The Untold Truth Of Bibimbap

For lovers of Korean cuisine, the classic rice dish bibimbap is comfort in a bowl. Simply defined, it's nothing more than a bowl of hot rice with an assortment of toppings. This may not sound super impressive, but lovers of bibimbap know the whole is more than the sum of its parts. You can't just slop random foodstuffs over a bowl of rice and call it bibimbap — whatever toppings you choose, they have to be attractively arranged. Typically, when you order it, you'll be presented a bowl with a sunny fried egg in the center with colorful bands of toppings radiating from it, along with hot chili paste. It will be almost too pretty to eat — but too tantalizing not to.

Of course, every rice-growing culture has dishes of rice topped with (or mixed with) other things. But besides its eye-catching looks, what makes bibimbap unique — and so beloved by Korean diners — is its versatility. It can be made as fancy or frugal as one wishes — as Fine Dining Lovers notes, cooks top it with everything from leftovers to rare beef. And regional variations abound, each showcasing the natural and agricultural bounty of its place of origin.

Part of what makes bibimbap so appealing is that it offers a variety of flavors and textures in each bite. Thus, while all the ingredients in your bowl are meant to be eaten together, they should not look (or taste) alike. This means, as cookbook author Maangchi notes, that while bibimbap is at heart a simple dish, it will take some time and care to put together to get the right flavors and contrasts: Each topping ingredient must be prepared separately, with its own set of seasonings and special cooking method.

In her recipe, for instance, the dried vegetables are first reconstituted in boiling water, then drained and lightly sauteed with garlic and sesame oil. Carrots are simply julienned, salted, then sauteed. Lean beef (filet mignon or flank steak) is cut finely and marinated in garlic, soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil and served raw. And each of the half-dozen or so other toppings gets a similarly individualized treatment. It's definitely a labor of love — but the appetite you work up preparing it will make it even more rewarding to eat and enjoy.

While some popular dishes have clear origin stories and even identifiable inventors, the precise origins of bibimbap have engendered a surprising amount of conjecture and debate, according to a study by Kyung Rhan Chung and colleagues published in the Journal of Ethic Foods. Among the theories about the origins of bibimbap, according to Fine Dining Lovers, is that it was first created as a harvest dish, since it could be made in large quantities to feed large numbers of farmworkers, or that it derived from dishes made as ritual offerings for ancestor worship. While Chung and colleagues managed to identify written references to composed dishes of rice, sauce, and vegetables dating back to the 1600s, they argued that because literacy rates were low in Korea at the time — and thus relatively little information about everyday activities got documented — versions of bibimbap may have existed for centuries before that.

Chung and colleagues concluded that bibimbap naturally evolved from the structure of traditional Korean meals, which standardly comprise rice, broth, an assortment of small side dishes, a stew, and sauce, all served at the same time. Bibimbap, they argued, most likely evolved as an efficient way for busy cooks to combine multiple components of a traditional meal into a single dish. 

The versatility of bibimbap gives it yet another advantage — it can be (and has been) enjoyed by anyone, regardless of budget. A study in the Journal of Ethnic Foods cites a theory that it was invented by women working on farms, who lacked the time to prepare traditional multicourse meals for their families. As mentioned, because it was also believed to be a popular harvest meal for feeding large numbers of hungry people easily, it could have been considered a working-class shortcut meal. Potentially a quite affordable one too, if made with readily available ingredients.

But historically, bibimbap also developed a veneer of luxury. The Journal of Ethnic Foods study cites a report that bibimbap was historically prepared and served to government officials and other honored dignitaries and was a popular dish among the wealthy. And today, some versions of bibimbap feature luxurious ingredients such as filet mignon, and as noted by Eater, a reimagined, modernized version including rare tuna and preserved lemon is offered at the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Parachute.

We've all heard the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention" — and nowhere is this more true than in the kitchen. Every day, busy cooks around the world put together new twists on favorite dishes using the ingredients and time they have, maybe substituting or leaving out expected ingredients or conflating cooking steps.

And crisis situations demand even more creativity and ingenuity from cooks — how do you keep those close to you properly nourished when all hell is breaking loose around you and a last-minute trip to the supermarket isn't possible? During Japan's invasion of Korea, in the Battle of Jinjuseong in 1593, cooks responsible for feeding the Korean troops didn't have much time to prepare their meals, nor did the troops have much time to eat them. The cooks' solution, per Kworld Now, was a variation of bibimbap featuring seasonal vegetables and raw beef. It hit all the right notes: It was fast to cook, featured readily available ingredients, could be eaten quickly, and was both flavorful and nourishing. Now known as Jinju bibimbap, this dish is a regional specialty of the city of Jinju, the site of the original invasion and battle.

Bibimbap has become such a powerful emblem of Korean cuisine that if you're traveling to Korea, you may be offered your first taste of it before you even arrive. In 1997, Korean Airlines introduced bibimbap to its inflight meal lineup. It not only became a hit with hungry flyers, but earned Korean Airlines the Mercury Award from the International Flight Catering Association, according to The Korean Times. And since then, other airlines have followed their lead, with Delta and Singapore Airlines (among others) offering their own versions of bibimbap on flights to and from Korea.

While in-flight bibimbap is definitely a big step up from the cold sandwiches and rubber chicken you may expect from standard airline food, you should still keep your expectations in check. Because of the logistical constraints of preparing and storing inflight meals, you won't get that freshly fried (or just-cracked raw) egg in the middle of your toppings. And as a photo on Korean Airlines' website suggests, your toppings may come in a separate bowl from your rice. And the gochujang (red chili paste) that traditionally accompanies bibimbap will also be presented separately, in what looks like a travel-sized toothpaste tube.

Bibimbap has long been a popular meal in Korea, so it's not surprising for viewers of Korean dramas to see their favorite characters enjoying it. But when viewers of the popular K-drama "Vincenzo" depicted its two leading characters eating bowls of instant bibimbap (yes, that's a thing) together, viewers were outraged, and a scandal erupted. As reported by the South China Morning Post, the fact that it was instant bibimbap wasn't the problem. The true scandal, as far as many viewers were concerned, was that it was made by Zihaiguo, a Chinese company that also happened to be a sponsor of the show.

The sponsor's attempt at product placement had the exact opposite effect than it probably wanted. Fans of the show accused the Chinese company of stealing (or at least appropriating) their cultural heritage. "What is this Chinese bibimbap product placement? Now they [the Chinese] are going to argue that bibimbap is a Chinese dish," one online commenter wrote. Another commenter saw the problem from a different angle. "If the network just sells placement to Chinese companies for quick money, wouldn't [foreign] people who watch this series think bibimbap's Chinese food? This is a serious issue ... I know money is important but this is taking it too far."