Discover fine Korean pottery tableware!
I’m going to talk about beautifully handcrafted fine Korean pottery tableware today. Ever sine I started food blogging, I became obsessed with tableware. Whether it’s a simple side dish or soup, choosing appropriate tableware is a very important part of food photography. It affects the overall mood and atmosphere of food. Also you will probably decide whether or not you are going to try out my recipe based on this perceived look. Right?
Sometimes, though, particularly with Korean food, I think it is very difficult to express what the food really represents using western style tableware. In particular, traditional Korean food is known to be earthy, natural and healthy. And what better way to reflect this image than using handcrafted fine Korean pottery tableware?
Huue Craft kindly sent these beautiful earthy, elegant but modest handcrafted Korean plates and bowls for My Korean Kitchen. When I first opened the box I thought they don’t look anything like tableware. They look like art! The more closely I look at them and the more I touch around the rims of the plates and bowls, they really feel more like luxurious pottery.
The tableware I received are made with white porcelain (Baekja, 백자) and buncheong (분청). They also carry celadon (Cheongja, 청자) types but I didn’t ask for them. Big regrets here! 😉
Now I want to quickly move the focus on to historically famous Korean celadon and buncheong. If you are an avid art lover or interested in Korean pottery, you have probably heard of them.
Celadon (Cheonja, 청자) is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of celadon (color). It is normally pale green-blue in colour. It was a very popular type of ceramic in the Goryeo (고려) dynasty in Korea (10th to early 13th century).
On the other hand, Buncheong (분청) is a form of Korean traditional stoneware, with a blueish green tone. It was very popular in the early Joseon (조선) dynasty replacing celadon in common use. However once white porcelain (Baekja, 백자) was introduced in the early 16th century, the use of buncheong dramatically diminished . (Wikipedia)
When I was learning Korean history back in my middle school and high school days in Korea, I always thought celadon and buncheong was only for a fancy decorative vase or a statue. It didn’t cross my mind that you could actually use them for day to day living at a dining table. I think the history textbooks should pay more attention to the life of the general public not just famous people or some fancy artifact. That way, we can all relate better and remember more of our past. What do you think?
Now back to the tableware I was sent by Huue Craft – Amazingly, all of their handcrafted tableware are dishwasher and microwave safe. Also most of the products are oven safe. Talk about practicality, right? Anyway, I’m very thrilled to use these plates and bowls for my up coming recipes.
Huue Craft is an store based in Seoul, Korea that specialises in handcrafted finest Korean pottery tableware. Their tableware is crafted by five of the most renowned Korean potters in the country. I was given a few of their products, but no other compensation was given.