There was another reason that naengmyeon was originally considered a winter treat: the very special feeling of enjoying cold noodles while sitting on a nice warm floor on a cold day. A “eulogy to naengmyeon” by a woman named Kim So-jeo was run in the popular magazine Byeolgeongon (“Another World”) in December 1929:
“Consuming the noodles in thinly iced kimchi juice with chopsticks and then moving to the hottest part of the heated floor to warm up your shivering body! That’s the real taste of Pyongyang naengmyeon! Those of you who haven’t tasted it – can you imagine it?”
This joy of contrast is also found in an article published in the Dong-A Ilbo daily newspaper on January 11, 1973. In a conversation with his son, Kim Seon-bong (1922-1997), a master performer of the Bongsan Mask Dance, recalls winters in his hometown in Hwanghae Province, beyond the DMZ.
“After playing yut [a traditional board game] late into the night, we would make makguksu with iced dongchimi juice, topped with pheasant meat. What a flavor it had! As we slurped the cold noodles, our teeth chattered while our bodies, wrapped in blankets, sweltered on the hot floor…”
Today, people think makguksu is a specialty of the mountainous province of Gangwon, but as indicated by the above statement, it is in fact another type of naengmyeon. Generally, mak means “rough,” so the name apparently refers to something roughly made, as in makgwaja cookies or maksoju liquor. It could also refer to the roughly ground buckwheat used to make the noodles. Both explanations seem valid; as the noodles are made of roughly ground seeds, they do feel rough in texture. Another meaning for mak is “just now,” and buckwheat noodles must indeed be made and cooked quickly. The lipid they contain decomposes easily and the volatile elements that provide their flavor can disappear when heated. If the grinding machine overheats, the savory, nutty taste of buckwheat flour is lost. For these reasons, buckwheat has to be made into noodles shortly after being ground. This is unlike wheat flour dough, which gets more elastic the more it is kneaded, due to its gluten content.
In fact, buckwheat doesn’t contain gluten at all. Consisting of 80 percent starch, 14 percent protein and a little mucilage, buckwheat doesn’t easily make a sticky dough. To enhance its stickiness, starch or wheat flour is added, and the texture of the noodles differs depending on the mixture. In order to get the best flavor and texture, the dough should be passed through a noodle maker as quickly as possible. That was the reason a noodle maker was transported from Okryugwan, the restaurant in Pyongyang famous for its naengmyeon, to the Panmunjom truce village for the summit banquet. Once the noodles have been extracted, they have to be boiled right away, but only for two or three minutes – any longer and they become mushy. Afterwards, the noodles should immediately be washed in cold water to stop them from further cooking in the residual heat, or from sticking together because of the starch on their surface. When mixed in cold broth, the noodles characteristically feel firm and elastic, whereas when mixed with a sweet and spicy sauce, they feel tender.
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