Now I know what you’re thinking. What’s the “Aussie” Bush Food Forager doing writing about foraging outside of Australia? The facts are simple. In order to balance a harmonious marriage, I need to occasionally frequent the hometown of Mrs. Bush Food Forager, which happens to be Busan, South Korea. It has been 5 years since I was there last (October 2019); this trip has been a long time coming.
My interest in foraging commenced in 2020 as something of a recovery of long-lost childhood reminiscence and a necessary life pivot at the time of my full awakening of the fact that government isn’t in the slightest what they say it is, and I better prepare myself to greater self sufficiency. That is to say that in not a single one of my previous trips to South Korea, a country I have visited regularly since my wedding there in 2010, did I express even a passing interest in wild food foraging, although I was and am aware of the extensive foraging culture that still exists in rural Korea, whether it is hunting for wild pine mushrooms, mountain ginseng, gingko nuts or all the old, poor-looking grandmothers sitting in the gutter selling foraged roots, shoots, fruit and greens, an ubiquitous feature of Korea’s marketplaces.
My primary purpose in visiting Korea in 2024 was, sadly, not for the foraging experience. Foraging was only ancillary; my wife is chronically ill and she wished to undergo a long course of traditional Korean medicine; her almost daily acupuncture and herbal sessions were further bulwarked with a dedicated healing retreat held in the truly picturesque surrounds of Mount Seorak National Park. As a result, far less material was collected and experienced in my 7 week break than otherwise could have been if we had been able to more freely wander Korea’s pine forest-studded mountains, crisp spring-watered valleys and everything in between, forever on the hunt for that next tasty, or weird, morsel!
So, armed with new eyes and increased knowledge, this year’s Korean journey was a fresh re-examination as to whether this Aussie Bush Food Forager could wholly or partially transfer his knowledge to another, far distant continent. This is the chronicle of that expedition, and I am rather pleased with the results!
Dandelions with three different interpretations of how to grow their leaves (against the same wall)! It is very difficult for me to tell if these are native dandelions (Taraxacum mongolicum; Korean: 민들래 mindeullae) or common ("Western") dandelions (Taraxacum officinale; Korean: 서양민들래 seoyang mindeullae). Dandelion greens are bitter and distasteful to the modern palate, but make good nutritious greens in salads (especially with an acid, like lemon or lime juice). I have made dandelion kimchi before, which was fantastic because much of the bitterness leaches out. Dandelion roots are also edible raw or roasted (peel to remove the bitterness), and dandelion is packed full of hepatoprotective (liver-protecting) medicinal compounds, making it an excellent choice for those trying to recover from alcoholism, hangovers or allopathic medicines which ruin liver health. In fact, severe liver disease can be reversed with a careful preparation of dandelion root and milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed extract.
Korean raspberry (Rubus crataegifolius; Korean: 산딸기 san ddalgi) was sadly out of season, but my eagle-eye familiarity with Australia's seven native raspberries allowed me to identify the spiky vines growing in the forest rather easily. Raspberry/blackberry season is midsummer, but I managed to find one dried fruit which had escaped the birds and Korean foragers alike! Korea also has a black raspberry (Rubus coreanus; Korean: 복분자 bokbunja) which I did not locate on this particular expedition.
Chinese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis; Korean: 모과 mogwa) is one of the largest native fruits in Korea. Extremely astringent and impossible to eat raw, the fruits find use in quince tea (Korean: 모과차 mogwa cha), which is very fragrant and delicious. Quinces can also be slow-poached as per the western tradition, to make pies, pastries, tarts and jams, although this usage in Korea is rare to nonexistent. Colloquially, the fruits are frequently used as air fresheners. Simply score the skin a few times with a knife and leave the fruit in a room you want scented with their delightful, pear-like fragrance; they will last for months before they eventually turn black and rot. Quinces are best harvested from the tree after the first or second frost of winter to lessen their astringency. Note: this species is different from the European quince (Cydonia oblonga) and a related Asian quince (Chaenomeles speciosa). They all look similar but these are much larger, both as trees and fruit.
Crab apples (probably Malus floribunda, but also possibly M. spectabilis or M. baccata)! They don't look like crabs; they don't taste like apples! Simply called "flower apples" (꽃사과 ggot sagwa) in Korean, crab apples are astringent and best poached for a long time to bring the best of their flavours into play. Most people just enjoy their showy pink spring flower display and leave the fruits to rot over winter.
It was too late to get acorns (Quercus species; Korean: 도토리 dotori) as the worms and chipmunks had gotten to them all already! Korea has at least six species of oak, including the massive-leaved emperor oak (Quercus dentata, left); these wild forest acorns are probably from a sawtooth oak (Q. acutissima, centre and right). Acorn starch is still a regular component of the Korean diet, usually eaten as a brown jelly (도토리묵 dotori muk). It takes several days and multiple changes of water to extract (and discard) the bitter tannins from the edible acorn starch, a process usually too bothersome for busy western cuisine, but not so in the east!
Ah, more poisonous red berries, right? Well, in this case, YES! This is an Asian relative of holly, Japanese winterberry (Ilex serrata; Korean: 낙상홍 naksanghong). The red fruits are merely an ornamental to bring colour in the bleak, white winters of Korea. Like Christmas holly (Ilex aquifolium) of European fame, the fruits are intensely bitter, a sure warning of their toxicity. But it is a good reminder that not everything out there is edible!
Wow, a sarsaparilla (Smilax china; Korean: 청미래덩글 cheongmirae deonggeul)! I was hoping to find these and I was not disappointed! I was only disappointed by the lack of flavour, at least compared to Australia's sweet sarsaparilla (S. glygiphylla). I brewed a cup of tea from the leaves and it was ordinary. However, the bright red fruit made a tangy and colourful hot beverage. I shall have to return to Korea in spring to have a go at the fresh sarsaparilla shoots, which are excellent raw or lightly poached and then tossed into a salad. And I still haven't extracted a sarsaparilla root (the prized part used in Chinese/Korean herbal medicine) because they're a lot of work and mess to dig up!
The loquats (Eriobotrya japonica; Korean: 비파 나무 bipa namu) were blooming, but it would not be a while until fruit set (here in Australia, loquats flower in winter and fruits ripen in early spring). These temperate, cool-clime loving trees have apricot-like fruits which are quite pleasant, but never last long, either on the tree or after picking. They can be dried for later use and make good jams, smoothies and icecream.
The common reed (Phragmites communis; Korean: 갈대 galdae) makes a spectacular sight while seeding in the fall. Koreans do actually collect the seeds from this plant, a task made all the more difficult by its muddy, swamp-loving habits. The harvested seeds are used as a tea. Another tall Asian grass similarly stunning in the fall is silver grass (Miscanthus sinensis, not photographed; Korean: 억새 eokse), which prefers moist (but not muddy) mountainous/sloped soils and situations.
This was possibly a rather spent porcelain vine (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata or A. glandulosa; Korean: 털개머루 teolgae meoru), a type of colourful, native Asian wild grape which is an invasive weed in the USA, but with the fruits all dried up and the leaves ready to fall off, as well as being situated at the top of a 4m high wall, it was difficult to fully identify. Korea, like Japan, holds grapes (Korean: 포도 podo) for eating in high esteem, with famous cultivars including "Geobong" (the same as Japanese "Kyoho"), "Meoru" (Muscat Bailey) and the incredible, giant green seedless (delicious but expensive) Shine Muscat.
Cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides; Korean: 치자 chija) has beautiful sprays of white flowers in the summer, obviously far too late for me, but the fruits were present. The petals of the fragrant flowers are used in tea, but it is different to the jasmine (Jasminium species) used in Chinese jasmine tea. The fruits are inedible, unlike some other Gardenias, but do have significant medicinal properties and also contain amounts of crocetin, the yellow dye of saffron (Crocus sativus) fame.
It was clear this was some kind of rosehip at first inspection of the plant: thorns, rose-like leaves; rosehip-shaped fruit. They turned out to be Korea's beach rose (Rosa rugosa; Korean: 해당화 haedanghwa), for which there is a famous Korean song written (Youtube example and translation included below). These rosehips were absolutely delicious: soft, juicy, tangy, flavourful. Yet everyone looked at me as if *I* were the weirdo eating them. Many rosehips make excellent jam; just make sure to halve each fruit and carefully scoop out the hairy seeds in the middle before you cook them.
해당화 Beach Rose
바닷가 모래 위 해당화 Beach rose on the sand by the sea,
언제부터 꽃을 피웠나 When did it start to bloom?
바다 바람에 몸이 날려도 Even if your body is blown away by the sea breeze,
고운 꽃을 지켜냈구나 You've protected the beautiful flowers.
고단한 하루에 굽은 어깨 Hunched shoulders after a hard day,
늘 말없이 미소만 짓던 Always smiling without saying a word,
힘든 삶에도 나를 지키시던 You kept me even in a difficult life,
애틋한 눈길 잊지못해 I can't forget your sad gaze.
모래바람에 거친 줄기에도 Even in the sand, wind and thorny stems,
분홍으로 피어난 꽃이 The pink flower blooms.
이 바닷가를 물들이는 밤 The night that colors this beach,
그 사랑이 눈물겹네 That love brings tears to my eyes.
무거운 몸에도 말없이 Even with a heavy body, without saying a word,
따뜻하게 품어주시던 He embraced me warmly,
열이 나 아프던 그 어느밤 One night when I had a fever and got sick,
봄바람이 되어준 그 손 The hand that became the spring breeze.
고단한 하루에 굽은 어깨 Hunched shoulders after a hard day,
늘 말없이 미소만 짓던 Always smiling without saying a word,
힘든 삶에도 나를 지키시던 You kept me even in a difficult life,
애틋한 눈길 잊지못해 I can't forget your sad gaze.
모래바람에 거친 줄기에도 Even in the sand, wind and thorny stems,
분홍으로 피어난 꽃이 The pink flower blooms.
이 바닷가를 물들이는 밤 The night that colors this beach,
그 사랑이 눈물겹네 That love brings tears to my eyes.
구름이 되어 하늘이 되어 Becoming the clouds and becoming the sky,
편안하게 날아가세요 Please fly comfortably.
별이 눈 뜬 오늘 밤에도 Even tonight when the stars wake up,
꿈이 되어 찾아오세요 Come to us as a dream.
함께 꿈을 꾸어주세요 Let's dream together.
Overall, how would I summarise this expedition? As a moderately experienced Australian forager, there are certain points of applicability in an unfamiliar international context. Firstly, some forage items, particularly universally available edible weeds like plantain, dandelion, wild brassicas, etc., can be found and foraged whenever and wherever they are found. Common fruits and vegetables, which may grow wild in countries outside of Australia, also become reliable items of forage: pumpkins, quince, persimmon, apples, raspberries, melons, gourds, etc.
However, there are a very great number of local items, particularly the cooked green vegetables (Korean: 나믈 namul) widely used in Korean cuisine; one foraging book covered 334 of them! There’s no way I can identify them all without the extra help. There are exotic roots/tubers, fruit and, most cautious of all, mushrooms, that require careful identification to avoid mishap. Fortunately, local foraging guides and, more importantly, local foragers (such as my mother-in-law), all have important roles to play to ensure correct identification of new and interesting foods whilst away from home. I do urge care, however, when foraging internationally: emergency health care for a chance poisoning can be incredibly expensive for foreigners in most countries, even with travel insurance.
A selection of Korean-language foraging guides which I consulted to identify new and interesting wild foods. Despite only having beginner Korean fluency, scientific (Latin) nomenclature and ample photography made navigating these books an easy task. I learned that the Korean word 식용 (shikyong) means edible and 약용 (yakyong) means medicinal!
Now I did miss out on a few things I was hoping to find on this particular trip, either because of my inexperience as a Korean wild food forager, or because of limitations of season and/or location. Some of those were wild licorice (Glycyrriza uralensis); Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng); Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus); goji berry (Lycium chinense); lantern berry (Physalis alkekengi); jujube (Ziziphus jujuba); Schisandra berry or omija (Schisandra chinensis); Korean blackberry (Rubus coreanus); bellflower root (Platycodon gradiflorus); angelica tree (Aralia elata); Siberian ramps (Allium microdictyon); Sichuan pepper (Zanthoxylum schinifolium) and a variety of common edible Korean mushrooms like wild pine mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake), Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus), wood ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) and red reishi (Ganoderma species). So these remain for future foraging journeys in Asia’s most coveted peninsula, where I will no doubt return in the future.
I shall, as usual, close with a few random scenic snaps and flower pron.
Your knowledge of plants - wherever they are located - and their edibility is truly impressive.
I live in an apartment complex near the Cook's River whose gardens some of the residents have become much more active in, one reason being that two residents in particular are keen gardeners and the other that our prior strata chairman was a complete crook (our apartments were featured on a 4 Corners program on strata corruption) and we need to economise on expenses because things have been left in such a shambles. One of the herbs a resident wishes to grow is the perilla you mention. She has no Korean background but her mother and mother-in-law are both Korean soap opera aficionados and have an interest in things Korean. I will pass your post on to our gardening club.
I hope your wife's health is better, JP.
Your knowledge of plants - wherever they are located - and their edibility is truly impressive.
I live in an apartment complex near the Cook's River whose gardens some of the residents have become much more active in, one reason being that two residents in particular are keen gardeners and the other that our prior strata chairman was a complete crook (our apartments were featured on a 4 Corners program on strata corruption) and we need to economise on expenses because things have been left in such a shambles. One of the herbs a resident wishes to grow is the perilla you mention. She has no Korean background but her mother and mother-in-law are both Korean soap opera aficionados and have an interest in things Korean. I will pass your post on to our gardening club.
That's one seriously hairy plantain, and plenty of weeds I've never seen. (By the way, the whole post emailed successfully to the Protonmail account).