www.chinaview.cn 2008-06-18 10:00:35BEIJING, June 18 -- A saying goes, ginseng helps South Korean football players perform the best in Asia. The turnip-like plant is deeply rooted in the daily lives of Korean people. They worship it, plant it, and make ginseng into various products.
During a recent trip to South Korea I witnessed the power of this magic plant.
As we drive along the Geumsan highway in southwestern South Korea, all I see are black shelters - everywhere. They are scattered among rice fields and at the foot of the small hills. With rooftops tilted away from the rising sun in the west, the shelters form a stark contrast with their lush green surroundings.
"They are ginseng fields," says Kim Jihyun, a tour guide from the Korea Tourism Organization. "We Koreans started to eat ginseng when we were young."
"Wooooh, won't your nose bleed?" I ask. In my mind, only weak people or those in recovery from major surgery are sometimes encouraged to take slices of ginseng - but not too much. Otherwise, it may cause side effects, which can sometimes be fatal even though ginseng is believed to be a medicine and tonic for long life.
"Not really, you must be thinking of wild ginseng," Kim says. "The cultivated ginseng here is mild and healthy," she adds.
Koreans began growing ginseng some 1,500 years ago. According to legend, a young man surnamed Jiang was filial to his mother. He was so distraught when his mother was dying that he began praying every day. One day he had a dream where a white-bearded divine told him to find a plant in the forest in the mountain. The higher power told him the root would be able to save his mother.
The next day he trekked to the mountain and discovered the plant. He boiled the root and gave it to his mother. His mother's condition began improving after drinking the water. So, the young man began to grow the plant. And, others followed suit. They soon adored the plant for its magic power and the symbolic gesture it symbolized of a son's love for his mother.
"Growing ginseng needs patience," says Lee Ok-Hee, a woman in her late 50s. She and her husband Kim Sam Bea have more than a hectare of ginseng. "The cost is also huge, so is the risk," she says. "It usually takes six years to get the best roots. After the harvest, the land has to rest for four years before another planting. If any natural disaster were to come, it would all be lost."
Lee and her husband have been growing ginseng for 30 years. Lee says she takes care of the plants every day.
"I treat them like my children," she says. It's said the plant is very smart, and is able to recognize the footfall of its owners. Ginseng is very picky with its growing environment - not too much noise, not too hot, not too cold, not too wet and not too dry."
Kim Sam Bea digs out a ginseng plant from his field. The green leaves are oval shaped, and each consists of five leaflets. The fleshy root is about 40 cm long and slender, resembling the shape of a human body with two legs.
"This is a four-year-old plant," Lee says. "We will wait for another two years to get the best ones."
She says she expects to get 75,000 grams of ginseng from her 1,000-sq-m field.
The total ginsenoside content of a six-year-old root varies between 0.7 and 3 percent.
According to Lee, 85 percent of her 50 neighbors in Hongtao village grow ginseng. The rest harvest rice and strawberries.
The Kim family also owns a workshop, where they process and make red ginseng.
Every five days in Geumsan, there is a trading fair, where people trade ginseng for cash.
"The mini-van of the local bank park just by the market waiting for loading money," Kim says. "The daily income reaches $507,000."
In early September every year, there is also a ginseng festival held in Geumsan. During the 10-day festival, there are all kinds of ginseng on sale, including fresh, white and red ginseng. There are also various ginseng products, including ginseng candies and wines.
"People here are quite rich," she says. "They also live longer because they benefit from the smell of ginseng."
The most popular dishes in South Korea contain ginseng. In Geumsan alone, there are regular courses in local communities that teach housewives how to make ginseng salad and fried ginseng dishes.
Small restaurants offer very good samgyetang (young chicken soup with ginseng). In South Korea samgyetang is an invigorating food, which is traditionally eaten in the summer. It is essentially glutinous rice, garlic, dried jujube, and fresh ginseng - all stuffed inside a young chicken. The chicken is then tied up with strings before its completed boiled into a broth.
I take a spoonful of soup. I have to say, I'm not quite used to the bitter taste.
But, I want to bring some kind of ginseng back home with me to China. So, I grab a few ginseng candies and chocolates. I pop one of the succulent sweets in my mouth - and then head on my way.
(Source: China Daily)
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