Korean Food Series

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/

Germany 2012 New Issues

Happy New year to everyone!

In this post I will insert images of recent stamp issues from Germany. By clicking on the link below the picture you will be redirected to a short description of the items, similar to what I have done before on this blog. Enjoy!

January 2, 2012 Nationalpark Jasmund

http://douspeakgerman.blogspot.com/2012/01/serie-post-winterferien-in-deutschland.html

http://douspeakgerman.blogspot.com/2012/01/350-geburtstag-matthaus-poppelmann.html

Happy New Year

I wish all my stamp collecting friends a Happy New Year. 

May all your wishes come true and your collections become great! 

Cover from Bangladesh

I received today this wonderful cover from a friend in Bangladesh. You can´t see on it any marking because this picture was made before she sent it :)

To mark the 150th Birth Anniversary of Tagore India, Srilanka and Bangladesh issued commemorative postage stamps on 7 May 2011. On this blog you can see more about Rabindranath Tagore stamps. 

The 3 roses were issued on 11th february 2010 and are part of a set of 13 stamps. See them all here:

http://newissue.allaboutstamp.com/images/asia/1/128s.jpg

The other 2 stamps illustrate Coins of Independent Sultans of Bengal (1st series) issued on 21 July 2011.

Not too much info on the Internet about these items :(

Railways from Brasil

I can´t wait to get these stamps from Timothy :)
So, here it is my post for Viridian´s Sunday Stamps: Brasil 2007, Transportation.

The first stamp 1,40BRL shows a subway train from the Historical Heritage Department Train Museum.

The second one, 1,45 BRL illustrates the "Baroneza" locomotive. The "Baroness" was the first steam locomotive in Brazil and transformed into unique cultural monument by the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage, first circulated in April 30, 1854, attended the Imperial entourage when it opened EF Petropolis a stretch of 14.5 km between Maud and Fragoso, founded by Irenaeus Evangelista de Souza, Viscount and Baron of Maua.

The last one 1,60BRL is The Bonde de Santa Teresa Tram The Santa Teresa Tram is a historic tram line in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, connecting the city centre with the primarily residential, inner-city neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, in the hills immediately southwest of downtown. It is currently maintained mainly as a tourist attraction, and is nowadays considered a heritage tramway system, having been designated a national historic monument in 1988.

Title: Transportation
Date of Issue: July 6, 2007
Country: Brazil

Source: http://www.wnsstamps.ch/en/stamps/BR027.07
Denominations: 1,40 1,45 and 1,60 BRL

South Africa 1983 Locomotives

I have chosen for today Steam Locomotives from South Africa. These stamps were issued in 1983.

Due to lack of time and because I don´t want anyone to get bored with details, I am only leaving here a link to a comprehensive website, where those interested can find out more about these stamps and South African locomotives in general:
http://steam-locomotives-south-africa.blogspot.com.

Enjoy!

JORDAN TOURISM 2010

Today I have received some beautiful stamps from Jordan. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing control of the Dead Sea. Over half of Jordan is covered by the Arabian Desert. However, the western part of Jordan consists of arable land and forests.The capital city is Amman.
My stamps come from Abu Nusair. Yes, there are also railways, as you will see in another post, but I thought to share some other stamps too. The issue consists of 4 variation and a miniature sheet about touristic destinations, more exactly ruins of ancient cities and places. Fascinating.

So let´s see in more detail what we have here:
10 p.stamp shows Ajlun Castle
The marvels of nature and the genius of medieval Arab military architecture have given northern Jordan two of the most important ecological and historical attractions in the Middle East: the sprawling pine forests of the Ajlun-Dibbine area, and the towering Ayyubid castle at Ajlun, which helped defeat the Crusaders eight centuries ago.
Ajlun Castle (Qal'at Ar-Rabad) was built by one of Saladin's generals in 1184 AD to control the iron mines of Ajlun, and to deter the Franks from invading Ajlun. Ajlun Castle dominated the three main routes leading to the Jordan Valley and protected the trade and commercial routes between Jordan and Syria; it became an important link in the defensive chain against the Crusaders, who, unsuccessfully spent decades trying to capture the castle and the nearby village.


20 p.stamp shows Amman
Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the World. The city's modern buildings blend with the remnants of ancient civilizations. The profusion of gleaming white houses, kebab stalls with roasting meat, and tiny cafes where rich Arabian coffee is sipped in the afternoon sunshine, conjure a mood straight from a thousand and one nights.
Recent excavations have uncovered homes and towers believed to have been built during the Stone Age with many references to it in the Bible.
The stamp illustrates some ruins found at the Citadel, I think.

30 p. stamp shows Karak
Karak Castle is a dark maze of stone-vaulted halls and endless passageways. The best preserved are underground and can be reached via a massive door. More imposing than beautiful, the castle is nevertheless an impressive insight into the architectural military genius of the Crusaders.
With some care, you can walk along the crenellated top of the West Front wall and admire the sweeping view. On clear days, you can look across the Dead Sea and see all the way to the Mount of Olives bordering Jerusalem.

40 p. stamps shows Showbak
A lonely reminder of former Crusader glory is Showbak Castle. Once called "Mont Real," Showbak dates from the same turbulent period as Karak. It is perched on the side of a mountain, with a grand sweep of fruit trees below. The castle's exterior is impressive, with a foreboding gate and encircling triple wall. Despite the precautions of its builder, the fortress fell to Saladin only 75 years after it was raised. Inscriptions by his proud successors appear on the castle wall.


50 p. block shows Jerash (Hadrian´s Arch)
Located 48 km north of Amman and nestled in a quiet valley among the mountains of Gilead, is the grandeur of Imperial Rome being one of the largest and most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the World outside Italy. To this day, its paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theaters, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates remain in exceptional condition. Hadrian's Arch was built in 129 AD to mark Emperor Hadrian's visit, this was intended to become the new southern gate of the city. The Crusaders described Jerash as uninhabited, and it remained abandoned until its rediscovery in 1806, when Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, a German traveler, came across and recognized a small part of the ruins. The ancient city was buried in sand, which accounts for its remarkable preservation. It has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations, which started in 1925, and continue to this day.

 

Title: Tourism Sites
Date of Issue: December 3, 2010
Country: Jordan

Source: http://www.jordanpost.com.jo
Denominations: 10,20,30,40 and 50 piasters