High-quality rice attracts gourmets to Icheon amid harvest season

All News 17:11 October 22, 2018

ICHEON, South Korea, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- The city of Icheon in South Korea's Gyeonggi Province is worth a visit to many people fond of high-quality rice amid the harvest season around this time of the year.

Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, has been famous for what is called the best rice in the country.

The Icheon municipal government held an annual festival, themed for the production of its rice and steamed rice, which lasted until Sunday.

People take part in the production of 600-meter-long "garaetteok," a Korean rice cake stick, during the Icheon Rice Culture Festival in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2018. (Yonhap)

This year's Icheon Rice Culture Festival provided visitors with opportunities to not only savor the rice but also to experience the local agricultural practices.

During the festival, they also took part in a variety of events aimed at understanding what Korean traditional culture in an agricultural society is like.

A volunteer dressed in traditional Korean dress poses for a photo during the Icheon Rice Culture Festival in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 20, 2018. (Yonhap)

Historians say that rice farming in Korea dates back to the Bronze Age and that an increase in yields of the grain following the Three Kingdoms (57 B.C.-A.D. 668) helped it become a main staple for Koreans.

The city is endowed with natural surroundings appropriate for the growth of rice, coupled with a good proportion of clay and sand mixes in paddies that contribute to the rice absorbing nutrients.

Longer hours of sunlight in the fall than other regions and a huge daily temperature range also help rice fully ripen.

Icheon rice was highly thought of in the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty so that it used to be served to the dynasty's kings.

King Seongjong, the ninth monarch of the dynasty, has been known to be a big lover of Icheon rice. Historical records say the king ate Icheon rice with gusto on his way back to Seoul after visiting Yeongneung, the tomb of King Sejong, the fourth king of the dynasty, in what is now Yeoju, the neighboring town, and had it included in his everyday diet.

The rice that suited the king's palate was "Jachae Rice," a rice variety grown around the Bokha Stream in the city.

This photo shows a dish of steamed rice on a hot pot, served alongside a variety of Korean side dishes, at a restaurant in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

In the city are 30 big-time restaurants that feature steamed rice dining. A visit to one of them enables a visitor to enjoy steamed rice served on a hot pot and about 20 kinds of side dishes, including Korean "bulgogi" barbecue; "japchae," a dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables; and "jeon" pancakes.

namsh@yna.co.kr
(END)