Jumeokbap(Rice ball)

Jumeokbap’s origin is not known. But it is estimated that jumeokbap originated from war times or traveling. At a time when people needed something to eat but did not have the conditions to cook.

In Korea, people used to eat jumeokbap when there was not enough food to eat. People agglomerated rice into one ball and ate it at war times.

For this reason, jumeokbap was considered as the symbol of hard times. However, today jumeokbaps made with a variety of ingredients and spices have appeared as restaurant’s main dish. 

Here are other kinds of jumeokbaps.

Kimchi Jumeokbap

 

Tuna Jumeokbap

Kimchi bokkeumbap

Kimchi bokkeumbap is a variety of bokkeumbap (fried rice dishes), a popular dish in Korea. Its name is literally translated as “Rice mixed with Kimchi”. Kimchi bokkeumbap is made primarily with kimchi and rice,  along with other ingredients such as diced vegetables or meats.

Here are other “kimchi bokkeumbap”s.

Kimchi cheese bokkeumbap

 

Kimchi shrimp bokkeumbap

Tteokbokki

Teokbokki is distinguished by the tteokbokki that uses hot pepper paste to make it spicy and the the tteokbokki that uses  soy sauce. The former is called the snack bar tteokbokki and the latter is called the court tteokbokki. Tteokbokki originated from the court which did not have the spicy taste. The tteokbokki that has spicy taste uses hot pepper paste and sugar to  make tteokbokki spicy and sweet. Different regions put ketchup, pepper or mustard. There are a variety of ttoekbokkis that uses different seasonings.

 

Seafood Tteokbokki

Court Tteokbokki

Tteokguk

Tteokguk is Korea’s traditional food.  It is made with rice cake that is cut into certain sizes. Koreans usually put meat and eggs as side dish. In Korea, it is traditional to eat Tteokguk on New Year’s day. Koreans believe that  eating Tteokguk makes you a year older and it brings you good luck.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is distinguished by regions and ingredients. Although each region has different traits,  Jeonju Bibimbap is considered as the most famous. Recently, as people’s diet becamse westernized, fusion bibimbap (which uses a variety of ingredients) appeared  and bibimbap became a tourists’ food.