Morkovcha (Koryo-mar: 마르코프차/марков-ча), also known as Korean-style carrots (Russian: морковь по-корейски, romanized: morkov' po-koreyski) or Korean carrot salad (Uzbek: koreyscha sabzili salat), is a spicy marinated carrot salad. It is a Koryo-saram variant of kimchi.[1][2][3]
.jpg)
Koryo-saram (ethnic Koreans located in post-Soviet countries) created the dish as they did not have supplies of napa cabbage, the main ingredient in traditional kimchi. In Central Asia, where many Koryo-saram have lived since the deportation of 1937, the salad is also named morkovcha, which is a combination of Russian morkov ("carrot") and Koryo-mar cha, derived from Korean chae (채) meaning salad-type banchan. The salad was unknown in South Korea until recently, when Russo-Koreans' return migration as well as Russian and Central Asian immigration became common. However, it has gained an international following, being served in most cafeterias throughout post-Soviet countries, sold in many supermarkets, and featured regularly as an appetizer (zakuska) and a side dish on dinner tables and in holiday feasts set by all ethnicities of the former Soviet Union.[1][2]
The typical ingredients are finely julienned carrots, garlic, onion,[4] ground red pepper, ground coriander seeds, vinegar, vegetable oil (or olive oil), salt and pepper. It may also include sesame seeds.[1]
