If you have ever taken a stroll with a Korean on a breezy mid-autumn afternoon where the sky is as clear as could be with the sunshine compensating for the slight chill in the air, you may have caught him say, “ah, the sky is high and the horses are fattening.”

This Korean idiom perfectly sums up the country’s traditionally plentiful harvest season on good years, when the fine weather brought our ancestors joy to the heart and enough food for the winter to come. When discussing autumn and food, we must definitely start with Chuseok, often referred to as “Korean Thanksgiving”, as it cues us into autumn every year on August 15 by the lunar calendar. It is traditional for families to gather for three days, enjoy food and games, and remember our ancestors by holding a jesa, a ritual in which a generous meal is prepared at the family altar.

Many of the dishes prepared on Chuseok therefore hold blessings for the family and blissful wishes for the future. Songpyeon, a type of rice cake stuffed with sweetened sesame seeds or black soybeans, is now prepared almost exclusively for Chuseok. Strangely enough, it takes the shape of a half-moon despite Chuseok being a festival oriented around a full harvest moon. This is because half-moons eventually plump up with time, and our ancestors always hoped that our future may be filled with more happiness than we have at the moment.

A lot of the dishes prepared on Chuseok are also seen throughout the rest of the autumn. Namul, referring to a wide range of seasoned herbs or vegetables, are easily part of Koreans’ daily meals as side dishes all year round, though some may be more common than others in different seasons. During Chuseok in particular, “three-colored namul” is prepared as a dish, composed of bellflower, bracken, and spinach parts, which represent our ancestors, parents, and ourselves respectively, together symbolizing peace in the family. 

Bae, or Asian pear, is a representative autumn fruit in Korea. According to the ancient Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements, the pear’s yellow skin represents the center of the universe while the white inside represents Koreans, who have traditionally been referred to as “the white-clad race”. The fruit is therefore considered noble, and we ask our ancestors to look out for us as we place them on the altar.

Even with Chuseok aside, as Korea’s climate is characterized by four distinct seasons throughout the whole peninsula, we can easily find special dishes utilizing particular ingredients from each season. In the autumn, chrysanthemum (yes, the flower) is used in wine and pancakes, while all kinds of mushrooms, like shiitake and pine mushrooms, are added to soups or stir-fried on their own to make side dishes. Other than chrysanthemums, harvested grains and fruits are used to make traditional wine, like makgeolli (rice wine), which too has countless variations. For a wide variety of fish, autumn closely precedes their spawning season, meaning it is when they hold the most grease and protein. Grilled gizzard shad, in particular, apparently smells good enough in the autumn to “make an upset daughter-in-law come back home,” according to an old Korean idiom. Much of cereals and nuts are also harvested in the autumn, including acorns, with which to make dotori-muk (acorn jelly), mung beans for pancakes, chestnuts to roast on cold nights, and the list goes on.

In Daejeon, you can enjoy warm acorn jelly soup (trust me, it’s not as unappetizing as the translation suggests) made better with a bowl of barley rice mixed with various namul on the side at Solbat Muk Jip in Gwanpyeong-dong. If you enjoy sashimi, I would suggest Hyeongje Hoetjip in Jungri-dong, where you can find fresh seasonal seafood, including gizzard shad. And if you care for a drink, Joseon in Mannyeon-dong just across the KAIST Bridge is a great place to enjoy all kinds of traditional Korean wine from different regions, paired with Korean-style snacks like meat pancakes and tofu stew.

We are replacing tank tops with jumpers to cover us up, and exam stress can only be overcome with a good appetite. If you are looking for a good excuse for the bit of weight you’ve gained, now is not the time to feel guilty about it. It has long been agreed that this is the season for horses to fatten — and so should we.