[Hallyupedia] Minari(미나리)

Minari

[ENG] Water parsley, water celery, water dropwort

▲ Minari

Minari is a perennial plant grown mainly in East Asia, such as Korea, China, and Japan. It is 20 to 50cm long and is mainly harvested during winter and spring. It is used as an ingredient in a variety of foods especially among Koreans.

Minari is immune to insects and diseases, so it grows well in dirty water and has excellent water purification abilities. It is also known to have the ability to purify and detoxify wastes in the body.

▲ Korean Culture and Minari 

Due to its distinctive scent, some countries in East Asia use Minari for food. In Korea, it is usually seasoned with vegetables or added to broths with fish in order to remove the fishy taste. It can be seen as a 'herb' or 'cilantro' in Korean cuisine. It can also be used as a garnish after removing the leaves, which is similar to herbs.

Minari is Korea's representative food ingredient in the spring. Some of the dishes using Minari are: Minari kimchi, Minari salad, Minari bibimbap, Minari pancake, Minari and Beef Ties, and Puffer Fish Stew.

▲ Minari in Puffer Fish Stew

It is known to taste good when eaten with Korean pork belly(Samgyeopsal), one of the representative foods of Korea. There are Koreans who enjoy the delicacy of rolling raw Minari in grilled pork belly. 

Minari is a vegetable that Koreans have long enjoyed eating. According to history, it was widely cultivated from the Goryeo Dynasty period (918-1392). During the Joseon Dynasty era (1392-1910) it was recorded that Minari was grown in ponds from house to house in Hanyang, the capital of the kingdom and Kaesong. Minari has historically been used in Joseon royal cuisine as well.

▲ Minari with Korean pork belly(Samgyeopsal)

▲ Recent Issue : the movie 'Minari'

The reason why Minari attracted worldwide attention was due to the movie 'Minari', which was first released at the Sundance Film Festival last year. The film deals with the process of Korean immigrant families settling down in the U.S. in the 1980s. Written and directed by Lee Isaac Jung, a Korean-American,  the film won the Grand Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

▲ The movie 'Minari'

The title of the movie 'Minari' compares the characteristics of the water parsley that grows well anywhere tf a family o the appearance oof Korean immigrants. When director Chung's family immigrated and settled, his grandmother planted Minari seeds, and he chose it as the title of the movie because he felt that Minari resembled a family who settles down in a foreign land.

The film has received rave reviews from the U.S. media and critics, and is expected to be a strong candidate for this year's Academy Awards even before its official release. Some people say that it is a work that will succeed director Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite'.

▲ Actress Youn Yuh-jung

Actress Youn Yuh-jung, who played a supporting role in the film, captured the U.S. film industry by achieving a feat of 13 wins in the U.S. acting award. She plays Soon-ja, a Korean grandmother who lives in the U.S. to take care of her young grandchildren at the request of her daughter Monica (Han Ye-ri) and her son-in-law Jacob (Steven Yeon).

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