Korea

Thinly slice beef, shiitake mushroom, fried egg, and Chef’s choice of vegetables toppings, served over rice.

Literally translated “bibimbap” means “mixing rice”. It is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) or kimchi (traditional fermented vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste).

People started mixing rice with side dishes after the outdoor rites, such as sansinje (rite for mountain gods) or dongsinje (rite for village gods), where they needed to “eat with the god” but did not have as many cooking pots and items of crockery to hand as they would normally have at home. Some scholars assert that bibimbap originates from the traditional practice of mixing all the food offerings made at an ancestral rite in a bowl before partaking of it.