A small Korea comes to Silivri

The Kims grow the vegetables they need for Korean cuisine on their 9,000-square-meter piece of land in the Silivri district. We were guests at the Gaya farm in Fenerköy last Sunday where we listened to the tale of the 20-year Turkish adventure of the Kim family.

 Kim and his wife, Yasemin Li, have lived in İstanbul for 20 years. They have three children from their 27-year marriage. Their youngest daughter Eunna studies in İstanbul University's German language and literature department. Their older daughter and son have long since started on their own careers. As a family, they have slowly put their roots down here, with a restaurant in Taksim and a summer home in Silivri. Kim originally came to Turkey for business, working in several different sectors such as textiles, machinery and electronics. He currently runs the Korean Trade Center. Medium and small-scale businesses from South Korea that are interested in doing business in Turkey apply through Kim and receive consulting services from him. But that's not all; Kim is also the president of the Association of Koreans in İstanbul. There are currently between 400 and 500 Korean families living in Turkey. Some of them are here for official reasons, others are here for trade purposes, and they all maintain ties through this association. Of course, Kim's official job is something different altogether: He is the president of Korean Airlines in Turkey. He has held this position for three years now and is trying to increase the flow of tourist traffic between the two nations. He has been quite successful in this respect.

Kim's tireless promotion efforts in the name of South Korea have earned many expressions of gratitude from top officials of the South Korean state. The most recent important South Korean official to visit Turkey was hosted by Kim at his restaurant, Gaya. This restaurant is Kim's newest business venture, opening two years ago. Although there has been a lot of interest shown in Turkey for cuisines from the Far East, less is known about Korean cuisine than many of the other cuisines from the region. With about half of its customer base made up Turks, Gaya is attracting people with a taste for bibimbap (rice with mixed vegetables), “kimchi,” (a general name for a pickled, spiced vegetable dish) and other traditional Korean foods. Yasemin Li dreams of one day seeing lines of people waiting for their bibimbap, the same way they do in London. Yasemin Li is quite a well-known author in Korea, with two books on places to see in Turkey. Her book is a must-read for many Koreans visiting the country.

20 types of vegetables, 50 types of trees

So let us turn our attention to the small Korean republic that has popped up in Silivri. Kim notes that he bought the farm in Silivri in order grow the vegetables he really needed for the traditional Korean dishes to be served at his restaurant. The Gaya farm is located on the Silivri-Fenerköy road on a 9,000-square-meter piece of land. Now, you may be wondering why both the farm and the restaurant in Taksim are named “Gaya.” If so, let us explain: “Gaya” was the name of an old empire that ruled in the land where Kim was born and spent his childhood years.

 Kim has built a large orange-colored home in the center of the farm. Koreans love bright, lively colors, using and wearing tones such as fuchsia, coral and bright orange in their daily lives. They are not hung up on black the way Turks are. For example, wandering around the open fish markets in Seoul, you are likely to see the men working there dressed in bright pink aprons; this would not be at all unusual for them.

But the real home of the Kim family is actually in Şişli. They go to Fenerköy only on the weekends, though they have assistants who help to take care of the home and the gardens during the week. Yasemin Li is very careful about the planting and tending of the vegetables here. We arrived at the farm at around 9:30 a.m., but Yasemin Li was up and clearing wild grass from around the crops long before we got there. There are 20 different kinds of typically Korean vegetables planted here. The seeds were all brought from Korea. Their first real harvest was last year; they got 70 kilograms of soybeans. Yasemin Li hopes to collect 200 kilos of soybeans in next year's harvest. We also see vegetables such as red Korean cabbage, Korean spinach, buchu (a type of onion), manul (which is somewhat like garlic) and chicory all growing in this Korean garden-farm in Silivri.

They also grow the plant used to make wasabi. Wasabi is, of course, a famously hot paste often used in Far Eastern cuisine. As for the vegetable called buchu, it looks like chives. As it gets larger, its green leaves are cut with a knife so that it continues to grow. It can be eaten raw and is also used to make buchu sauce, which can be a little hot. Kim mixes this sauce into the Korean dish mandu, which they serve us while we sit in the garden. This sauce is also known to cleanse the blood. As for chicory, this is used in hot Korean vegetable dishes.

It should also be noted that sesame oil is the preferred oil of Korean dishes. Koreans use sesame oil the way we use other oils. In fact, sesame leaves are even used to wrap meat when Koreans barbeque because of the delicious aroma given off by the sesame. But the sesame trees that Kim has carefully planted around the borders of his garden in Silivri have not yet grown tall.

One of the most important vegetables in Korean cuisine is the Korean turnip, also called the Japanese turnip by some. This turnip is used in kimchi. As for Korean spinach, this is used for salads. Another vegetable is Korean red cabbage, which is used in salads. It is also used to wrap meats in, similar to the way Turks use lavash. As for manul, think of this as a kind of garlic. It is pickled or eaten raw and is always served with hot meals. Kim also brought 100 walnut saplings from Korea to plant here, and he tells us they are different from the type of walnut you find in Turkey but that they have not yet grown tall, either.

Interestingly, many of the Koreans who are in Turkey for work come to play golf at the Klassis Hotel near the Kims' farm in Silivri. Golf is a very important and much loved sport for many Koreans; this is clearly demonstrated by the enormous expanse of golf courses in the center of the South Korean capital, Seoul. In any case, many of the businessmen who come to Klassis to play golf also stop at the Gaya farm to chat and pick up some of the vegetables they miss from home.

2010 also an important year for South Korea

Just as 2010 is set to be a very important year for İstanbul, as a European Capital of Culture, the same can be said for Korea. This is because in 2010 South Korea is set to be the focus of a special United Nations-backed project to increase the flow of world tourism towards certain countries. It is South Korea's turn for this attention in 2010, and in fact Kim and the Seoul Tourism Organization organized a special tour two weeks ago which included visits to Seoul and Beijing to promote the project. The tour group flew with Korean Airlines and the first stop was Beijing. Of course, just one day in Beijing was not really enough for this incredible city, but we can say that the tea ceremony we were treated to while there was enough of a reason in itself to return.

The second stop on the tour was Seoul, one of the world's most expensive cities. There are two features in particular that remain in the mind from Seoul: the fish markets in the middle of the city and the unforgettably beautiful temples. The fish markets in Seoul are simply not to be missed if you make it there. The sheer variety of fish will astound you and as you look around the city you will be overwhelmed by the colors of the temples that make Seoul so beautiful. Another detail that struck us was the white gloves used by taxi drivers here. Apparently, taxi drivers wear these to avoid getting a “laborer's tan.” This seemed a bit strange to us, but it is an old and noble tradition for Koreans. If you are planning on heading to this region in 2010, try to visit in the spring months of April and May. During these months, you are also guaranteed to see stunningly gorgeous flowers covering the trees. As it turns out, there are more than enough reasons to get yourself on a plane and head for lands like South Korea, which you may have never set eyes on before. 

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Soybeans, indispensable for Koreans

The soybean is a crucial element of Far Eastern cuisine. In fact, in Korea it is present at the table at almost every meal. It is used in both dishes and sauces. There are two kinds of soybeans, light and dark, though people say the darker ones are better for you. There are more than 20 different Korean dishes that can be cooked using soybeans. The countries that consume the most soybeans are China, Japan and South Korea. Last year, representatives from the American Soybean Association came to Turkey and even consulted with Kim on how the level of soybean consumption in Turkey might be raised. Tofu is one well-known food made from soybeans. Its color and texture makes it look like white cheese. Tofu can be an important source of protein for those who do not eat meat or those on strict diets. In Korea, tofu is also called “shepherd's meat” or “Buddhist food” because those are two groups of people who usually do not consume meat. Yasemin Li explains that their restaurant needs 50 kilograms of soybeans a month for its tofu. The Kims had to import soybeans at the start of their enterprise since soybeans are not grown as a crop in Turkey, but they decided to make growing their own soybeans a priority in their new garden since the imported soybeans simply did not have the flavor and freshness they were looking for.

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Making tofu

The soybeans must sit in water for at least 12 hours, but no more than 24. Then they are strained and removed from their pods. Removing their pods is easy after they have been soaked in water. The beans are then mashed in machine somewhat like a blender; however, this is a unique machine as there is a special kind of stone inside it. The machine can be purchased in Korea. Later, the mashed beans are placed in a pot. Water is added and then the mixture is slowly cooked. The mixture is then passed through a strainer. Later salt and vinegar are added, and the mixture starts to thicken. The real thickening occurs about two to three hours later. Different nations like their tofu cooked differently. The Chinese, for example, like harder tofu and they cook it a bit longer to increase its thickness. The Japanese like their tofu soft, and they boil it for only a short time. As for the Koreans, they like theirs somewhere in the middle, neither too hard nor too soft.

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A symbol of wealth

We notice some enormous earthenware jars as we walk around the Kims' garden. It turns out that these jars are for soy paste and that the classic Korean food kimchi used to be made in these types of jars. In Korea they are considered a symbol of wealth, and a home is considered to be as rich as the number of earthenware jars it has.

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Korean mandu with carrots

After we tour their home, Kim and his wife offer us some delicious Korean mandu. This mandu is made from dough and contains carrots, mushrooms, chives, garlic, ground beef, tofu, kimchi and potatoes. There is also, of course, sesame oil in it.

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Rice with mixed vegetables: bibimbap

This dish features a rich variety of vegetables such as soybeans, cucumbers and even pumpkin, mixed together with boiled rice. There is also hot sauce mixed into it. You can order this dish at Gaya if you are curious about it.

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A 2,000-year-old Korean soup: doenjang jjigae