Bibim-guksu비빔국수

Bibim-guksu (비빔국수) once went by the name goldongmyeon (骨董麵), with goldong meaning "to mix many things together." Dongguk Sesigi, a record of seasonal customs published in 1849, describes goldongmyeon as buckwheat noodles tossed with japchae, pear, chestnut, beef, pork, sesame oil and soy sauce. In other words, the early version was seasoned with soy sauce rather than the sweet, sour and spicy dressing of today. Cookbooks such as Siuijeonseo and Buin Pilji also record the dish.

Surprisingly, the old bibim-guksu was a winter food. It was counted among the seasonal dishes of the eleventh lunar month, around the winter solstice, and in winter people sometimes mixed pure buckwheat noodles with kimchi. It was also considered a good lunch to serve guests, alongside a clear soup or dongchimi, a mild radish water kimchi.

The red, gochujang-dressed bibim-guksu is thought to have become everyone's food after the Korean War, when wheat flour poured into the country. The family of spicy mixed noodles grew too. Hamhung's hoe-naengmyeon, chewy potato-starch noodles tossed fiery hot with raw fish, is a branch of bibim-guksu, and one story says jjolmyeon was born in the early 1970s when a noodle factory in Incheon accidentally pressed out extra-thick noodles and a nearby snack shop started selling them in gochujang sauce.