Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism / Korean Culture and Information Service

Dosirak (lunch box) with ssamjang sauce and greens to season and wrap the other ingredients

One of the most underrated aspects of Korean cuisine is ssam, the act of wrapping food in bite-sized amounts, most often with lettuce, cabbage, perilla, kale or another leafy green. Each bite is flavored with a sauce such as ssamjang, a punchy but not overly spicy mixture of fermented doenjang (soybean paste), gochujang (red chili paste) and other ingredients (sesame oil, garlic, onion, honey or sugar). Not only is this a nutritious way of eating, it’s a bonding experience that is sure to make an otherwise ordinary meal into a more intimate, communal experience.

Examples of wrapping food for convenience can be found in various cultures, but most other customs use flour-based wraps, including bread, tortillas and pitas. Taking a piece of freshly cooked meat straight from the grill, wrapping it in lettuce and adding condiments and other garnishes, however, is distinctly Korean.

The uniqueness of ssam won it a sizeable mention in K FOOD: Secrets of Korean Flavors,  taking up a whole chapter titled “Wrapping Everything.”

“Ssam…creates the most amazing harmony when warm rice and hot bulgogi or pork belly is placed on top of a cold leaf,” the book declares. It was published last September with support from the Ottogi Ham Taiho Foundation. “It’s as if the balance between the hot and cold lies in your hands, and it’s because ssam seems to embrace the entire universe that Koreans love it so much.”

How far back this practice goes is unknown, but there are several mentions of ssam in Joseon era (1392-1910) literature. During the 1674-1720 reign of King Sukjong, the scholar Yi Ik described the widespread cultivation of houseplants to provide leaves for ssam. And 18^th century scholar Yi Deokmu instructs readers not to overstuff a piece of lettuce when making ssam, warning against putting too much food in one’s mouth at one time. Koreans’ love of ssam is mentioned even earlier in the poetry of the 1271-1368 Yuan dynasty. The book claims the Mongolian-dominated dynasty picked up ssam culture after observing Koreans at their tables.

Ssam seems to have originated from the food provided to farmhands. These meals – typically barley rice or rice balls, sauces, kimchi, salted seafood, pickled vegetables, seasoned greens and fish – were simple to prepare and transport. The farmers would often eat what was provided by plucking greens straight from the field to use as ssam. But ssam was also enjoyed by Koreans from all walks of life, even in palaces.

“K FOOD” outlines several other greens-free ssam options, including healthy wheat crepe-wrapped gujeolpan, a variety of mandu (dumplings) and seaweed-wrapped gimbap.

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