South Korea's All Dishes Complementary Drink, Soju! Do You Know The Facts?

Illustration of drinking soju (Unsplash / The Creativv)

JAKARTA - South Korea is not only known for Kpop and Kdrama. What is currently ruling is the spread of its culture, experiencing various acculturations, including in the archipelago.

The culture, starting from how to dress, how to do make-up, especially the dishes and drinks are also known to be close.

Soju is one of the drinks reported by Go! Go! Hanguk had the highest sales figures. In 2018 Jiro Soju sold 75 million one-liter packs, this figure shows that soju is truly a worldwide trend.

Although it doesn't get the recognition like whiskey or gin, soju still occupies the highest number of drinks in the country, South Korea.

In terms of taste, it may be less fancy than wine, whiskey or sake. However, this drink is still accepted and drunk in sufficient portions. Accompanying dishes served at typical South Korean restaurants. Soju, in general, has a soft taste. Similar to vodka but thinner and sweeter.

Made from rice and other grains, production was banned in 1965. This ban was due to a shortage of staple food in the form of rice. So that the fermentation process in the processing of soju had to be stopped.

In the soju fermentation process mix distilled ethanol obtained from sweet potato starch.

Since there are various brands of soju in South Korea, the combination of the two main ingredients influences the taste of each brand.

There have also been attempts to make soju more popular by making it into various flavors. From blueberries to grapefruit and pomegranates. However, the original and pure taste is still the most preferred.

Besides accompanying meals, soju is also considered a 'social drink'. Drink with several people while relaxing after activities. Of course, the tradition of drinking soju in South Korea is close to the daily stories of local people.

The half alcohol content of whiskey, tequila and vodka makes soju drinkable while playing group games. Most popular of all, the game drops a bottle cap by throwing a coin right at it.

There are also those who mix soju with maekju, the name of beer in Korean. This drinking tradition is the equivalent of the South Korean work ethic. The proof, industries in various global fields such as music, film, beauty, technology and so on.

The tradition of drinking soju does not force anyone who is not a drinker to drink it. This is the principle for South Koreans. Stay behave, maintain your speech and attitude while enjoying a meal with a bottle of soju at a simple restaurant table.