Korean Bibimbap: More Than Just Mixed Rice
When people think of Korean food, dishes such as kimchi, bulgogi and Korean barbecue often come to mind. But there is another dish that, for me, says something particularly interesting about Korean food—and even about life in a multicultural society: bibimbap (비빔밥) . A bowl of homemade bibimbap prepared for one of our family meals. At first glance, bibimbap seems quite simple. Rice is topped with different vegetables, sometimes meat, an egg and usually gochujang. Everything is arranged in one bowl and mixed together before eating. But perhaps the most interesting thing about bibimbap is exactly that: many different ingredients come together to make one dish. As a foreigner living in Korea, I have come to see bibimbap as more than Korean food. I prepare it regularly at home, my children love it, and over time it has become a natural part of our family meals. What Is Bibimbap? The Korean word bibimbap (비빔밥) is closely connected to the way the dish is ...