'The Korean Table' tells the 3,000-year story behind today’s global K-food boom

What defines K-food? Is it the ingredients, the cooking method or the way it's presented?

The National Museum of Korea offers its own answer at the recently opened exhibition "The Korean Table: Food, Nature and Life."

From charred rice grains dating back 3,000 years to what are speculated to be pheasant eggs unearthed from a royal tomb, the exhibition looks back at the dining tables of our ancestors — tables that laid the groundwork for today's K-food wave sweeping the global culinary scene.

"Now that K-food is consumed globally and has become a global trend, it felt like the right moment to lay out the roots and context of Korean cuisine through concrete materials," the National Museum of Korea said.

"We designed this exhibition to show, through a diverse range of items spanning different eras and genres, that the roots of K-food lie in our everyday dining tables."

The exhibition is divided into two sections, with the first part zooming in on "how" we have eaten and the latter part on "what" we have eaten. 

The first part opens with a simple question: "Have you eaten?"

Following the question is a display of burnt rice grains resembling toasted coffee beans, dating back to the Bronze Age. It highlights that Koreans have had a bowl of rice on their tables for the past three millennia. Paintings like Kim Hong-do's "Rice Threshing" also indicate that rice served an important role for Koreans — not just as food, but as something that helped build community.

Bronze dishware unearthed from the Tomb of King Muryeong of the Baekje era (18 B.C.–A.D. 660) shows that, although the design differed, people back then also used metal spoons and chopsticks.

"A lot can be learned from the spoons and chopsticks of the past in Korea," said You Hong-jun, director of the national museum. 

"A lot of spoons were unearthed from the Goryeo dynasty, and that's because during that time, when a person passed away, a spoon and chopsticks were placed in their tomb for them to use in the afterlife. The decorations at their tips are also beautiful, reflecting how Koreans pursued beauty even in the way they ate."

The dining tables of Joseon-era royals are also highlighted. A total of 45 kinds of dishes were prepared for the birthday party of Queen Sunwon (1789-1857), grandmother of King Heonjong (1827-1849). The painting documenting the party displays brassware and blue-and-white porcelain holding cakes, fruits, noodles, soups and steamed food next to elaborate floral decorations. 

The second part of the exhibition starts by highlighting Korea's seasonal cuisine. 

If the Joseon era had a matjip (good restaurant) map, it would look something like the book "Domundaejak," written by Heo Gyun in 1611. 

In "Domundaejak," Heo — best known for writing "The Tale of Hong Gil-dong" — wrote down the best dishes from every corner of Korea, which he could recall from memory after being exiled and allowed to eat only rough rice with hardly any side dishes. 

In the book, he mentions bangpung (a type of herb) porridge from Gangneung, jujubes from Boeun, whitebait from the Han River, radishes from Naju and abalone from Jeju Island. 

The practice of eating ssam (wraps) is an essential part of Korea's culinary culture, so much so that vegetables are hardly the only ingredients used for wrapping — so are thinly sliced rice cakes, gim (seaweed), onion and more.

The practice of ssam has existed since at least the Joseon era. The "Seonghosaseolyuseon," a book written by 18th-century Joseon literati An Jeong-bok, provides a step-by-step description of how to make ssam. 

"You spread your left hand widely … and with the right hand, pick two pieces of thick and big sangchu [lettuce] … pick a spoonful of rice, roll it to make it like a rounded goose egg," the book reads. 

The museum has put on a digitized display of the book to visualize the process better.

Geographically, Korea has been abundant in marine goods. A ceramic jar from the Silla era (57 B.C.–A.D. 935) containing remains of various seafood, including herring, yellowtail, pufferfish, sea urchin and even dolphin, was unearthed in a tomb in Gyeongju.

"These jars offer a glimpse of the elaborate ancestral rites held to wish the deceased peace in the afterlife and how affluent the Silla Dynasty was at the time," the museum explained. 

While chicken is an inseparable part of Korean cuisine today, it was once overshadowed by pheasants. 

Two jars containing 10 bird eggs were unearthed near the Cheonmachong Tomb in Gyeongju, dating to the Silla era. One of them was kept with its lid closed, and the eggs inside were preserved nearly intact. They were initially believed to be chicken eggs, but scholars now lean toward pheasant eggs. 

"Considering the shape, color and hardness of the shell, we suspect them to be pheasant eggs rather than chicken eggs," explained a museum employee. 

The exhibition opened Wednesday and runs through Oct. 25

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]