For this cultural post, I will be writing all about kimbap (김밥)! Kimbap has been one of my favorite foods since I was a child. As I was doing research for this post, I learned so much about kimbap that I had never known before. According to one source, kimbap was created between 1910-1945 during the Japanese occupation in Korea. During this time, Koreans began to eat more Western and Japanese food. Kimbap is a variation of Japanese futomaki, which is a kind of sushi roll with steamed rice and sesame oil. Since sushi is so popular around the world, I often refer to kimbap as “Korean sushi.” I did not previously know that it was actually inspired by a type of sushi. However, one main difference between kimbap and sushi is that most sushi has raw fish, whereas kimbap consists of cooked or preserved ingredients. Ultimately, I hope more people become more familiar with Korean culture and cuisine so that we can stop referring to kimbap as “Korean sushi.” Another belief is that kimbap is a modernized version of bokssam (복쌈), which refers to cooked rice and filling rolled with seaweed.
On their blog, Dom and Hyo have an incredibly informative infographic illustrating the 12 popular styles of kimbap. There were so many varieties of kimbap that I had never known about. The styles of kimbap that I grew up eating include yachae kimbap (야채 김밥), chungmu kimbap (충무김밥), and samgak kimbap (삼각 김밥) (my favorite is spicy tuna, which I consider a luxury!). Gyeran kimbap (계란김밥) is what I make when there is leftover kimbap that I want to eat the next day. Kimbap is meant to be eaten at room temperature, and it should not be left out overnight. In that case, I refrigerate the kimbap and reheat it by dipping it in egg and frying it. The egg acts as a coating and makes the inside of the kimbap soft and edible again.
When I was at home during quarantine, I got to make lots of kimbap (photos included). For anyone interested in making their own kimbap, I encourage you to try it because it is a lot of fun! One tip I have is to season your rice perfectly. The rice should have enough flavor for you to enjoy by itself. If the rice tastes good, every other ingredient will taste good. I have made rolls in which the rice was under-seasoned, and it makes the rest of the roll taste bland. Another thing to note is that making homemade kimbap takes a lot of time and energy, but that is part of the rewarding process. You have to make every component of the kimbap individually, and then roll it all together. The most time-consuming part for me was washing and chopping all of the vegetables. If you include egg in your kimbap, that also has to be cooked in a certain way so that you are able to cut it into long, thin strips. It is also very helpful to have a bamboo mat to use to roll the kimbap or sushi.
Writing this post has made me hungry for kimbap. I hope you will be able to try some soon!
Sources:
https://behgopa.com/2018/08/1.html
https://firstwefeast.com/drink/2015/03/the-surprising-world-of-wartime-food
Comments
I also used to call kimbap “korean sushi” when my friends used to ask me what kind of food I brought, but I had no idea it was influenced by Japanese futomaki! I also had no idea that you could use egg as a coating to make the inside of the kimbap soft. I will definitely try this out next time I reheat my kimbap.
I remember going with my mother to Korean supermarket as a child and sampling the 'sushi' that the workers were handing out. It wasn't until much later in my life that I realized the 'sushi' I was eating wasn't sushi at all. My favorite ingredients for Kimbap are eggs and pickled vegetables!