Korea has something quite like Japan's sushi, but you’d best call it gimbap (or kimbap) and hold the soy sauce. It may look like its Japanese counterpart, but gimbap is unmistakeably Korean – in fact, many Koreans don’t even consider these dishes to be similar.
The difference between sushi and gimbap
It’s commonly thought that the Japanese brought sushi to Korea during occupation early last century, and that gimbap was born from local interpretation of a foreign dish. However the Korean Cultural Centre in Australia points to evidence of seaweed farming in Korea from the 15th century, and a custom dating from this time of eating rice wrapped in seaweed.
The similarities between maki sushi and gimbap are self-evident, but their differences are just as striking once pointed out.
Gim means roasted seaweed sheets, and bap means rice. These are the two essential elements, and from here, extra ingredients can be added.
A traditional gimbap filling includes a protein, commonly beef or ham, and then carrot, spinach, egg and pickled radish. The non-pickled ingredients are each seasoned and cooked separately, which is a common Korean technique. The rice is also different: sushi rice always has a vinegared seasoning, while gimbap rice is flavoured with sesame oil and salt.
Image from Korean Food Foundation.
Source: Korean Food Foundation
Both are rolled up using a bamboo mat, but gimbap is then brushed with sesame oil so that the seaweed glistens appetisingly, and scattered with sesame seeds. It’s cut into thin slices to make it easier to eat – as is, with no soy sauce and no wasabi. Instead of pickled ginger, yellow pickled radish, danmuji, can be served on the side.
It’s Korea’s favourite food on-the-go
Gimbap is a favourite food for picnics and family gatherings, and it’s commonly packed into school lunchboxes. It’s also a popular snack at market stalls, and forms part of the holy trinity of Korean street foods along with tteokbokki (rice cakes) and soondae (blood sausage).
In Australia, you’ll find it on the menu at some Korean restaurants, and often on the counter of Korean grocery shops. Many ‘Japanese’ sushi restaurants are also run by Koreans.
Once you gimbap, you can’t stop
In Seoul’s bustling Gwangjang market, ‘mayak gimbap’ alley is lined with stalls selling what translates as narcotic gimbap – so-called because this version is famously addictive. These rolls are much smaller than the traditional version, shaped like a cigar and often with just rice, pickled radish and carrot inside. The addictive special ingredient is the dipping sauce, a sweet and tangy mustard that poses a serious rival to Japan’s soy and wasabi combination.
Other versions of gimbap include ‘naked’ gimbap with rice on the outside, a variation with an omelette casing, prepacked triangle versions that are sold in convenience stores, and the simple rice and seaweed version found in the seaside town of Chungmu.
Perhaps because gimbap is not a strictly traditional dish, it’s been more open to experimentation. Unusual flavour combinations are becoming increasingly more common, and you can find rolls stuffed with anything from cheese and mayonnaise to spicy mixed nuts.
Hone your skills and put them to the test
at home isn’t difficult, though perfecting the art of rolling can take some practice. If you think you’ve got what it takes, The Korean Culture Centre in Sydney run an annual cooking contest, Global Taste of Korea, and this year, it’s all about gimbap. They’re looking for your version of gimbap, or a gimbap-inspired dish, so there’s no need to be bound by tradition, unless of course you want to be.
Make your own Korean gimbap roll, right .
The only rule: you have to be an Australian citizen, and you must have at least one non-Korean parent – otherwise they assume you were rolling gimbap before you could crawl, and the rest of us need to stand a chance.
The Australian finalist will be flown to Korea to battle with finalists from around the world, and there’s US$10,000 up for grabs for the winner. That would buy a whole lot of gimbap in Seoul’s Gwangjang market. Entries close June 19, visit .
