Gukbap (Korean국밥; lit. soup rice) is a Korean dish made by putting cooked rice into hot soup or boiling rice in soup.[1][2] It is commonly served in a ttukbaegi. Whereas soup and rice is generally eaten separately in Korea, in gukbap, rice is expected to be mixed into the soup.

Gukbap
Dwaeji-gukbap (pork and rice soup) with a cube of kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi)
Place of originKorea
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsGuk (soup), bap (cooked rice)
Similar dishesNoodle soup
Korean name
Hangul
국밥
Revised Romanizationgukbap
McCune–Reischauerkukpap
IPA[kuk̚.p͈ap̚]

With Jumaks, gukbap became popular especially at the late Joseon Dynasty.[3][4]

Origin

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A jumak (tavern for merchants that served food and alcohol)
 
Gim Hong-do's "Jumak" painting depicting gukbap being served

The first record of gukbap in literature is in the "Journal of Royal Secretariat" (Seungjeongwon Ilgi). The journal stated that female physicians recommended the dish to King Sukjong due to its heartiness.[5] During the Joseon Dynasty, gukbaps were served in jumaks, a tavern for merchants that served alcohol. As jumaks began to develop on roadside areas, gukbap was given the name "janggukbap": gukbap sold in jangsi (markets). Illustrations of gukbap being served in jumaks can be seen in Gim Hong-Do's paintings from the Joseon Dynasty. In the art piece, a barmaid is serving the dish while a customer opens a pouch to pay for his meal.[5]

Rituals through ancestral rites were common in the Joseon Dynasty. At these rites, meat dishes from pigs and cattle were regularly present.[5] Due to the frequency of these rituals, a meat-eating culture developed and meat based soups, like gukbap, became popular. The first gukbap recipe in Korean literature is the Gyugon Yoram from the 18th century. This recipe states that it is made by "placing oily meat stewed in a sauce over the rice".[5] The broth is made by boiling down pork bones to create a cloudy, translucent, or clear appearance. Those of the western part of the South Gyeongsang Province developed a leaner clear broth.[6]

During the 19th century, the dish became commercialized and was sold in large-scale markets. In the Japanese colonial period, gukbap began to gain popularity as a common delivery food. According to a magazine published in 1929, the owners of gukbap diners were often people of low social status, so it was not easy for those who were once aristocrats to eat it with confidence. Digging into this niche market, gukbap has been recognized as the first fast food as well as the first delivery food. After Korea's liberation from Japan and the Korean War, variations of the dish began to emerge by region. Then, ever more places sold simple meals for workers, resulting in a variety of gukbap by region.[7] As a result, Gukbap is known as the first fast food in Korea because of its affordability.

Until the 1970s, when there were no refrigerators and heating cabinets, once the rice was cooked, it was spread flat on a wicker tray and stored in a cool place. When an order was placed, the rice was put in a bowl, and the broth was poured in and out several times to make it warm. Until then, pouring hot broth over the rice was common, and since the broth was absorbed into the grain of the rice, its taste improved. With the introduction of the heating cabinet, ttarogukbap(rice and soup served separately) emerged.[8] Technological advances caused the preparation of gukbap to vary over time.

Etymology

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Gukbap is a compound of guk (soup) and bap (cooked rice).

Varieties

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  • Dwaeji gukbap (돼지국밥) – pork and rice soup.[9] It is a Gukbap that brews pig bone in meat broth, and people eat it together with boiled pork slices. The Dwaeji-gukbap's history started during the Korean War. Refugees made a seolleongtang using pig bone which was easy to obtain. That was the beginning of dwaeji gukbap.[10]
  • Sogogi-gukbap (소고기국밥) – beef and rice soup.[11]
  • Someori-gukbap (소머리국밥) – Someori-gukbap is made putting Ox head in an iron pot, and boiling meat broth for a long time.[12]
  •  
    Korean blood sausage that is used as the meat product in sundae-gukbap
    Sundae-gukbap (순대국밥) – sundae (Korean sausage) and rice soup.[13]
  •  
    Kongnamul-gukbap
    Kongnamul-gukbap (콩나물국밥) – kongnamul (soybean sprouts) and rice soup.[14] Kongnamul-gukbap is a food that adds kongnamul, garlic, and salt in an iron pot. In Jeonju, Kongnamul-gukbap became famous because water is very important in Kongnamul-gukbap, and Jeonju is famous for its clean water.[15]
  • Gul-gukbap (굴국밥) – oyster and rice soup.[16]
  • Siraegi-gukbap (시래기국밥) – siraegi (dried mucheong) and rice soup.[17]
  • Ttaro-gukbap (따로국밥) – guk (soup) and bap (cooked rice) served in separate bowls.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "gukbap" 국밥. Standard Korean Language Dictionary (in Korean). National Institute of Korean Language. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  2. ^ "gukbap" 국밥. Korean–English Learners' Dictionary. National Institute of Korean Language. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  3. ^ "국밥". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  4. ^ "국밥". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  5. ^ a b c d "한식진흥원 : Origin and History of Gukbap as seen in the humanities". 한식진흥원 (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  6. ^ "Local Wartime Dishes". Koreana. 33: 35.
  7. ^ "Gukbap for the Korean Soul". The UOS Times(서울시립대영자신문) (in Korean). 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  8. ^ "한식진흥원 : The Memory of a Warm Spoonful of Gukbap". 한식진흥원 (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  9. ^ Seigis, Adrian (16 July 2015). "Busan and Hamburg - same but different". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  10. ^ "돼지국밥". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  11. ^ Lee, Khang Yi (22 March 2014). "Tasting Busan one step at a time,Part 2". Malay Mail. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  12. ^ "소머리국밥". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  13. ^ Byun, Duk-kun (16 December 2016). "(Yonhap Feature) Cheonan, a day trip to tradition and crucial part of Korean history". Yonhap. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  14. ^ Ngamprasert, Chusri (1 June 2016). "Traditions make perfect". The Nation. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  15. ^ "콩나물국밥". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  16. ^ Cho, Christine (23 February 2017). "[The Palate] Winter's oceanic jewels". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  17. ^ Dynamic Busan (24 December 2016). "Mackerel – pickled, boiled or grilled to perfection". Stripes Korea. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  18. ^ Sula, Mike (26 December 2016). "Delight in the belly of the beast at Pro Samgyubsal". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 27 March 2017.