T he only time I have ever heard the term stuffed derma was when it was referred as kishka — typically beef intestines stuffed with a filling similar in taste and texture to a bread stuffing or dressing — used in Kosher cooking…
…so imagine my surprise while walking down a street in Seoul earlier today when I saw the sign in the photograph on the left.
Among the menu items are soon-dae, described as a stuffed derma with cellophane noodles, hog’s blood inside.
For some reason, I am willing to bet that soon-dae does not conform to Kosher dietary laws…
…and I do realize that there are variants to the stuffed derma or kishka used in Kosher cooking in countries in eastern Europe; but I did not see or hear of them when I was in Romania twice or in Bulgaria once. I did not see or hear of them when I was in the Czech Republic, Hungary or Slovenia either — if you consider them a part of eastern Europe.
Travel constantly humbles me. The more I travel, the more that I realize I do not know. I always learn many new things whenever I travel — and that is one of the things I enjoy so much about travel…
…but as a reader of The Gate, I am certain you will point out other locations around the world where you have seen variations of stuffed derma which has nothing to do with Kosher cuisine — and I hope that you please do.
As for the misspelling of vegitables instead of vegetables: well — let’s just say that the command of the English language of whoever wrote that far exceeds my command of the Korean language…
