Bibimbap * ( ; ), sometimes romanised as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish. The term ''bibim'' means "mixing" and ''

bap BAP or bap may refer to: Food * Bap (bread), a bread roll * Bap (rice dish), of Korea People * Bap Kennedy (1962–2016), Northern Irish singer-songwriter * Bronze Age Pervert, Romanian-American right-wing writer and podcaster Music * BAP (Germa ...

'' is

cooked rice Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Oryza sativa, Asian rice (both Indica rice, indica and Japonica rice, japonica varieties) ...

. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with ''

namul ''Namul'' () refers to either a variety of edible greens or leaves or seasoned herbal dishes made of them. Wild greens are called ''san-namul'' (), and spring vegetables are called ''bom-namul'' (). On the day of Daeboreum, the first full moo ...

'' (sautéed or blanched seasoned vegetables) and ''

gochujang ''Gochujang'' or red chili paste * is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from '' gochugaru'' (red chili powder), glutinous rice, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgireum'' (barley m ...

'' (

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

paste). Egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions, stirred together thoroughly just before eating. In South Korea, some cities such as

Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...

Jinju Jinju (; ) is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was the location of the first (1592) and second (1593) Sieges of Jinju by Japanese forces during the Imjin War. The Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Comman ...

, and

Tongyeong Tongyeong (; ) is a coastal Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It has an area of and in 2010, a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (n ...

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 made by Mrs

Etymologies

''Bibimbap'' has gone by a number of names over time. Its earliest names appear in Korean

hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

texts. Its first name was ' (). This name appeared in the ''Yeokjogumun'' () portion of the book ''Historical Notes of Gijae'' (), which was written by Bak Dongnyang () around 1590. In the '' Diary of Cheongdae'' by another Joseon scholar Gwon Sang-il (1679–1760), it was recorded as ''goldong-ban'' (). The dish was also recorded in '' Complete Works of Seongho'' by Yi Ik (1681–1764) as ''goldong'' (), in '' Complete Works of Cheongjanggwan'' by Yi deok-mu (1741–1793) as ''goldong-ban'' (), and in '' Works of Nakhasaeng'' by Yi Hak-gyu (1770–1835) as both ''goldong-ban'' () and ''goldong'' (). The

hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

transcription () first appears in the 1810 encyclopedia '' Mongyupyeon'' by Jang Hon. The 1870 encyclopedia states that the dish name is written as () in

but is read as (), a probable transcription of the native Korean (). Another name is (). The

dictionary () indeed contained " ()" or " (), ''Dong'' " () in hanja, which meant "mix" or "" in Korean. By the late 19th century, it went by a number of names in hangul: (), (), (), (), (), and () () and (). Other names in hanja include (, ), (), and () and also ().

History

The exact origin of bibimbap is unknown. 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. People could have started mixing ''bap'' (rice) with ''

banchan ''Banchan'' ( ; ; ) are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. ''Banchan'' are often set in the middle of the table to be shared. At the center of the table is the secondary main course, such as ''galbi'' or ''bulg ...

'' (side dishes) after the outdoor ''

jesa ''Jesa'' (, ) is a ceremony commonly practiced in Korea. Jesa functions as a Ancestor veneration, memorial to the ancestors of the participants. Jesa are usually held on the anniversary of the ancestor's death. The majority of Catholic Church in ...

'' (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. 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" (), 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" (), 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 The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

(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 Lunar New Year is the beginning of a new year based on lunar calendars or, informally, lunisolar calendars. Lunar calendar years begin with a new moon and have a fixed number of lunar months, usually twelve, in contrast to lunisolar calendar ye ...

. 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 A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, storing, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom, forming a seamless curve ...

. 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 The Alosidae, or the shads, are a family (biology), family of clupeiform fishes. The family currently comprises four genera worldwide, and about 32 species. The shads are Pelagic fish, pelagic (open water) schooling fish, of which many are anadr ...

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the intern ...

, salted shrimp, shrimp

roe Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...

, '' gejang'', wild chive, fresh

soybean sprout Soybean sprout is a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting soybeans. It can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted soybeans in the shade until the roots grow long. Soybean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in Asian countries. ...

, and various vegetables. It was also stated here that bibimbap was a local specialty of

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, along with

naengmyeon ''Naengmyeon'' * (, in South Korea) or ''raengmyŏn'' (, in North Korea) is a noodle dish of North Korean origin which consists of long and thin handmade noodles made from the flour and starch of various ingredients, including most commonly bu ...

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 The division of Korea began at the end of World War II on 2 September 1945, with the establishment of a Soviet occupation zone and a US occupation zone. These zones developed into separate governments, named the Democratic People's Republic of ...

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 The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea before the division of Korea in 1945. Since the mid-20th century, Korea has been split between the North Korean and South Korean sovereign state, stat ...

, 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 Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

and

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

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.

Preparation

Bibimbap is an extensively customizable food with various ingredients that can be used in its creation. 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 The radish (''Raphanus sativus'') is a flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its large taproot is commonly used as a root vegetable, although the entire plant is edible and its leaves are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable. Origina ...

), mushrooms, ''doraji'' ( bellflower root), and '' gim'', as well as spinach, soybean sprouts, and ''gosari'' ( bracken fern stems). ''Dubu'' (

tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...

), either plain or sautéed, or a leaf of lettuce may be added, or

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

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 (

), and sesame seeds are added.

Variations

Jeonju

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 (''dolsot bibimbap'', )

Hot stone pot bibimbap ('' dolsot-bibimbap'', ) * is a variation of bibimbap served in a very hot ''

dolsot A ''dolsot'' () or ''gopdolsot'' () is a small-sized piece of cookware or serveware made of agalmatolite, suitable for one to two servings of ''bap (food), bap'' (cooked rice). In Korean cuisine, various hot rice dishes such as bibimbap or ''gulb ...

'' (stone pot) in which a raw

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

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 Sesame oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from sesame seeds. The oil is one of the earliest-known crop-based oils. Worldwide mass modern production is limited due to the inefficient manual harvesting process required to extract the oil. ...

, making the layer of the rice touching the bowl cook to a crisp, golden brown known as '' nurungji'' (). This variation of bibimbap is typically served to order, with the egg and other ingredients mixed in the pot just before consumption.

''Yakcho'' ()

''Yakcho-bibimbap'' () is from Jecheon. Yak () 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'' ()

'' Hoedeopbap'' () is a bibimbap with a variety of raw seafood, such as Olive flounder,

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

or sometimes

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

, 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.

Other

* Beef tartare ('' yukhoe'') * Freshwater snail soybean paste (''ureong-

doenjang ''Doenjang'' * () or soybean paste is a type of fermented bean paste made entirely of soybean and brine used in Korean cuisine. It is also a byproduct of soup soy sauce production. It is sometimes used as a relish. History The earliest soyb ...

'') *

Roe Roe, ( ) or hard roe, is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses, of fish and certain marine animals such as shrimp, scallop, sea urchins and squid. As a seafood, roe is used both as a cooking, c ...

('' albap'') * Spicy pork (''jeyuk'') * Sprout (''saessak'') * ''Tongyeong'', served with seafood * Wild vegetables (''sanchae'') * Wild herbs * Brass bowl

Symbolism

Some people attach symbolism to the ingredients of bibimbap. Black or dark colours represent north and the

kidney In humans, the kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped blood-filtering organ (anatomy), organs that are a multilobar, multipapillary form of mammalian kidneys, usually without signs of external lobulation. They are located on the left and rig ...

s – for instance,

shiitake The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe. Taxonomy The fungus was first described scientifically as '' Agaricus edodes'' by ...

mushrooms, bracken ferns or

nori Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, usually made from species of the red algae genus ''Pyropia'', including ''P. yezoensis'' and ''Pyropia tenera, P. tenera''. It has a strong and distinctive flavor, and is generally made in ...

seaweed. Red or orange represents south and the

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

, with chilli, carrots, and

jujube Jujube (UK ; US or ), sometimes jujuba, scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'', and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus '' Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused wit ...

dates. Green represents east and the

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

, with

cucumber The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

. White is west or the

lungs The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. Their function in the respiratory syste ...

, with foods such as

bean sprout Sprouting is the natural process by which seeds or spores germinate and put out shoots, and already established plants produce new leaves or buds, or other structures experience further growth. In the field of nutrition, the term signifies ...

, and rice. Yellow represents the centre, or

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

. Foods include pumpkin, potato or

References

External links

Bibimbap – Korea Tourism OrganizationBibimbap Recipe – Korea Tourism Organization
{{Authority control Rice dishes Korean cuisine