After completing my last cultural post on dining at Korean restaurants and after having talked to my learning partner about food in Korea, I became interested in researching the symbolic significance of Korean food because I have heard that some dishes have particular meaning attached to them. This post shows some of the findings I came across while reading “Aesthetics of Korean Foods: The Symbol of Korean Culture” by Chung et al.
According to Chung et al., when creating cuisine, ancient Koreans made sure to balance taste with aesthetic appeal, which was done to express particular themes: for example, some foods, like bibimbap, would symbolize harmonization due to the balance and mixture of various ingredients to create the final products (180). Harmonization is only one of various themes covered in Korean cuisine. There is a Korean dish that represents harmony and reconciliation. For instance, according to the authors, the dish called tangyungchae has a well-balanced composition of various ingredients and “it was named after the ‘tangpyngchaek’ policy [of the Joseon dynasty] that represents the motive and objective of establishing a harmonious mix of different political beliefs” (181). As such, this particular dish also demonstrates the influence politics (and in this case, political reconciliation,) may have on cuisine.
According to Chung et al., there is also a dish that addresses dualism. This would be gujeolpan, a dish prepared for burial ceremonies of ancient Korea. This dish demonstrates “the duality (yinand yang) between vegetable (yin) and meat (yang)…, [of which] each ingredient has five different colors (blue, red, yellow, white and black) and five different flavors (tart, bitter, sweet, hot, and salty)” (181). Moreover, there is also shinsunro, which also holds much symbolic meaning as it is a ceremonial dish “focused on respecting the ancestors and going together among descendant[s] with harmonization” (181).
After having looking into Korean cuisine, it has become evident that many ancient foods were made to not only taste and look appetizing, but to also hold significant cultural, political, philosophical, and historical meanings.
Bibliography
Chung, Hae-Kyung, et al. “Aesthetics of Korean Foods: The Symbol of Korean Culture.” Journal of Ethnic Foods, vol. 3, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 178–88. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.jef.2016.09.001.
Comments
Wow. This research is fascinating, Diego. I mentioned this during one of our consultations, but be sure to check out the interviews and culinary methodology of the Korean Buddhist monk, Jeong Kwan-
https://youtu.be/AnNTMML7Le4
I've done research on table manners in Korean culture, as well as street food culture, but I never thought to dig farther into the more complex meanings of food. I feel like so much about a culture is revealed through everyday things such as food or greetings. I find it very impressive that Koreans have been able to make such delicious tasting food while also incorporating complex ideals. It also seems as though Koreans are very conscientious of what they put in their bodies and the symbolism of different things, so I wonder if this might take its origins back when meanings were connected to different foods. Furthermore, I also like the idea of eating certain foods for certain occasions. It makes the taste and its meaning all the more special and it seems to create a moment in time that is embodied in a food item that everyone present during that occasion is experiencing together. I think you did a very good job on this post and I really enjoyed reading it!
This is a really interesting concept that Koreans have created. I've always admired their idea of peace and harmony and the fact that they incorporate it into the food they eat truly symbolizes how they internalize it. You mentioned that the dish gujeolpan for burial ceremonies has 5 different colors. I wonder if those correlate with each of the 5 flavors or if they represent something else as well. I also love bibimbap for one of the reasons you mentioned how there's a little bit of everything. I've noticed that in Korean restaurants how they serve several small dishes so everyone can share, but I hadn't made the connection about the balance. It's very mindful of them to include peace and balance into the food they eat, thank you for researching this topic!