The Value of Milk and Korean Dietary Life

우유의 진가와 한국인의 식생활

Milk and milk products, especially the cow's milk and cheese, have been used since the ancient time. Because they contains almost all kinds of nutrients that are necessary for human beings except for iron, n-3 fatty acid, and vitamin C. Milk is an excellent dietary source of protein, calcium and phosphorus. The biological value of milk protein is as high as those of red meat and eggs. So cheese, a food processed from concentrated milk protein, is highly recommended food for the patient of diabetes mellitus. Because the major form of milk lipids is n-6 fatty acid, milk and milk products may not be a good food for the patients of cardiovascular disease. But the nutritional quality of milk lipids cannot be inferior to those of margarine, fish oil, and vegetable oil. Milk has been produced commercially since 1936 in Korea. The most popular milk product is a drink milk now in Korea. But according to the change of dietary pattern the consumption of yoghurt and cheese has been enormously increased during the last 20 years. As the soy sauce, tofu, and soy been paste have been the fundamental seasoning and source of protein in Korea, milk and cheese have consisted the essential flavor of western cuisine. But the basic idea for the usage of protein, peptides, and amino acids are the same. We found that milk and milk products can be nicely added in many Korean dishes such as Juk, Mandoo, Jeon, and Bindeatuk for the diversity of traditional flavor.