A key staple to Korean cuisine is the idea of banchans, also known as “side dishes” or “appetizers,” that are set at the middle of the table alongside the main course. Therefore, I wanted to delve into the origins of banchan and how it has evolved throughout the years.
Banchan dates back to the mid-Three Kingdom period, around the 300s AD. The reason is due to the large influence of Buddhism in which meat consumption was highly discouraged. In addition to Buddhism, due to the mountains and cold winters, Korea was not able to produce large amounts of vegetables, therefore the citizens would store vegetables in pots. By doing so, they were able to ferment them and have food available for the winter, creating kimchi. Banchan has also been served to the king during the Joseon Dynasty with a traditional cuisine called hanshik. The flavors in this cuisine were very mild and refined, served with 12 banchan side dishes.
One important part of banchan is the familial aspect of it. For example, there is something called kimjang, which is a kimchi-preparation event, where large amounts of kimchi is laid out so all members of the family can work on it. The event provides the chance for everyone to come together and participate. Parents would also prepare kimchi to give out to their children as a token of affection.
Originally, kimchi was served in water and at the time, radish was the main vegetable used. Besides kimchi, there are also other popular banchans that people make. These include bean sprouts, cucumbers, and sesame leaves pickled in soy sauce. In more high end Korean restaurants, they would even serve egg rolls, tteokbokki, and ganjang gejang. The dishes offered are similar to those that would be served at home so customers feel more welcomed and comfortable. Restaurants take great pride with their banchas since it is the best way to ensure customers are satisfied by their meal. In restaurants, the customer has free refills of banchan, so when it’s all eaten, you simply have to ask for more. The reason behind this is due to the fact that banchan was cheaper than rice during difficult times in the economy such as the Korean war. It was expensive to give refills of rice, but to make sure the customer was full, they offered a second round of the side dishes. Therefore, it is very rare to have to pay for these dishes since the idea of banchan being free has been ingrained in Korean society.
In addition to the idea of free refills, there is also the relationship customers create with the owners of the restaurants, especially those owned by an “emo,” or auntie in korean. This helps create a nice and comfortable atmosphere. Nowadays, there are restaurants that have a self-service system so the customers are the ones to choose how much of banchan they want to eat. This also helps reduce the burden on the staff since they would have made the dishes in bulk. Overall, the origins of banchan is pretty interesting and it is fascinating to see how there is so much history on Korea’s famous side dishes.
Comments
I eat banchan all the time at home and this is my first time learning about how it came to be. I also would always help my mom and aunts with kimjang and it was definitely a bonding moment for the family. We would also always eat it with bossam afterwards with the freshly made kimchi.