Chungcheongnam-do(Asan-si)
Oeam Village was formed as a clan village for the Yi family hailing from Yean. Pungdeok House was built 250 years ago and is the main house of the Yi clan’s family estate. The house is box-shaped like the Korean letter “ㅁ” (mieum), a typical architectural shape in the Chungcheong-do province.
Oeam Folk Village still looks as it did when it was built about 500 years ago. Follow the village’s narrow winding roads lined with low stone walls and you’ll find Pungdeok House. At first sight, this simple hanok may seem like a snapshot of a yangban’s (ruling class or aristocrats of the Joseon Dynasty) household, but it is actually a house famous for the exceptional dishes it serves.
[The best taste born after 13 times of jesa (memorial ritual for ancestors)] In order to continue the line of succession, the head family’s eldest grandson and his wife returned to the village. They wanted to turn the house into a lively and cheerful space for the youth so they started a hanok experience program. As it has been preserved well, the house still retains its original appearance. After undergoing repair and maintenance, the house opened to the public in the spring of 2012.
Because she had to prepare food for jesa at least once a month, the eldest grandson’s wife acquired cooking skills in the process. In particular, the traditional dishes she learned from her mother-in-law were instrumental in making Pungdeok House a famous local restaurant. Their most representative dishes are the giju-tteok (steamed rice cake) and the jinip-guk (vegetable soup).