Korean Health Food

Last week I enjoyed the most delicious food at Mee Rim's home - a salad with more than 20 various leaves and herbs - was amongst the dishes. Some were healthy for women's hormone balance, some good for digestion - and then I also found these leaves which looked like something I'd normally use for decoration rather than eating! In Danish it's called Tree of Paradise and it's a sukkulent. Asking Mee Rim about the name, she answered "ton namul" (money herb) and since Tree of Paradise is often believed to bring lots of money and wealth to the owner - I lingered a few second before eating it.

Luckily I found out that "ton namul" is actually a herb for eating and in Denmark it's called "portulak".

But that's the beauty of Korean cuisine - it makes use of natures resources. And it seems only natural in a country with temples in mountain settings and villagers tradition for outings to collect herbs and plants as sources of vitamins and minerals.


Interesting to see in a currently airing Danish tv-show - Frilandshaven (The Outdoor Garden)- this herb is also mentioned and known from literature since the 15th century.