Bibimbap
Encyclopedia
Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal." Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul
(sautéed and seasoned vegetable
s) and gochujang
(chili pepper
paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef
) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.
In Korea, Jeonju
, Jinju
, and Tongyeong
are especially famous for their versions of bibimbap. It is listed at number 40 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.
, an anonymous cookbook from the late 19th century. There its name is given as 부븸밥 (bubuimbap). In Korean households, bibimbap is frequently prepared from steamed rice, vegetables, and meat.
Since the late 20th century bibimbap has become widespread in different countries, due to its convenience of preparation. It is also served on many airlines connecting to South Korea and foreign airlines such as Lufthansa
.
cucumber
, zucchini
, mu (daikon
), mushroom
s, doraji (bellflower
root), and gim
, as well as spinach
, soybean
sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern
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 that adjacent colors complement each other.
A variation of this dish, dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥, "dolsot" meaning "stone pot"), is served in a very hot stone bowl in which a raw egg is cooked against the sides of the bowl. The bowl is so hot that anything that touches it sizzles for minutes. Before the rice is placed in the bowl, the bottom of the bowl is coated with sesame oil
, making the layer of the rice touching the bowl golden brown and crisp.
The city of Jeonju
, the capital of the North Jeolla Province
of South Korea
, is famous throughout the nation for its version of bibimbap, said to be based on a royal court dish
of the Joseon Dynasty.
A further variation of bibimbap, called hoedeopbap
uses a variety of raw seafood, such as tilapia
, salmon
, tuna
or sometimes octopus
but each bowl of rice usually contain one kind of meat. The term hoe
in the word means raw fish. The dish is popular along the coasts of Korea where fish are abundant.
Namul
Namul is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul....
(sautéed and seasoned vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s) and gochujang
Gochujang
Gochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae in the backyard...
(chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.
In Korea, Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...
, Jinju
Jinju
Jinju is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first and second Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War...
, and Tongyeong
Tongyeong
Tongyeong is a coastal city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In 2010, it had an area of 238.81 ㎢ and a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup , 6 myeon and 11 dong . Chungmu city and Tongyeong county were reunited in 1995, creating Tongyeong City as we know it today...
are especially famous for their versions of bibimbap. It is listed at number 40 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNN Go in 2011.
History
Bibimbap is first mentioned in the SiuijeonseoSiuijeonseo
Siuijeonseo is a Korean cookbook compiled in the late 19th century. The author is unknown but is assumed to be a lady of the yangban class in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province. In 1919, as Sim Hwanjin was appointed as the governor of Sangju, he was acquainted with a yangban family there...
, an anonymous cookbook from the late 19th century. There its name is given as 부븸밥 (bubuimbap). In Korean households, bibimbap is frequently prepared from steamed rice, vegetables, and meat.
Since the late 20th century bibimbap has become widespread in different countries, due to its convenience of preparation. It is also served on many airlines connecting to South Korea and foreign airlines such as Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
.
Preparation
Vegetables commonly used in bibimbap include juliennedJulienning
Julienne is a culinary knife cut in which the food item is cut into long thin strips, not unlike matchsticks. Sometimes called 'shoe string', e.g. 'shoestring fries'...
cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
, zucchini
Zucchini
The zucchini is a summer squash which often grows to nearly a meter in length, but which is usually harvested at half that size or less. It is a hybrid of the cucumber. Along with certain other squashes, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green...
, mu (daikon
Daikon
Daikon , Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus, also called White Radish, Japanese radish, Oriental radish, Chinese radish, lo bok and Mooli , is a mild flavoured, very large, white East Asian radish...
), mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, doraji (bellflower
Chinese bellflower
Platycodon grandiflorus is a species of perennial flowering plant of the family Campanulaceae and the only member of the genus Platycodon . This species is known as platycodon or Chinese bellflower...
root), and gim
Gim (food)
Gim , also spelled as kim, is the Korean-word for edible seaweed in the genus Porphyra. In Welsh this food is called laver...
, as well as spinach
Spinach
Spinach is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant , which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions...
, soybean
Soybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
sprouts, and gosari (bracken fern
Bracken
Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...
stems). Dubu (tofu
Tofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
may be added, or chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
or seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
may be substituted for beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
. For visual appeal, the vegetables are often placed so that adjacent colors complement each other.
Variations
Sesame oil
Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. Besides being used as a cooking oil in South India, it is often used as a flavor enhancer in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and to a lesser extent Southeast Asian cuisine.The oil from the nutrient rich seed is popular in alternative...
, making the layer of the rice touching the bowl golden brown and crisp.
The city of Jeonju
Jeonju
Jeonju is a city in South Korea, and the capital of Jeollabuk-do, or North Jeolla Province. It is an important tourist center famous for Korean food, historic buildings, sports activities and innovative festivals.- History :...
, the capital of the North Jeolla Province
Provinces of Korea
This article describes the historical development of Korea's provinces . For detailed information on current administrative divisions, please see Administrative divisions of North Korea and Administrative divisions of South Korea....
of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, is famous throughout the nation for its version of bibimbap, said to be based on a royal court dish
Korean royal court cuisine
Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1910. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century...
of the Joseon Dynasty.
A further variation of bibimbap, called hoedeopbap
Hoedeopbap
Hoedeopbap is a Korean dish consisting of steamed rice mixed with sliced or cubed saengseon hoe , various vegetables such as lettuce, cucumber and sesame leaves, sesame oil, and chogochujang...
uses a variety of raw seafood, such as tilapia
Tilapia
Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...
, salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
or sometimes octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
but each bowl of rice usually contain one kind of meat. The term hoe
Hoe (dish)
Hoe may refer to various raw food dishes in Korean cuisine. Saengseon hoe or "Hwal-eo hoe" is thinly sliced raw fish or other raw seafood ; yukhoe is hoe made with a raw beef and seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine; and gan hoe is raw beef liver with a sauce of sesame oil and...
in the word means raw fish. The dish is popular along the coasts of Korea where fish are abundant.
See also
- HeotjesabapHeotjesabapHeotjesa bap , a traditional Korean dish, is a variety of bibimbap, served with soy sauce instead of the gochujang that is more commonly used. Hutjesa bab consists of mainly several types of namul over white rice...
- NurungjiNurungjiNurungji is a traditional Korean food made of scorched rice. After boiling and serving rice, a thin crust of scorched rice will usually be left in the bottom of the cooking pot...
- GochujangGochujangGochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae in the backyard...
- Korean cuisine