Food
Gimbap is good for breakfast, lunch or dinner
A roll of basic gimbap, filled with rice, carrots, spinach, egg, ham, pickled radish and fish cake, is a nutritious and complete meal. It is a staple in the diet of on-the-go Koreans.
After three months of winter, spring is almost here. A picnic is an excellent way to enjoy the breezy, warm weather.
For Koreans, no picnic feast is complete without "gimbap." A staple of quick and convenient meals, gimbap is made of rice, vegetables and proteins wrapped around dried sheets of seaweed. Cut up and served in bite-sized pieces, a single roll of gimbap is a nutritious and filling meal, perfect for any time of day and occasion.
Like sandwiches, the virtue of gimbap is its versatility. Simple rolls can be a light snack eaten between meals, while rolls stuffed to the brim can feed multiple people at once. Standard gimbap is filled with carrots, pickled radishes, cucumbers, ham and eggs. Popular variations include tuna, cheese, pork cutlets and bulgogi. Given that most non-Koreans' favorite Korean food is bulgogi, bulgogi gimbap is an approachable way to enter the world of seaweed rice rolls.
Tuna gimbap includes a savory and creamy combination of canned tuna and mayonnaise. It is a popular dish for home cooks and is also found at many convenience stores. Some variations include fresh perilla leaves to add an herbaceous and refreshing bite that perfectly complements the tuna.
Another popular version is "donkatsu" gimbap, or gimbap made with fried pork cutlets, another favorite food for Koreans. Combining the cutlets with gimbap creates a sumptuous and delicious rice roll. The crisp seaweed, soft rice, crunchy pork and fresh vegetables form a winning combination.
Richer versions of gimbap feature cheese, pork belly or Spam. Recently, fully frozen "yubu" gimbap, made with fried tofu, gained popularity among global customers keen on K-culture and a healthy diet.
Keto gimbap, top, and chungmu gimbap are popular variations.
If you love gimbap but are on a low-carb diet, try keto gimbap. Great for those who follow a ketogenic diet, the rice is replaced by thinly shredded fried eggs and can include high-protein ingredients like chicken breast.
Finally, no gimbap bucket list is complete without "chungmu" gimbap. Originating from the seaside city of Chungmu, now called Tongyeong, chungmu gimbap features thinner rolls with an unseasoned surface filled only with rice. The rolls are served with spicy "ojingeo muchim," squid salad, and "seokbakji," radish kimchi.
Chungmu gimbap is a local delicacy in Tongyeong and Gyeongsangnam-do Province. It was created to feed fishermen, whose stays at sea required filling and long-lasting meals.
■ Enjoy various gimbap at Bujeon Market
Bujeon Market Town, in Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu District, is one of the biggest traditional markets in the area. Its numerous pathways are filled with many amazing products and items, from meat, vegetables and seafood to herbal medicine, ginseng and even electronic devices. Recently, the market gained popularity among tourists thanks to its cheap but high-quality gimbap stalls. Picnic-goers visiting the nearby Busan Citizens Park should pick up a few rolls of pollack roe gimbap to enjoy out in the spring weather.
•Address: 23 Jungang-daero 783beon-gil, Busanjin-gu
•Hours: Open daily from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
<Voca Spotlight>
spinach: 시금치
nutritious: 영양가 있는
versatility: 다용도성, 범용성
savory: 감칠맛나는
perilla leaf: 깻잎
herbaceous: 풀 또는 풀잎의
sumptuous: 호화로운