Korean Royal Court Cuisine

Thu, 2010-09-02 20:22

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History

In the Dae Jang Geum theme park, a model of a royal kitchen in which gungnyeo (court ladies) worked was displayed

Collectively known as kungjiung msik during the pre-modern era, the foods of the royal palace were reflective of the opulent nature of the past rulers of the Korean peninsula. The opulent nature of the royalty is evidenced in examples as far back as the Silla kingdom, where a man-made lake (Anapji Lake, located in Gyeongju), was created with multiple pavilions and halls for the sole purpose of opulent banquets and a spring fed channel, Poseokjeong, was created for the singular purpose of setting wine cups afloat during the writing of poems.

Reflecting the regionalism of the kingdoms and bordering countries of the peninsula, the cuisine borrowed from each of these areas to function as a showcase. The royalty had the finest regional delicacies sent to the palace. Although there are records of banquets pre-dating the Joseon period, the majority of these records note a vast variety of foods without mentioning the specific foods present. The meals cooked for the royal family were not seasonal, like a commoner's meal. Instead, they varied significantly day to day. The eight provinces (of?) were represented each month in turn in the royal palace by ingredients presented by their governors. This gave the cooks a wide assortment of ingredients to utilize for royal meals.

Food held a very important place in Joseon period. Official positions were created within the Six Ministries (Yukjo, ) that were charged with all matters related to procurement and consumption of food and drink for the royal court. The Board of Personnel (Ijo, ) contained positions specific for attaining rice for the royal family. The Board of Rites (Yejo) were responsible for foods prepared for ancestor rites, attaining wines and other beverages, and medicinal foods. There were also hundreds of slaves and women who worked in the palace that had tasks such as making tofu, liquor, tea, and tteok (rice cakes). The women were the cooks to the royal palace and were of commoner or low-status families. These women would be split into specific skill sets or "bureaus" such as the Bureau of special foods (Saenggwa-bang, ) or the Bureau of cooking foods (Soju-bang, ). These female cooks may have been assisted by male cooks from outside the palace during larger banquets when necessary.

Five meals were generally served in the royal palace each day during the Joseon period, and records suggest this pattern had existed from antiquity. Three of these meals would be full-course meals, while the afternoon and after dinner meals would consist of lighter fare. The first meal, mieumsang (), was served at sunrise on days when the king and queen were not taking herbal medicines. The meal consisted of rice porridge (juk, ) made with ingredients such as abalone (jeonbokjuk), white rice (huinjuk), mushrooms (beoseotjuk), pine nuts (jatjuk), and sesame (kkaejuk). The side dishes could consist of kimchi, nabak kimchi, oysters, soy sauce, and other items. The porridge was thought to give vitality to the king and queen throughout the day.

The sura () were the main meals of the day. Breakfast was served at ten in the morning and the evening meals were served between six and seven at night. The set of three tables (surasang, ), were usually set with two types of rice, two types of soup, two types of stew (jjigae), one dish of jjim (meat stew), one dish of jeongol (a casserole of meat and vegetables), three types of kimchi, three types of jang () and twelve side dishes, or called 12 cheop (12). The meals were set in the suragan (), a room specifically used for taking meals, with the king seated to the east and the queen to the west. Each had their own set of tables and were attended by three palace servant women known as sura sanggung (). These women would remove bowl covers and offer the foods to the king and queen after ensuring that the dishes were not poisoned.

Surang setting

The surang should be served with three tables and a hotpot. The largest round table at the right upper corner is the main table which contains main bowl, soups and stews, dishes, side dishes and fermented stored dishes. The small round table at the left upper corner contains red sura, gomtang or thick meat broth, dessert, tea, empty dishes and bowls. This table is also used to store the covers of bowls and dishes used in the main table. The rectangular table in the right lower corner contains eggs, sesame oil, various raw vegetables and several sauces. The hotpot at the left lower corner is heated with charcoal, and usually contains jeongol such as sinseollo.

Main dishes served in a bowl

Sura

Closeup of the ingredients in goldongban or bibimbap

Sura () is a bowl of boiled rice and grains. Two kinds of sura must always be served. This includes white sura.

White Sura (): boiled rice without any additional ingredients.

Red Sura (): boiled rice made with the boiled water of azuki beans.

Five Grain Sura (): made by boiling rice, sweet rice, glutinous millet, and azuki beans

Goldongban (): boiled rice mixed with steamed vegetables, roasted beef, and a fried egg. In the royal palace, bibimbap was known as goldongban.

Juk, mieum, and eungi

Juk () and mieum () or eung-i () are types of rice porridge usually served in the morning. Juk is thicker than mieum in texture, latter of which is similar to the Western gruel.

Omija eungi (): Firstly, omija berries are boiled and honey is then added to the boiled omija. The boiled omija berries are taken out. Mung bean starch is then added, the liquid is boiled again.

Sok mieum (): Sweet rice, red jujubes, ginseng root, and chestnuts are simmered.

Jatjuk : rice is soaked and pine nuts are ground before being boiled in water.

Hangin Juk (): Apricot kernels (also the flavoring agent of the popular Italian liqueur Amaretti di Saronno) are peeled and ground with rice. The rice and apricot seed mixture is boiled.

Heuikimjajuk (): Black sesame seeds are ground and boiled with rice.

Tarakjuk (): soaked rice is boiled with water, and then cow milk is added. It is then boiled some more.

Janggukjuk (): ground beef and chopped shiitake mushrooms are boiled together.

Other dishes include dalgyal samhap mieum, jo mieum, sok mieum, chajo mieum, yulmu eungi, nokmal eungi, omija eungi, etc.

Guksu

Domimyeon, stuffed sea bream casserole with vegetables and vermicelli

Guksu () are noodles that are prepared with buckwheat or wheat flour, with the former being preferred.

Myeon sinseollo (): Boiled sliced beef shank, paeju (), Japanese parsley, and sliced bamboo sprouts are boiled with beef stock. Boiled guksu is added to the ready beef stock mixture.

Onmyeon (): stock made from beef brisket is added to roast beef, sliced egg pancake, and guksu.

Nanmyeon (): Wheat flour is mixed with eggs to make noodles. They are then served with beef stock.

Domimyeon (): noodle soup made with panfish, sliced egg pancakes, ginkgo seeds, walnuts, fried meatballs, and pine nuts.

Other guksu dishes include jangguk naengmyeon, kimchiguk naengmyung, bibim naengmyeon, etc. Simple naengmyeon is also popular.

Mandu and ddeokguk

Mandu () are boiled or steamed dumplings. Mandu dough is made from either wheat flour or buckwheat. The dough is then stuffed with various fillings. Tteokguk () is a soup made of tteok (glutinous rice cakes)

Jangguk mandu (): kimchi, pork, and tofu are used as filling.

Saengchi mandu (): ring neck pheasant, dropwort, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms are used as filling. Buckwheat dough is used. The prepared saengchi mandu is then boiled in meat stock.

Donga mandu (): Mandu made with winter melon, chicken and starch. It is steamed and then boiled in meat stock.

Pyeonsu (): Mandu made with beef, cucumber, green bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and rock tripe.

Tteokguk (): Tteok sliced round to resemble coins, and is boiled with meat stock. It is served with egg pancake slices and roasted ground meat.

Other varieties include gyuasang () and junchi mandu ().

Eo mandu (): Mandu made with a thinly sliced fish flesh as its wrap and stuffed with minced beef, vegetables, and several spices.

Dishes

Tang

Tang is a type of soup made with beef shank, intestines, a knuckle (bone) and beef brisket.

Malgeun guk ( ): a hot and clear soup, and includes daikon-guk (), clear beef soup, wakame soup, matsutake soup, dried pollock soup, etc.

Gomguk: a thick soup made so by simmering for a long time. Varieties include gomtang (), seolleongtang (), yukgaejang (), etc.

Tojangguk (): a soup flavored with doenjang (fermented soybean paste). This includes cabbage tonjangguk, spinach tojangguk, etc.

Naengguk : a soup served cold. This includes kkaeguktang, oinaengguk, and wakame cold soup.

Jochi and gamjeong

Jochi () and gamjeong () are stew-like dishes which is called jjigae in nowadays. If seasoned with gochujang, they are called gamjeong. Jochi is seasoned with salt or salted shrimp. Other varieties include:

Crab gamjeong

Cucumber gamjeong

Oyster jochi

Zucchini jochi

Fish jochi, etc.

Jjim and seon

Baechuseon, steamed and stuffed bachu (napa cabbage) roll

Jjim (): steamed or boiled beef, pork, and fish seasoned with vegetables. Seon () is steamed vegetables, tofu, and fish stuffed with fillings made with beef or chicken and onions.

Swellfish jjim

Bure jjim ()

Red sea bream jjim or Pagrus major jjim

Tteok

Ox tail jjim

Dubuseon (), steamed tofu with fillings

Gajiseon (), made with eggplant

Oiseon (), made with cucumber

Hobakseon (), made with zucchini

Museon (), made with daikon

Baechuseon (), made with napa cabbage

Jeongol and sinseollo

Sinseollo

Jeongol and sinseollo are similar to Western stew or Chinese hotpot. Sinseollo (which is a variety of jeongol) is boiled in meat stock with various vegetables and mushrooms in a specific cooking pot with holes. Jeongol and sinseollo are served with a burner.

Domi guksu jeongol, made with noodles and Red seabream

Nakji jeongol, made with small octopus

Dubu jeongol, made with tofu

Side dishes

Saengchae

Saengchae () is like a salad seasoned with salt, vinegar, soy sauce, or mustard sauce.

Mu saengchae, made of shredded daikon

Oi saengchae, made of cucumber

Deodeok saengchae, made of deodeok root (Codonopsis lanceolata, a species of bonnet bellflower).

Seomchorongkkot saengchae, made of Korean bellflower, etc.

Namul

Gujeolpan

Namul () are any variety of steamed vegetables seasoned with hot pepper, garlic, green onion, salt, and sesame or perilla oil. Typical vegetables include spinach, daikon, royal fern, bracken, zucchini, green bean sprouts, Korean bellflower, bamboo shoots, etc. In some cases, dangmyeon (potato starch noodles) and roasted beef can be used as well.

Gujeolpan

Japchae

Tangpyeonchae

Jorigae

Jorigae () hard-boiled foods with heavy seasonings. Meats, fish and vegetable are mainly used.

Beef jorigae ()

Sliced steamed beef jorigae ()

Sliced steamed pork jorigae ()

Larimichthys polyactis (sort of Yellowfin croaker) jorigae ()

Jeonyuhwa

Bindaetteok

Jeonyuhwa () or sometimes jeon: a dish resembling a pancake. The main ingredients can be lightly battered with egg and wheat flour. Eggs, flour, and other ingredients can be mixed to make pancakes.

Jogaejeon, made with shellfish

Saeu jeon, made with shrimp

Gochu jeon, made with hot pepper

Bindaetteok () made from ground mung beans and other ingredients

Yeongeun jeon, made with sliced lotus root

Pajeon, made with green onion

Gui

Deodeok gui

Gui is a generic Korean cuisine term for roasted and seasoned dishes. The main ingredients include laver, beef, the root of deodeok (Codonopsis lanceolata; ), fish, mushrooms, vegetables, Aralia elata sprouts (), etc.

Garibi gui () or gari gui (), old term for galbi, grilled short ribs seasoned with soy sauce

Garibi gui (), grilled scallops

Neobiani (), ancient form of bulgogi

Pogui (), grilled po (either dried meat jerky, or fish)

Dak sanjeok (), grilled chicken and vegetables on skewers

Hwayang seok (), various marinated ingredients grilled on skewers

Hoe

Yukhoe (, )

Hoe () is raw fish or raw seasoned beef

Yukhoe, raw seasoned beef

Gaksaek hoe ()

Gabhoe (), etc.

Jang ()

sauce

Cheongjang (): "bright" sauce (soy sauce with vinegar)

Gochujang: hot pepper soybean paste sauce

Chogochujang (): vinegar hot pepper soybean paste sauce

Gyeojajeub (): mustard sauce

Banchan ()

dishes

Changui (): cold roast of laver and Codonopsis lanceolata root, a bonnet bellflower species called deodeok () in Korean

Deoungui (): hot roast of meat, fish, etc.

Jeonyuhwa (): pancake of meat, fish, and vegetables

Pyeonyuk (): steamed meat

Sukchae (): steamed vegetables

Saengchae (): raw seasoned vegetables

Jorim: lightly boiled meat, fish and vegetables with seasoning

Janggwa (): fermented vegetables in soy sauce

Jeotgal: fermented salty fish

Mareulchan (): dried slices of meat seasoned with spices, fried kelp, and dried salty fish

Hoe (): raw fish or beef, or fermented raw fish

Chansuran (): cold soup with vegetables or boiled meat

Chasu (): tea made from grains

Dessert

Tteok (rice cake)

Mostly made of rice, it is eaten as a dessert or on Korean Thanksgiving day, which falls on August 15 of the lunar year. These rice cakes vary from containing sweet red bean rice to sesame seeds. Most of these rice cakes are mildy sweet and are enjoyed by everyone from young to old.

Tea and fruit punch

Sikhye:

A sweet rice punch. Being an iconic Korean traditional drink, several varieties of canned sikhye are now widely available.

Sujeonggwa:

A sweet drink flavored with ginger and cinnamon. Softened dried persimmons and pine nuts are added at serving time.

Fruit Hwachae: fruit punch made by mixing several fruits together, or only one fruit used. The ingredients are cherries, strawberries, peaches, or watermelons. There are also hwachae with floating azalea petals, boiled barley, pine pollen, or slices of pear in omija-flavored water, sweetened with honey or sugar.

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