The most famous national dishes in Asia

Just like their flags, each country has its own national dish – a dish that represents the country as a whole. Some countries have numerous national dishes that come in numerous servings and styles, while others present a simple dish that truly represents their country. As we embark on a quick sojourn with an empty stomach, here are some of the national dishes around Asia.

Sushi - Japan

Without doubt, Sushi is definitely one of the most famous foods to come from Japan. A dish that was born in ancient times, sushi originated from the process of preserving fish in fermented rice. Today it’s made with vinegared rice and fresh fish, presented in a number of ways and shapes.

Banh Mi - Vietnam

Banh mi is a unique French-Vietnamese sandwich that’s great for when you’re in need of a quick meal. Banh mi consists of a toasted baguette sandwich, pickled vegetables, pate, butter, soy sauce, cilantro, chillies, and hot peppers. Most banh mi sellers also offer a wide range of meat fillings, including heo quay (roasted pork belly), trung op la (fried egg), thit nuong (grilled pork loin), cha ca (fried fish with turmeric and dill), cha lua (boiled sausages), xa xiu (Chinese barbecued pork), and thit ga (poached chicken).

Kimchi - South Korea

Kimchi is a spicy Korean side dish created from salted, fermented vegetables, usually cabbage and radishes. It gets its unique kick from a paste made of chili powder, garlic, ginger, red pepper and sugar and its recognizable tang from fish sauce. While you’re probably familiar with the most common version, baechu kimchi, made with napa cabbage, there are actually over 100 different varieties of this classic dish, ranging from kkakdugi (cubed radish), to oi sobagi (cucumber) and gat (mustard leaf).

Pad Thai - Thailand

A staple dish in the Thai cuisine, the Thai-style fried noodles is one of the classic delicacies which is served worldwide. An easy and quick preparation, this generic dish is made with wide noodles, eggs, onion, meat, (usually prawn, which is quite famous in Pattaya) as its base. To add an extra crunch to this delicious meal, crunchy bean sprouts are added.

Dumpling - China

Wontons and dumplings are two similar types of food, which are comprised of a square or round wrapper (a dough skin made of flour and water) and fillings. Wontons can be boiled in a fragrant and watery broth, steamed in a bamboo steamer, or fried in a high-heat wok. Sometimes, wontons are also served with little noodles to make 'wonton noodles'. They are available with a large variety of fillings, such as ground pork, shrimp, fish, mushrooms, and other vegetables.

The stuffing found in dumplings is similar to that of wontons, and the cooking method is similar too.

Read more: Challenge yourself with top 5 Chongqing spicy dishes

Bubble Tea - Taiwan

The thing that you shouldn't miss when traveling in Taiwan is Bubble Tea. It’s so popular that it is now served across the globe and more commonly known as bubble tea or boba tea. Created here in Taiwan, this tapioca ball-filled drink is fast becoming the island’s official drink and with good reason. As far as afternoon snacks go, it takes some beating.

Source Internet

An introduction to Gamcheon Culture Village, South Korea

Gamcheon Culture Village, popularly known as South Korea’s Lego Village, is famed for its art, culture and creative residents. With its maze of winding streets, it’s easy to lose track of where you’re going – but in our opinion, this is no bad thing.

A brief history of Gamcheon Village

Before the 1950’s, Gamcheon was a small village of around 20 houses. By 1951, the small hilltop town had expanded to accommodate over half a million residents – many of whom were refugees fleeing from the Korean war. Soon, the place was burgeoning with shanties made from corrugated tin and planks of wood.

Taegukdo influences

At around the same time, an obscure religion founded by Cho Ch’ŏlje was on the rise. Taegukdo is an amalgamation of several South Korean belief systems, but omits the patriarchal and hierarchical undertones of major religions.

The way houses are scattered along the hill is no accident. Though there appears to be little order to the madness, the houses are situated in such a manner that no one house is blocking any of the others. The planning philosophy is reflected in the one of Taegukdo’s core tenets: that permitting each other to flourish is beneficial to everyone.

Why is Gamcheon so colourful?

One day, Gamcheon’s creative residents launched a public art project and the whole village was drenched in a kaleidoscope of colours. At first, the reception to the village’s bold new look was mixed. Some loved it straight from the get go. Other residents felt self-conscious about what little they had to show off, but soon saw the positives of meeting the curious tourists who wanted to see the village for themselves.

Gamcheon now stands as a hopeful testament to the beauty that comes from diversity. Had the original villagers not welcomed hundreds of thousands of war-torn refugees, the village would look very different to the labyrinthine maze of colours it is today.

See more: Visit Busan, the biggest coastal city in Korea

Source: Internet

How to pronounce Phuket correctly

Often mispronounced, Phuket is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Phuket is made up of the large Island of Phuket plus 32 other small islands and is a very popular destination for beach-goers.

The Right Way to Say Phuket

It may sound like profanity, but many people mistakingly pronounce Phuket as "Fuket." Although this makes sense since in English the letters "p" and "h" next to each other make an "f" sound, this is not the case in the language of Thai. In Thai, when a "p" is followed by an "h" the "h" is silent, so you simply pronounce the "p." Therefore, Phuket is read as "Poo-ket."

Pronouncing Other Thai Words

This same rule applies across the board, so Koh Phi Phi (another island in Thailand) is pronounced "pee pee," not "fee fee." Koh Pha Ngan (the Thai island known for its full moon party) is pronounced "pang gan," not "fang gan."

Other Thai pronunciations are not intuitive for Americans. When you pronounce the letter “r” in the Thai language, you should slightly roll your tongue. The “ng” sound is pronounced the same way in Thai as it is in English, but the difference is that in Thai, it can be used at the beginning of words.

What to Do in Phuket

Now that you know how to say it, you may want to take a trip to Phuket. And it is well worth it. There is a lot more to do on Phuket Island (and those surrounding) than just relax on the sand. The top things to do in Phuket include exploring the greenery of Phuket via the zip line tours the Flying Hanuman company offers and strolling around the Portuguese colonial-style Phuket Town's museums, boutiques, and coffee shops.

Phuket is lush and green. Your list of things to do will include visiting the dense, jungle interior's amazing waterfalls. Phuket is home to too many waterfalls to count, but its most famous include Bang Pae, Ton Sai, and Kathu. You could combine these waterfalls with the Flying Hanuman zip line adventure, or hire a taxi driver for the day in order to try and see as many as possible.

You can't miss "Big Buddha Phuket," seated high atop a hill in the southwestern corner of the island. In addition to the 150-foot tall marble statue itself, the viewpoint offers one of the island's most astounding panoramas, whether you come during the day or stay until sunset.

See more: Discover interesting spots from Phuket, Thailand

Source: Internet