Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish. It’s a dish made with rice mixed with meat, vegetables, and various seasonings, and then eaten by stirring it together. It’s also called bubimbap, jesaapbap, golddongban (골동반), or gyo-ban (교반). In the past, it was called “bibim” in the royal court. It’s considered one of the national dishes of South Korea.
The exact origin of bibimbap is uncertain. It might have developed from the practice of mixing various ingredients together in one bowl during shamanistic or ancestral rituals, known as sin-in-gong-sik (신인공식), when there weren’t many dishes available, or to ensure all offerings were consumed during ancestral rites.
Bibimbap is mentioned as “hondoban (혼돈반)” in “Gijaepjapgi,” a history book written by the scholar Park Ji-hye (1569-1635) during the mid-Joseon period, and as “golddongban (골동반)” in “Cheongdaeilgi,” a diary written by the scholar Kwon Sang-il during the late Joseon period. Additionally, in the “Seonghojeonjip” compiled by the scholar Lee Ik, it’s mentioned as “golddong (골동),” and in “Cheongjanggwanjeonseo” by scholar Lee Deok-mu, it’s referred to as “golddongban (골동반),” and in “Nakhaseongjip” by Yi Hak-gyu, it’s mentioned as both “golddongban (골동반)” and “golddong (골동).”
In 1810, the educational encyclopedia “Mongyu Pyeon,” written by Jang Hon, introduced the Korean spelling “브뷔음 (bbeubui-eum)” for bibimbap. In 1870, in the “Myeongmool Giryak,” it’s mentioned that bibimbap is written in Chinese characters as “골동반 (骨董飯)” and is called “부빔밥 (捊排飯/부배반)” when spoken.
In “Oju Yeonmun Jangjeon Sanggo,” written by Lee Gyu-kyung, various kinds of bibimbap are introduced, including vegetable bibimbap, mixed bibimbap with assorted ingredients, bibimbap with raw fish, bibimbap with pan-fried fish, bibimbap with shrimp, bibimbap with shrimp roe, bibimbap with marinated crab, bibimbap with wild sesame, bibimbap with cucumber, bibimbap with seaweed powder, bibimbap with hot pepper paste, and bibimbap with yellow corvina. It also introduces local specialties and mentions “Pyongyang’s gamhong-ro, naengmyeon, bibimbap” as examples.
In the late 19th century cookbook, “Siuijeonseo”, the recipe for bibimbap is mentioned as follows:
“First, cook the rice well. Then, stir-fry the meat and season it. Blanch the vegetables. Fry various namul separately and crumble them. Fry some pieces of good quality dried seaweed in oil until crispy, then crumble them. Mix all the ingredients with the rice and add plenty of sesame seeds and oil. Serve in a bowl. For the topping, fry the egg like an omelet, cut it into thin strips, and place them on top. For the meatballs, finely chop the meat, season well, shape them into small balls, lightly coat with flour, dip in beaten egg, and fry. Serve them on top of the bibimbap. Serve with a mixed soup like a clear broth.”
There are various types of bibimbap depending on the region, especially Jeonju Bibimbap and Jinju Bibimbap are famous. Recently, with the Westernization of diets, fusion bibimbap using various ingredients has emerged, and there are also efforts to reinterpret and modernize forgotten regional bibimbap dishes.
- 꼬막비빔밥 (Ggomak Bibimbap): A bibimbap from Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, and Beolgyo, which includes cockles and bracken, mixed together.
- 닭비빔밥 (Dak Bibimbap): A bibimbap from the Pyeongan Province, which includes boiled chicken mixed with sesame oil and spicy red pepper powder instead of gochujang. It is often served with a side of chicken soup.
- 돌솥비빔밥 (Dolsot Bibimbap): Bibimbap served in a hot stone pot.
- 마산비빔밥 (Masan Bibimbap): A bibimbap from Masan, Gyeongsangnam-do, made with bibimbap mixed with various vegetables seasoned with the broth of Masan’s specialty seafood such as jang and mixed with water parsley.
- 멍게젓비빔밥 (Meonggejeot Bibimbap): A representative local food from Geoje Island made with meongge (sea squirt) jeot. Meongge is chopped and fermented as jeotgal for 2-5 days in a cool place, then mixed with rice. It is seasoned with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and kimchi powder instead of gochujang.
- 알밥 (Albap): Bibimbap made with fish roe.
- 육회비빔밥 (Yukhoe Bibimbap): A unique bibimbap from Hampyeong made by mixing various vegetables and yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). It’s characterized by tender raw beef and spicy seasoning.
- 전주비빔밥 (Jeonju Bibimbap): Bibimbap from Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, where bean sprouts are an important ingredient. The beansprouts are grown in Imshil county and boiled until they have a good texture. When cooking rice, put the beansprouts in fine water and add them when it’s about to boil. The egg yolk is placed raw. It is eaten with bean sprout soup. Warm rice topped with beef, bean sprouts, spinach, shepherd’s purse, fernbrake, bellflower root, water parsley, shiitake mushrooms, and other ingredients, served with gochujang.
- 진주비빔밥 (Jinju Bibimbap): Bibimbap from Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, served in a brass bowl with rice and five kinds of vegetables topped with gochujang, creating a beautiful appearance like a flower.
- 통영비빔밥 (Tongyeong Bibimbap): Bibimbap from Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, eaten at holidays, memorial services, and banquets. It includes mugwort, a wild herb growing on the nearby Mireuk Island. In addition, it includes stir-fried clams with tofu and more than 10 kinds of vegetables depending on the season. It is served with raw oysters and stir-fried clams.
- 평양비빔밥 (Pyongyang Bibimbap): Similar to Jeonju Bibimbap but with stir-fried beef instead of yukhoe and soybean sprouts instead of bean sprouts, giving it a unique taste.
- 해주비빔밥 (Haeju Bibimbap): A bibimbap from Haeju, Hwanghae-do, which is known for its beautiful appearance.
- 헛제삿밥 (Heotjesatbap): Daegu’s heotjesatbap is famous, but now only Andong’s heotjesatbap remains. It refers to bibimbap made with foods usually served on an ancestral ritual table rather than for actual rituals, and it’s eaten casually. When bibimbap is made with food offered at a ritual, it’s called “jesatbap.” It’s seasoned with soy sauce instead of gochujang and served with fish or grilled fish and mountain vegetables.
- 회덮밥 (Hoedeopbap): A bibimbap made with raw fish. Representative examples include hongeo (fermented skate) hoedeopbap, jangeo (eel) deopbap, tuna deopbap, and gwangeo (halibut) deopbap.
- 산채비빔밥 (Sanchae Bibimbap): A bibimbap made with various mountain vegetables, mixed with sesame oil and gochujang.
Bibimbap is also known as “Heotjesatbap(헛제사밥),” and a restaurant selling porridge at night is called a “Heotjesatjib(헛제사집).” This term comes from the idea that eating porridge is similar to wearing clean clothes after a ritual, then eating mixed rice in the alley. Even today, in households that hold ancestral rites, there are cases where after changing clothes, rice (called jetme) is mixed with side dishes, pickles, and other items on the ancestral altar and eaten.
On the last day of the year, people sometimes mix leftover side dishes with leftover rice and eat it as a way of not carrying over food from one year to the next.
In rural areas, when preparing field meals, workers take small bowls to fill them with rice and vegetables, along with gochujang, and eat by mixing everything together.