Gomchi eat with five senses. The dark green has a fresh scent and a crisp sound stimulates your taste buds first. The bitterness that touches the tongue is a unique feeling that has never been experienced before in other mountains. When you go out with your family, if you eat a piece of pork belly on a piece of gom-chwi, the taste is reminiscent. When spring is ripe, Yanggu, Gangwon-do is a Gomchi world. In May of each year, a bear festival is held in Yanggu.

“It smells good in my mother's field!”

When you enter Dong-myeon, Yang-gu, it is full of Gomchi. Even if you laugh at any place in the green house, the green bear smell fills you up. For children who are accustomed to the smell of crude manure, the smell of Gomchi is a pretty fresh scent.

When it comes to May, foreigners who come to the plastic greenhouse to buy gom-chwi directly line up. Visitors from nearby military bases also come to Yanggu, and tourists come to the box saying "I'm going to eat it with ssam" and take the gomyeon of the box.

More than 20 years ago, Gomchi was collected directly from the foot of Daeamsan Mountain. “After planting it, I went up to the mountain with only rice cooked with miso and miso. When I was picking herbs and hungry, I ate cold rice with gomchi on the spot. ”
In the memory of the grandmother who picked Gomchi, people climbed the hem of Daeamsan, which is poisonous to pick up herbs.

“There is Myeongsaengsan in the vicinity, but the locals believed that Yeosansin was protected by herbs and Daeamsan was protected by Namsansin.”

In fact, the fact that Gomchi was abundant in the foot of Daeam Mountain has a great natural influence. Gomchwi is a shade plant that likes water. On the summit of Daeam Mountain, there is a bog called 'Yong Swamp'. This is a treasure trove of ecosystems where access was controlled after the Korean War and is preserved as a wetland protected area under the Ramsar Convention. Against the backdrop of these clean swamps in the mountains, Daeamsan Gomchi grew.

Residents believe that the growth of Gomchi in the eastern land of Yanggu-gun was influenced by similar topography. More than 80% of farms that grow Gomchi in Yanggu are cultivating fields in Dongmyeon. Gomchi here is grown as pesticide-free and pollution-free as it was born. Shipment is only possible after obtaining approval from the county government for pesticide-free treatment.

After the cultivation of the house, gomchi has been coming out since February, but the taste of Gomchi is best around May when the young leaves grow brightly. When the summer is over, the stem becomes harder, and the taste of chewing is somewhat halved. The residents of Dongmyeon, who have been cultivating Gomchi for 15 years, say, “When I was harvesting in the mountains, I could only taste Gomche, but the world has improved a lot nowadays.”

The most lovely moment when the taste of Gomchi is the most popular is when it is eaten wrapped in pork. The smell of fresh bear and the sweet taste gently press down on the smell of pork. It tastes different from pork belly wrapped in lettuce or sesame leaves. It is a gold prize when quality miso is mixed with it. In May, it's time for Gomchi to come out of the meat restaurant in every town. Even if you don't have pork belly, you can enjoy the rich spring taste even if you order and chew it.

Gomchi that has passed the season is transformed into pickles or pickles. It is a way to enjoy Gomchi all year round, but pickles and herbs cannot exceed the aroma and taste of Gomchi eaten raw. That's why you should taste Gomchi in May.

The town of Gomchi, Gomchi Festival is held every May in Yanggu. In May 2019, it will be held in Leports Park, Yanggu-eup, on 4-6 days. When you visit the festival hall, you can taste colorful food made with gomchi that was only heard in words. From side dishes that replenish your appetite, such as Gomchi Jeonbyeong, Gomcheok Tteok, Gomchi pickle, Gomchijangajji, you can eat from food to create curiosity. In particular, Gomchi steamed bread with Gomchi has established itself as a delicacy in the region.

During the festival, a variety of experience events are combined to entice the family outing. You will have a time to collect Gomchi directly on the spot, you can grind the grindstone yourself to make Gomchi tofu, and use cows to grind the field yourself. During the festival, a climbing contest is also held where you can tread on the mountains and fields that bear scent. Starting with the Gwangchi Natural Recreation Forest, you can walk around Daeamsan Solbong and the Ecological Botanical Garden.

With the children, you can't miss Park Soo-Geun Museum on the way back. Park Soo-geun Museum, built in the birthplace of Park Soo-geun, a painter from Yang-gu, permanently exhibits various works such as artworks, artworks such as sketches and drawings, and artworks that are stained by the artist's hands. In addition, Dootayeon and Jungjung Observatory are also worth exploring.

Restaurants near

-Siraewon: Siraegi set meal / 457 Bonghwasan-ro, Nam-myeon, Yanggu-gun / 033-481-4200
-Chestnut House: Maeuntang / 31 Soyangseokhyeon-gil, Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun / 033-481-5559
-Gwangchi Makguksu: Makguksu / 34-7 Namdong-ro, Nam-myeon, Yanggu-gun / 033-481-4095

Rooms

-Hyundai Motel: 15-1 Gwangongseo-ro, Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun / 033-482-1234

-Benikea KCP Hotel: 993-19, Faro-ro, Yanggu-eup, Yanggu-gun / 033-482-7700

※ The above information was updated in April 2019, and may be changed later, so please check before you travel.
※ Information, such as text, photos, and videos used in this article, is copyrighted by the Korea Tourism Organization, and unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.