The name neobiani is derived from the word neobut, which describes how the beef is sliced into large, thin pieces. Maejeok is a similar food that records reveal existed in ancient times.
Bindaetteok first appeared as bin jatteok in Eumsikdimibang (a cooking encyclopedia) written in the 1670s by Mrs.Jang, the wife of a public officer. The dish was originally prepared by frying a mixture of water-soaked and ground mung bean, pork, bracken, mung bean sprouts, and cabbage kimchi on a cauldron lid. Bindaetteok is among the foods usually served during traditional holidays and on other special occasions.
Jeongol is prepared by pouring beef stock into a casserole pan and arranging vegetables and meat in it. It is boiled in a casserole on top of a burner in the middle of the table, and eaten by those sitting around it. Similar to sinseollo, jeongol is easy to cook and is favored by common people. Jeongol is made in a pot resembling a helmet because the dish dates back to ancient times when soldiers supposedly boiled fish or meat in their own helms during combat because they didn`t have any cookware.
Hwajeon is prepared by kneading glutinous rice flour with hot water, then mixing in flowers or arranging them on top before they are pan-fried. Azaleas are used in spring, on the third day of the third lunar month, yellow roses in summer, and chrysanthemums in autumn, on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. Since flowers are rare during the winter, other ingredients such as jujube are used instead, incorporating different flavors for the different seasonings.
Title: Korean Food Series (5th)
Date of Issue: 15 June 2005
Country: Korea
Denominations: 4 x 220 won
Source: http://www.koreastamp.go.kr/
Sunday Stamps #31 - click the link on the right sidebar to see more entries on Viridian´s blog (you can always find out something interesting here)
Malaysia Post released a stamp issue on August 10, 2010. The stamp issue on topic of traditional festive food consists of a block of 10 stamps (80s each stamp) from stamp sheet, a block of 10 stamps (60s each stamp) from stamp booklet and a miniature sheet (RM3). The design of stamps is in a format of mirror image - only for the drawing of food but the wordings are not mirror image.
Thanks to Tze Liang, I now have this wonderful booklet that I thought nice to share with you.
Malaysia is a country, comprising of various ethnic communities.These communities have their own traditional food prepared during festive season. For stamp collectors and gastronomes alike, the stamp collection and FDC feature culinary treasures served during festivities such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and festivals celebrated by the Sabah and Sarawak ethnic groups.One interesting thing that I found out on Ian´s blog is the secret code of these "mirror" stamps. It happens that the stamps depicting Malay, Sarawakian and Sabah food can be merged together to form a complete plate! Check this out here.
Title: Traditional Festive Food
Date of Issue: 10 August 2010
Country: Malaysia
Source:http://www.pos.com.my
Denominations: 10x60sen (booklet), 10x80sen, 3xRM1 (sheet)
Thanks to Carlos who sent me these stamps from Itay. Now I can truly start my collection on gastronomy stamps too. Why food related stamps? Because I like enjoying a good meal :)
I can only admire how great Chef´s combine tastes and reveal on a plate small masterpieces.
So here we go with a set of 4 stamps about cheese. I guess these could go great with an Italian pizza (Am I getting hungry?).
Gorgonzola is a veined Italian blue cheese, made from unskimmed cow's and/or goat's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a 'bite' from its blue veining. Today it is mainly produced in the northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. Under Italian law Gorgonzola enjoys Protected Geographical Status. Gorgonzola may be eaten in many ways. It may be melted into a risotto in the final stage of cooking, or served alongside polenta. Pasta with gorgonzola is a dish appreciated almost everywhere in Italy by gorgonzola lovers. Because of its distinctive flavor, it is frequently offered as pizza topping.
Parmigiano reggiano is a hard granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas near Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, andBologna (all in Emilia-Romagna), and Mantova(in Lombardia), Italy. Under Italian law only cheese produced in these provinces may be labelled "Parmigiano-Reggiano", while European law classifies the name as a protected designation of origin. Uses of the cheese include being grated with a grater over pasta, stirred into soup and risotto, and eaten in chunks with balsamic vinegar. It is also a key ingredient in alfredo sauce and pesto. Slivers and chunks of the hardest parts of the crust can also be employed as an ingredient in soups (to which they add a subtler flavour) or even be slowly chewed until soft; Italian mothers have fed parmigiano crusts to their children for generations, trusting in their high calcium content to help them develop stronger teeth and bones. One traditional use of a whole Parmigiano round is to use it as a serving pot. On special occasions, when one has dozens of guests to serve the whole head is used up and thoroughly hollowed out so that the bare crust remains, steaming pasta can then be poured in it and served from therein.
Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is a mozzarella made from the milk of the domestic water buffalo rather than from cow milk. In Italy, the cheese is produced in areas ranging from Rome in Lazio to Paestum (near Salerno) inCampania, and there is a production area in near Foggia, Puglia. It is an Italian trademark. Generally, buffalo mozzarella is enjoyed with pasta, calzone, vegetables, salads, on pizza (a low moisture content buffalo mozzarella is preferred), on grilled bread, or by itself accompanied by olive oil.
Ragusano is one of the most favorite Italian cheeses produced in Sicily. The cheese usually has a shape of a brick and it is made from unpasteurized cow's milk. This cheese is most commonly considered a cooking cheese and is quite salty and flaky. It can be served in a number of dishes, but is best suited to mild dishes as these balance out its saltiness. It pairs well with mild, sweet
wines and dark beers such as stouts and porters.
So if you like cheese, these stamps are great, though you cannot use them in a recipe to get this result:
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| Aubergine Parmigiana |
Title: Made in Italy - fromaggi (cheese)
Date of Issue: 25 March 2011
Country: Italy
Denominations: 4 x 0,60 euro
