Product Code Database
Bibimbap
( ; ), sometimes romanised as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish.
The term bibim means "mixing" and bap is cooked rice. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed or blanched seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). Egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions, stirred together thoroughly just before eating.
In South Korea, some cities such as Jeonju, Jinju, and Tongyeong are known for their versions of bibimbap. In 2017 the dish was listed at number 40 on the World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Travel.
Its earliest names appear in Korean hanja texts. Its first name was (混沌飯). This name appeared in the Yeokjogumun () portion of the book Historical Notes of Gijae (), which was written by Bak Dongnyang () around 1590. In the Cheongdae ilgi by another Joseon scholar Gwon Sang-il (1679–1760), it was recorded as goldong-ban (骨董飯). The dish was also recorded in Seongho jeonjip by Yi Ik (1681–1764) as goldong (骨董), in Complete Works of Cheongjanggwan by Yi deok-mu (1741–1793) as goldong-ban (汨董飯), and in Nakhasaeng jip by Yi Hak-gyu (1770–1835) as both goldong-ban (骨董飯) and goldong (骨董).
The hangul transcription (브뷔음) first appears in the 1810 encyclopedia Mongyupyeon by Jang Hon. The 1870 encyclopedia states that the dish name is written as (骨董飯) in hanja but is read as (捊排飯), a probable transcription of the native Korean (부빔밥). Another name is (브뷔음밥). The hanja dictionary () indeed contained " (부뷔다)" or " (부뷔움), Dong " (董) in hanja, which meant "mix" or "" in Korean.
By the late 19th century, it went by a number of names in hangul: (부뷔움밥), (부비음밥), (부뷤밥), (부븸밥), (부뷘밥), and (부빔밥) (捊排飯) and (骨董飯). Other names in hanja include (骨董飯, 汨董飯), (混沌飯), and (捊排飯) and also (盤遊飯).
There are two separate ancient writings that suggest the original reasoning behind the creation and use of bibimbap. The first one, "People's Unofficial Story of Jeonju" (全州野史), describes Jeonju bibimbap, an old-fashioned dish, as being used on occasions such as parties that included government officials of provincial offices. The second text, "Lannokgi" (蘭綠記), described bibimbap being made by the wives of farmers, who had no time to prepare meals the traditional way with many side dishes. They instead combined the ingredients in one bowl, sometimes adding whatever they happened to be cultivating. Although bibimbap was originally rarely mentioned and mostly only in hanja records, it began to be more frequently referenced and in Hangul (Korean alphabets) records as well upon the creation of Hangul by the King Sejong the Great to improve the state's literacy.
Bibimbap was served to the king, usually as a lunch or a between-meal snack. There was more than vegetables in this bibimbap.
Ordinary people ate bibimbap on the eve of the lunar new year. The people at that time felt that they had to get rid of all the leftover side dishes before the new year. The solution to this problem was to put all the leftovers in a bowl of rice and mix them together. Farmers ate bibimbap during farming season as it was the easiest way to make food for a large number of people. Bibimbap came from early rural Koreans taking leftover vegetables, sometimes having meat, with rice and mixing them in a bowl. This was cheap and did not require all of the time and space of a traditional meal.
The Collected Works of Oju written by Yi Gyu-gyeong (1788–1856), recorded numerous varieties of bibimbap including such ingredients as hoe, shad, prawn, Saeu-jeot, shrimp roe, gejang, Allium monanthum, fresh cucumber, gim flakes, gochujang, soybean sprout, and various vegetables. It was also stated here that bibimbap was a local specialty of Pyongyang, along with naengmyeon and gamhongno.
The first known recipe for bibimbap is found in the Siuijeonseo, an anonymous cookbook from the late 19th century.
The division of Korea in the 20th century caused a cultural divide in the creation of bibimbap, with two types related to both North and South Korea. The most famous regions for traditional bibimbap happen to be Pyongyang for its vegetable bibimbap in the North and Jeonju for its Jeonju bibimbap.
The late 20th century brought about the globalisation of Korean culture, traditions, and food to many areas of the world, with many restaurant chains being opened up in various international airports that encourage the sale of bibimbap. Bibimbap started to become widespread in many countries in the West due to its simplicity, cheap cost, and delicious taste. Many airlines connecting to South Korea via Seoul and Busan began to serve Airline meal, and it was accepted more globally as a popular Korean dish. Bibimbap has also been described as a symbol of the Korean culture to non-Koreans due to Korea becoming more acceptable to foreigners and multicultural traditions.
Bibimbap can be various kinds of bibimbap depending on the ingredients. Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include Julienning oi (cucumber), aehobak (courgette/zucchini), mu (Korean radish), mushrooms, doraji (bellflower root), and gim, as well as spinach, Bean sprout, and gosari (bracken stems). Dubu (tofu), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added, or chicken or seafood may be substituted for beef. For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so adjacent colors complement each other. In the South Korean version, sesame oil, red pepper paste (gochujang), and sesame seeds are added.
|
|
