' (), meaning "wrapped", refers to a dish in Korean cuisine in which, usually, leafy vegetables are used to

wrap Wrap, WRAP or Wrapped may refer to: Storage and preservation * Gift wrap or wrap paper, used to enclose a present * Overwrap, a wrapping of items in a package or a wrapping over packages * Plastic wrap, a thin, clear, flexible plastic used to ...

a piece of meat such as

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...

or other filling.쌈 (Ssam)
''

Encyclopedia of Korean Culture The ''Encyclopedia of Korean Culture'' is a Korean language encyclopedia published by the Academy of Korean Studies and DongBang Media Co. The articles in the encyclopedia are aimed at readers who want to learn about Korean culture and history ...

'' It is often accompanied by a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

known as and can also be topped with raw or cooked

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northe ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the oni ...

, green pepper, or a (small side dish) such as

kimchi ''Kimchi'' (; ko, 김치, gimchi, ), is a traditional Korean side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such as napa cabbage and Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including '' gochugaru'' (Korean chili powder), ...

. is usually bite-sized to prevent spilling out the fillings.

History

Under the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

influence that was especially strong during the Kingdom of

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

, killing and eating an animal was highly discouraged. This has led numerous Korean vegetable dishes, especially ssam, to be created and emerge as a prominent dish during the era. After its emergence, the dish was mentioned numerous times in the ancient Korean records. The ancient Korean book of customs Dongguksesigi noted that the women of Goryeo who were taken as servants by the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongols, Mongol-led Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Division of the M ...

made and ate ssam to have the taste of their home country's food and soothe homesickness. The same book also noted that ssam had become an established seasonal dish by the

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...

era, which was especially eaten as a festive dish during the day of ''

Daeboreum Daeboreum (대보름; literally "Great Full Moon") is a Korean holiday that celebrates the first full moon of the new year of the lunar Korean calendar which is the Korean version of the First Full Moon Festival. This holiday is accompanied by m ...

''. The ssam eaten during Daeboreum was believed to bring a good fortune and called (), which meant "fortune ssam". Ssam has also been mentioned by the numerous literatures in the Joseon era. One of them is Eou yadam, the Korean collection of stories written by the Joseon scholar Yu Mong-In. In the book, the author described the story of wrapping a sardine in a leafy vegetable with rice and ssamjang. In Sasojeol (,士小節), the ancient book which explained the basic etiquettes and manners during Joseon era, the author Lee deok-mu said it is a manner to scoop and roll a ball of rice first before wrapping it with a vegetable from atop while eating ssam. He also told readers to wrap a ssam in a bitable size as it looked rude to puff the one's cheeks while eating.

Jeong yak-yong Jeong Yak-yong (August 5, 1762 – April 7, 1836) or Chong Yagyong, often simply known as ‘Dasan’ (茶山, one of his ‘ho’ / pen-names meaning ‘the mountain of tea’), was a Korean agronomist, philosopher, and poet. He was one of the ...

, a highly notable Joseon intellectual, described in his poem about putting

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, ''yeotgireum' ...

, the traditional Korean red chili paste, and the root of green onion on a lettuce along with rice to eat a ssam. Ssam from Goryeo was also recognized in the poem by Yang Yunfu of Yuan dynasty. In his poem, Yang noted how the people of Goryeo eat rice by wrapping it with raw vegetables and complimented the pleasant scent of Goryeo's lettuce. In modern days, ssam is slowly gaining popularity outside of Korea and is being served at restaurants in various locations such as

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Variations

Various vegetables are used as ingredients such as lettuce, cabbage, bean leaves, and pumpkin leaves, which are used either raw or blanched. Seaweed such as (sea mustard seaweed) and (dried laver) are also used. can be used to refer to dishes using beef tongue, roe, pork, clams, or sea cucumbers wrapped and cooked in eggs. Depending on one's taste, Ssam can contain side dishes such as

and garlic, and sauce such as ssamjang,

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 ...

, red pepper paste, and oil sauce. Sashimi and

gwamegi ''Gwamegi'' is a Korean half-dried Pacific herring or Pacific saury made during winter. It is mostly eaten in the region of North Gyeongsang Province in places such as Pohang, Uljin, and Yeongdeok, where a large amount of the fish are harvested. G ...

are also eaten with wraps.

By ingredients

* : with

steamed Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American southwest, steam pits used for cooking hav ...

pork, e.g. shoulder and is a popular dish throughout Korea. * is a dish in which rice is included.

By wrap type

Specific types: * (), wrapped with napa cabbage leaf * (), wrapped with * (), wrapped with thin fish filet * (), wrapped with , seaweed * (), wrapped with dried

persimmon The persimmon is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus ''Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Oriental persimmon, '' Diospyros kaki'' ''Diospyros'' is in the family Ebenaceae, and a number of non-pe ...

* (), wrapped with pumpkin leaf * (), wrapped with sliced and soaked dried

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae. Other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and, rarely, muttonfish or mu ...

* (), wrapped with kimchi * (), wrapped with

perilla ''Perilla'' is a genus consisting of one major Asiatic crop species ''Perilla frutescens'' and a few wild species in nature belonging to the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus encompasses several distinct varieties of Asian herb, seed, and veget ...

leaf * (), wrapped with a thin crepe made from wheat flour * (), wrapped with sliced octopus * (), wrapped with seasoned raw beef * (), wrapped with lettuce

Gallery

File:Ssam 2.jpg, Making File:Ssam vegetables and ssamjang.jpg, vegetables and File:Korean cuisine-Ssam-01.jpg, Leaves used for wrapping in dishes File:Gwangju-Bossam.jpg, dish from

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial offic ...

File:Korean cuisine-Ssam-05.jpg, , wrap with thin pancakes File:Korean cuisine-Ssam-04.jpg, (), vegetables wrapped in roasted beef slices

References

External links

{{Commons category Korean cuisine Meat dishes