Bibimbap비빔밥

Bibimbap (비빔밥) has gone by other names over the centuries. It was also called goldongban (骨董飯), and at the royal court it was known simply as bibim, "the mix." The first written recipe turns up in Siuijeonseo, a cookbook from the late 1800s, but the habit of piling toppings on rice and stirring it all together is thought to be much older.

Nobody knows exactly how it began, and several stories are told. One links it to ancestral rites: after the ceremony, families mixed the offered vegetables and meats into rice and shared the bowl. Another says that on the last night of the lunar year, people stirred all their leftover side dishes into rice so nothing would be carried over into the new year. Either way, it is a dish about gathering what you have and eating it together.

Regional styles are distinct. Jeonju bibimbap, also called kongnamul bibimbap for its generous bean sprouts, and Jinju bibimbap are the best known, and Jeonju, a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, proudly claims to be the dish's home. Dolsot bibimbap, served in a sizzling stone pot, is more of a restaurant specialty than a home dish.