Bibimbap

Bibimbap (/ˈbiːbɪmbæp/ BEE-bim-bap; Korean: 비빔밥; lit. 'mixed rice'), sometimes romanized 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.
Bibimbap has gone by a number of names over time.
Its earliest names appear in Korean hanja texts. Its first name was hondon-ban (混沌飯). This name appeared in the Yeokjogumun (역조구문; 歷朝舊聞) portion of the book Historical Notes of Gijae (기재잡기; 寄齋雜記), which was written by Bak Dongnyang (박동량; 朴東亮) around 1590. In the Diary of Cheongdae by another Joseon scholar Gwon Sang-il (1679–1760), it was recorded as goldong-ban (骨董飯). The dish was also recorded in Complete Works of Seongho 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 Works of Nakhasaeng by Yi Hak-gyu (1770–1835) as both goldong-ban (骨董飯) and goldong (骨董).
The hangul transcription beubwieum (브뷔음) first appears in the 1810 encyclopedia Mongyupyeon by Jang Hon. The 1870 encyclopedia Myeongmul giryak states that the dish name is written as goldong-ban (骨董飯) in hanja but is read as bubaeban (捊排飯), a probable transcription of the native Korean bubim-bap (부빔밥). Another name is beubwieumbap (브뷔음밥). The hanja dictionary (한대자전; 漢大字展) indeed contained "bubwida (부뷔다)" or "bubwium (부뷔움), Dong (董)" in hanja, which meant "mix" or "bibida" in Korean.
By the late 19th century, it went by a number of names in hangul: bubwiumbap (부뷔움밥), bubieumbap (부비음밥), bubwimbap (부뷤밥), bubuimbap (부븸밥), bubwinbap (부뷘밥), and bubimbap (부빔밥)bubaeban (捊排飯) and goldongban (骨董飯). Other names in hanja include goldongban (骨董飯, 汨董飯), hondonban (混沌飯), and bubaeban (捊排飯) and also banyuban (盤遊飯).
The exact origin of bibimbap is unknown. People could have started mixing bap (rice) with banchan (side dishes) after the outdoor jesa (rites), such as sansinje (rite for mountain gods) or dongsinje (rite for village gods), where they needed to "eat with the god" but did not have as many cooking pots and items of crockery on hand as they would normally have at home. Jeonju Bibimbap is an old-fashioned dish. Some scholars assert that bibimbap originates from the traditional practice of mixing all the food offerings made at a jesa (ancestral rite) in a bowl before partaking of it.
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 was served to the king, usually as a lunch or a between-meal snack. There was more than vegetables in this bibimbap.
In Collected Works of Oju written by Yi Gyu-gyeong (1788–1856), recorded numerous varieties of bibimbap including such ingredients as hoe, shad, prawn, salted shrimp, shrimp roe, gejang, wild chive, 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 late 20th century brought about the globalization 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 is an extensively customizable food with various ingredients that can be used in its creation. It has existed in Korea for centuries, it even has a place in society today. It 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.
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), tells of Jeonju bibimbap being used on occasions such as parties that included government officials of provincial offices. The second being, "Lannokgi" (蘭綠記), which told of bibimbap being made by the wives of farmers, who had no time to prepare meals the traditional way with many side dishes, and instead they were able to throw most of the ingredients in a 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.
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.
In the late 20th century, 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 Incheon International Airport began to serve it, 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 julienned oi (cucumber), aehobak (courgette/zucchini), mu (radish), mushrooms, 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 adjacent colors complement each other. In the South Korean version, sesame oil, red pepper paste (gochujang), and sesame seeds are added.
Jeonju bibimbap along with kongnamul-gukbap (bean sprout and rice soup) are signature dishes of Jeonju.. Jeonju bibimbap is usually topped with soy bean sprouts, hwangpo-muk, gochujang, jeopjang, and seasoned raw beef and served with kongnamul-gukbap. The rice of Jeonju bibimbap is specially prepared by being cooked in beef shank broth for flavor and finished with sesame oil for flavor and nutrients. Jeonju also holds a Jeonju Bibimbap Festival every year.
Hot stone pot bibimbap (dolsot-bibimbap, 돌솥 비빔밥) is a variation of bibimbap served in a very hot dolsot (stone pot) 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 cook to a crisp, golden brown known as nurungji (누릉지). This variation of bibimbap is typically served to order, with the egg and other ingredients mixed in the pot just before consumption.
Yakcho-bibimbap (약초비빔밥) is from Jecheon. Yak (약) is a historical term for medicinal. Jecheon is a great place for medicinal herbs to grow. People could get a thicker root and more medicinal herb than in other areas. The combination of the medicinal herbs and popular bibimbap made it one of the most popular foods in Jecheon.
Hoedeopbap (회덮밥) is a bibimbap with a variety of raw seafood, such as tilapia, salmon, tuna or sometimes octopus, but each bowl of rice usually contains only one variety of seafood. The term hoe in the word means raw fish. The dish is popular along the coasts of Korea, where fish are abundant.
Some people attach symbolism to the ingredients of bibimbap. Black or dark colours represent north and the kidneys – for instance, shiitake mushrooms, bracken ferns or nori seaweed. Red or orange represents south and the heart, with chilli, carrots, and jujube dates. Green represents east and the liver, with cucumber and spinach. White is west or the lungs, with foods such as bean sprouts, radish, and rice. Yellow represents the centre, or stomach. Foods include pumpkin, potato or egg.