Gimbap
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gimbap | |
|---|---|
 A sliced roll of gimbap, with some kimchi. |
|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul: |
김밥
|
| Revised Romanization: | gimbap |
| McCune-Reischauer: | kimbap |
Gimbap or kimbap is a Korean laver rice roll, similar to Japanese Sushi.
Relative to other items on the Korean menu, the history of Gimbap is new. Korea under Japanese rule was introduced to sushi during the early half of the 20th Century. When Korea was was liberated in 1945 through the surrender of Japan to Allied forces at the end of World War II, the new Korean government instituted a policy to remove Japanese cultural references from its lexicon. At this time, sushi was re-named Gimbap. Despite this, Korean senior citizens who lived through the Japanese occupation will still often refer to Gimbap as sushi and Maki-zushi(roll).
Gimbap is a popular "fast" food in Korea. It is made from rice (bap) and sheets of dried seaweed (laver), and various other ingredients. Gimbap is a traditional food eaten by Koreans during picnic or special outdoor events. It is generally served cold.
The rice is lightly seasoned with and salt, sesame oil and perilla oil. Popular ingredients includes combination of meats and vegetables such as roasted ground beef, spinach, carrots, danmuji (pickled daikon), and sliced fried egg. These and the rice are rolled in laver and then brushed with sesame oil or sprinkled with sesame seeds on the outside surface. After that, the gimbap is sliced into regular portions. It is typically served with pickled danmuji (daikon radish). It is a truly a complete meal in one morsel.
Gimbap is similar to Japanese Futomaki (lit. large rolls) style sushi rolls. In sushi, relatively large amounts of sweetened rice vinegar is added to the rice and sesame oil is traditionally not used, as it is in Gimbap. Korean Gimbap generally does not contain raw fish and also prepared with sauteed beef, sausage, ham or fish cake "meat" portion. Gimbap is not served with wasabi soy sauce or sushi ginger but is sometimes dipped in kimchi brine.
Variations include using cheese, spicy cooked squid, kimchi, Spam, or canned tuna as ingredients, or lightly frying the sliced gimbap with egg coating.
Gimbap is often rolled with a sushi mat in order to make the roll tight and easier to slice. Gimbap should be cut with a very sharp knife, applying very little pressure and using a slow back-and-forth cutting motion. This will prevent the roll from crushing and causing the filling and rice to spill out from the sides.
