What Is Korean Food? A Beginner’s Guide to Korean Flavors, Meals, and Food Culture
Understand Korean food through rice, soup, banchan, kimchi, and fermented seasonings, with examples from our everyday meals at home.
Understanding Korean Food Starts With How a Meal Comes Together
Korean food, commonly called hansik in Korean, encompasses the dishes and cooking traditions that have developed in Korea over time. It includes familiar foods such as kimchi and bulgogi, along with soups, stews, seasoned vegetables, noodles, rice porridge, and snacks. Ingredients and ways of eating vary by region, season, and household.
If you are new to Korean food, start by looking at how a meal comes together rather than trying to memorize many dish names. Rice served with soup or stew, kimchi, and a few side dishes offers a useful introduction. Moving between strongly seasoned and mild foods lets you experience different combinations throughout the meal.
Of course, not every meal involves several plates. Bibimbap brings rice and other ingredients together in one bowl, while noodles or gimbap, seaweed rice rolls, can make a meal on their own. Korean food includes both tables of shared dishes and simple meals served in one bowl.
At Home, We Add Freshly Cooked Food to Banchan We Already Have
In our home, dinner is the meal that most often includes rice, soup or stew, and several side dishes. We might pair doenjang jjigae, a soybean paste stew, with grilled fish, or serve soup alongside bulgogi or another meat dish. Kimchi and some banchan from the refrigerator complete the meal.
Several plates on the table do not mean we made everything that day. We often add one or two freshly prepared dishes to food we already have. The same seasoned vegetables or stir-fried anchovies can become part of a different meal when served with another soup or main dish.
Breakfast and lunch look different. These days, we have vegetables, eggs, and fruit in the morning, with a little rice porridge or nurungji, scorched rice softened in water. Lunch is often noodles or a meal in one bowl. Living in a Korean household does not mean eating rice, soup, and several side dishes at every meal.
This describes our household, not a standard for every Korean family. Family size, daily schedules, and preferences all shape the table. For a closer look at what we eat, see our everyday breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
Rice, Soup, and Side Dishes Play Different Parts in a Meal
Plain white rice goes well with seasoned foods. A bite of salty fish or seasoned vegetables tastes different alongside rice than it does on its own. Rice may also be cooked with barley, beans, or other grains.
Soups and stews provide both broth and solid ingredients to eat. With miyeokguk, seaweed soup, you might alternate between spoonfuls of broth and pieces of seaweed. Doenjang jjigae with tofu and vegetables can accompany bites of rice. In our home, we serve soup in individual bowls and tend to share stew from the center of the table, although serving arrangements vary among households and restaurants.
| Food on the table | How it fits into the meal |
|---|---|
| Rice | Eaten with side dishes or the main dish |
| Soup or stew | Broth is spooned up, and the solid ingredients can be eaten with rice |
| Kimchi and other banchan | Eaten in small amounts to vary the flavors and textures |
| Meat, fish, tofu, or egg dishes | Served as a main dish or a side dish, depending on the meal |
This is not a checklist that every meal must follow. Gukbap may bring rice and soup together in one bowl, and a meal can consist of rice and side dishes without soup. If the names of Korean soups and stews are unfamiliar, our guide to the differences between guk, tang, and jjigae explains them.
The utensils you use can change with the food. I eat rice with either a spoon or chopsticks. I use a spoon for broth and choose whichever utensil is easier for the solid ingredients. Our article on why Koreans use both a spoon and chopsticks explains this in more detail.
Banchan and Kimchi Accompany You Throughout the Meal
Banchan are side dishes eaten with rice. They include namul, seasoned vegetables, as well as stir-fried anchovies, braised tofu, and many other foods. When several small plates appear, looking at the ingredients and preparation can help even if you do not know their names. Our guide to different types of Korean banchan can help you recognize them.
Banchan are not an appetizer course to finish before the main dish. You eat a little alongside rice and can choose a different side dish for your next bite. Having several kinds on the table does not mean you need to eat equal amounts of each.
Kimchi is also a type of banchan. Napa cabbage kimchi may be the most familiar to you, but there are versions made with radish or cucumber, as well as baek kimchi, white kimchi made without the usual red pepper seasoning. Even the same cabbage kimchi tastes different as it ferments.
I prefer kimchi when it is less fermented, while my wife likes it further along, with more sourness. Preferences differ even within one household. If you are trying kimchi for the first time, one serving does not represent every kind.
Well-fermented kimchi can also become an ingredient in stew, fried rice, or savory pancakes. A food served alongside a meal can later become part of another dish.
Fermented Seasonings and Other Ingredients Build the Flavor
Doenjang, ganjang, and gochujang are fermented seasonings that help explain many Korean flavors. Doenjang, soybean paste, adds a savory, salty depth to soups and stews. Ganjang, soy sauce, seasons vegetables, braised dishes, and meat. Gochujang, red chili paste, combines heat, sweetness, and saltiness in sauces and stir-fries.
These seasonings do not all go into every dish. Beef bulgogi seasoned with soy sauce tastes different from a spicy meat stir-fry made with gochujang. Garlic, green onions, sesame oil, and sesame seeds also influence the aroma and flavor.
In our home, we mostly buy the fermented sauces and pastes we cook with. Using them regularly does not mean making them from scratch. We discuss fermentation and our own experiences with these ingredients in our article on Korean fermented foods.
Heat alone cannot describe Korean food. Different dishes offer the sweetness and saltiness of soy sauce seasoning, the tang of kimchi, the nutty aroma of sesame oil, or the gentle flavor of a clear soup. Notice both the taste of a dish and what you eat alongside it.
Korean Food Is Not Always Red or Spicy
If tteokbokki or spicy stews are the first dishes that come to mind, it is easy to imagine that all Korean food is hot. But soy-seasoned beef bulgogi, gyeran-jjim, steamed eggs, and seolleongtang, ox bone soup, can be made without spicy seasoning. Many vegetable side dishes are also prepared without red pepper flakes.
A dish name alone does not guarantee its spice level, however. Gimbap varies with its fillings, and a dish that is not red may still contain hot peppers. Checking the ingredients and seasoning gives you a clearer idea of what to expect.
Spicy and mild dishes can appear at the same meal. When I eat something spicy, I often reach for soybean sprouts or spinach seasoned without chili. That does not mean every side dish is there to reduce the heat. The combinations depend on the meal and the people eating it.
You do not need to build a tolerance for spicy food to enjoy Korean cuisine. For a fuller explanation, see how spicy Korean food really is.
Start With One Meal and Let It Guide Your Next Choice
You do not need to try many dishes at once. If a meal in one bowl feels comfortable, you could explore bibimbap or gukbap. If you want to taste several side dishes, look for a meal served with rice and banchan. If heat is a concern, check the seasoning and ingredients first.
Our guide to choosing your first Korean dish offers a starting point. If you have already found something you enjoy, see how to explore Korean food through dishes you already like.
After a meal, remember the dish’s name and one thing you liked about it. Perhaps it was the sweet-savory seasoning on the meat, the warm broth, or the aroma of the vegetables you ate with rice.
A good starting point for understanding Korean food is tasting how the foods in one meal work together. As you pair rice with a side dish, take a spoonful of soup, or try a little kimchi, you can find combinations that suit your own taste.
