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

year A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the h ...

, Koreans eat ''boreum-namul'' (, "full moon namul") with five-grain rice. It is believed that boreum namuls eaten in winter help one to withstand the heat of the summer to come.

Preparation and serving

For namul as a dish, virtually any type of vegetable, herb, or green can be used, and the ingredient includes roots, leaves, stems, seeds, sprouts, petals, and fruits. Some seaweeds and mushrooms, and even animal products such as beef

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

s are also made into namuls. Although in most cases the vegetables (and non-vegetable namul ingredients) are blanched before being seasoned, the method of preparation can also vary; they may be served fresh (raw), boiled, fried, sautéed, fermented, dried, or steamed. Namul can be seasoned with salt, vinegar,

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. ...

and perilla oil, regular

soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...

and

soup soy sauce ''Guk-ganjang'' ( ko, 국간장) or soup soy sauce is a type of Korean soy sauce (''ganjang'') made entirely of fermented soybeans ('' meju'') and brine. It is also a byproduct of ''doenjang'' production. Both lighter in colour and saltier than ...

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

(soybean paste),

gochujang ''Gochujang'' (, from Korean: , ) or red chili paste * is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu (chili powder), glutinous rice, '' meju'' (fermented soybean) powder, ''yeotgir ...

, and many other spices and condiments. Namul are typically served as

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish o ...

(반찬, a side dish accompanying the staples, usually bap). It is possible to have more than one type of namul served as a banchan at a single meal. Each namul dish may named depending on the main ingredients and the methods of preparation. For example, a seasoned chamnamul dish is most likely called ''chamnamulmuchim'' (literally "seasoned chamnamul"), since the name of the vegetable already contains the word "namul" in it. A namul dish made of raw

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw ...

is called ''musaengchae'' ("무생채, seasoned raw radish"), since it is usually the namul dish made with cooked radish that is called ''munamul'' ("radish namul").

Main ingredients of namul

Vegetables

Seaweeds

Mushrooms

Others

Gallery

File:Bangpung (Peucedanum japonicum).jpg, '' bangpung-namul'' File:Chamnamul muchim (Pimpinella brachycarpa).jpg, '' Chamnamul'' File:Korean cuisine-Namul-06.jpg, '' Chwinamul'' File:Korean cuisine-Namul-03.jpg, '' Goguma- sun-namul'' File:Gondre.jpg, '' Gondre-namul'' File:Gosari.jpg, ''

Gosari Fiddleheads or fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond (circinate vernation). As fiddleheads are harvested early in the sea ...

-namul'' File:Kongnamul muchim (soybean sprouts).jpg, '' Kongnamul'' File:Miyeokmuchim.jpg, ''

Miyeok Wakame ''(Undaria pinnatifida)'' is a species of kelp native to cold, temperate coasts of the northwest Pacific Ocean. As an edible seaweed, it has a subtly sweet, but distinctive and strong flavour and texture. It is most often served in soups ...

-namul'' File:Paraemuchim (seasoned parae) (Monostroma nitidum).jpg, ''

Parae Green laver (), known as ''aonori'' (; ) in Japan, ''sea cabbage'' () or ''hutai'' () in China, and ''parae'' () in Korean, is a type of edible green seaweed, including species from the genera ''Monostroma'' and ''Ulva'' ('' Ulva prolifera'', '' ...

-namul'' File:Korean cuisine-Pyogo namul-01.jpg, '' Pyogo-namul'' File:Sigeumchinamul (seasoned spinach side dish).jpg, '' Sigeumchi-namul'' File:Korean cuisine-Sukjunamul-01.jpg, ''

Sukjunamul Mung bean sprouts are a culinary vegetable grown by sprouting mung beans. They can be grown by placing and watering the sprouted beans in the shade until the hypocotyls grow long. Mung bean sprouts are extensively cultivated and consumed in East ...

'' File:Sebalnamul (Spergularia marina).jpg, ''

Sebalnamul ''Spergularia marina'', also called ''Spergularia salina'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae (the pink family). It is known as salt sandspurry or lesser sea-spurrey. ''S. marina'' is a sprawling annual or sometim ...

'' File:Totmuchim (tot with tofu and doenjang).jpg, '' Tot-namul'' File:Doraji-namul.jpg, '' Doraji-namul'' File:Ssukgat-namul.jpg, '' Ssukgat-namul'' File:Siraegi-namul.jpg, '' Siraegi-namul'' File:Korean food-Bibim ssambap ingredient-01.jpg, Various namuls for

bibimbap Bibimbap * ( , from Korean , literally "mixed rice"), sometimes romanized as bi bim bap or bi bim bop, is a Korean rice dish. The term "bibim" means "mixing" and " bap" refers to cooked rice. ''Bibimbap'' is served as a bowl of warm white ri ...

File:Korea-Sokcho-Sanchae jeongsik-Namul-01.jpg, ''Sanchae'' table d'hôte

References

External links

{{Commons
Life in Korea: Korean seasoned vegetables
Korean cuisine