Jeonju Bibimbap Food&Drink

Jeonju Bibimbap is - Korea’s best dish

Bibimbap is cited as one of the best dishes amongst three most popular dishes of the Chosun era. Now, bibimbap is one of the best-known Korean dishes internationally, the one most favored by foreigners. The bibimbap rice is cooked with fresh kongnamul then topped with thirty different vegetables along with ginkgo, a fried egg, pine nuts, chestnuts, walnuts and other ingredients. This is a whole foods dish offering a balance of proteins, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fat. Bibimbap is a wellness food that contains the wisdom and philosophy of ancient Korea, now loved throughout the world.

History of Jeonju Bibimbap - Originating from the royal table

There are many hypotheses regarding the origins of the bibimbap; from the royal table, a ritual food, the Donghak revolution, a farming season food or royal flight during war time; but the most reliable of these is the royal table origination. It was first served at the royal table but was then passed down and spread amongst the lower classes. According to records, people started to eat bibimbap in Jeonju two hundred years ago. Jeonju bibimbap owes its popularity to perfectly steamed rice topped with freshly-cut vegetables (10 different ingredients in Jeonju) combined with the excellent cooking skills of the local women.

Korean Table Food&Drink

 

 

A table filled with side dishes, Jeonju Korean Cuisine

You can taste almost every kind of food at the Jeonju Table d’hote, whether from the field, the mountain or the sea. Fresh seafood comes from the west coast of the Korean peninsula, grains are produced in the neighboring rich fields, and vegetables are collected from the mountain areas. All provided the rich toppings of Jeonju Bibimbap and ingredients for Jeonju dishes. They are known as the Jeonju Table d’hote, which boasts soup, stews, stir fried (or seasoned) vegetables, pickled seafood and other tasty treats, comprising more than 30 different side dishes.Jeonju cuisine is famous not just for its splendid side dishes but also for its generosity, thanks to liberal amounts of food. The Jeonju 10 Flavors make up the table and all are locally produced and have contributed to the flourishing of the region’s cooking. Jeonju cuisine still retains the flavors of the past with great excellence in taste and service, found nowhere else but here.

Jeonju Baekban[Full Course] Food&Drink

 

A table for everyday Jeonju people

Baekban is the name of what average local Jeonju residents ate in the past, a serving of rice and side dishes and today it still boasts a large number of side dishes. Travelling in Jeonju will soon fill any empty spots in your tummy, and many restaurants specializing in Baekban are found in the area of the former Jeonbuk Provincial office, where the Jeolla area governor’s office was located in the Chosun Dynasty. Jeonju Baekban was popular with local residents. Professor Song Hwa-seop of Jeonju University states that ‘Kongnamul gukbap is popular outside the four gates of Jeoju Eupseong (fortresses), and Baekban was popular among residents who lived within the fortresses itself’.Baekban restaurants are mostly found where there are large firms or offices nearby, such as the former Jeobuk Provincial office site, the Jeonju City Hall area and the Jeonju Deokjin park area. Jeonju Baekban is also called ‘Homemade Jeonju Baekban’.

Kongnamul Kukbap[Bean Sprouts Soup]

 

 

Jeonju Kongnamulgukbap and Moju, for anytime of the day

The Jeonju-produced Kongnamul is known as the best in Korea because the Jeonju soil is ideal for growing Kongnamul. The breed of beans for Jeonju Kongnamul is called the ‘mice eyes’ bean, and its soft texture is an ideal food for relieving hangovers.Historic records cite that Koreans long ago ate Kongnamul to relieve famines in the Goryo and Chosun dynasties. Detailed recipes for Kongnamul are seen in 1910, and tradition records that it first originated in Jeonju. The traditional Jeonju Kongnamul gukbap is made by boiling rice and kongnamul in a Tukbaeki (unglazed earthen pot) with lots of seasonings. Instead of boiling, though, the hot soup can be added instead to the bowl of rice, which is Nambusijang-style gukbap.These two different types of gukbap are popular with drinkers of alcohol in Jeonju. These gukbaps are low in cost, relieve hangovers and take the edge of hunger for families, working class people and friends.

Jeonju Makgeoli Food&Drink

 

 

The best place to meet up with your friends, the Jeonju Makgeoli streets

You don’t need to worry about side dishes and no time is wasted in ordering. Just holler ‘one kettle of Makgeoli!’, and everything is served at once. With another order of Makgeli, a new side dish is served, then again different side dishes with the next. A true luxury for the eyes, the mouth and the tummy

-Cited from the “Tenth Planet”, Korean Travel Authors Association, 2006.

Land of Co-existence and Harmony, where insiders and outsiders live together

There should be no distinction of insiders or outsiders, and any distinction vanishes when drinking Makgeoli. Jeonju has long been known for harmony, equality and the coexistence of variety. Bimbap and Makgeli are the symbol of harmony.

Here, outsider means those who only eat the side dishes and don’t drink the Makgeoli, while insiders mean people who only drink the alcohol without tasting the side dishes! You might be sober even after numerous shots or drunk even after having none.

Seonunjae's Introduction

www.seonunjae.co.kr

sonnen@empas.com

82-10-3624-3288

Experience traditional Korean Hanok guest house at Seonunjae amid the elegance of Jeonju and the characteristic style of the hanok house.

Seonunjae is located in Jeonju’s Hanok Village. Your hosts speak  English, and will help make your stay in Jeonju as safe and comfortable as home.

The establishment has 6 guestrooms, all equipped with restrooms and shower facilities.

Each room has individual climate control and air conditioning, allowing each to be maintained at an optimum temperature.

Seonunjae is the perfect spot to make happy memories with your beloved family, lover or friends in Jeonju.

Come to the hanok village of Jeonju, the slow city, for an enjoyable and relaxing time at the pleasant travel haven of Seonunjae.