Korean royal court cuisine was the style of cookery within Korean cuisine traditionally consumed at the court of the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled Korea from 1392 to 1897. There has been a revival of this cookery style in the 21st century. It is said that twelve dishes should be served along with rice and soup, with most dishes served in bangjja (bronzeware).
Collectively known as gungjung eumsik during the pre-modern era, the foods of the royal palace reflected the opulent nature of the past rulers of the Korean peninsula. The opulent nature of the royalty is evidenced in examples as far back as the Silla kingdom, where a man-made lake (Anapji Lake, located in Gyeongju) was created with multiple pavilions and halls for the sole purpose of opulent banquets and a spring-fed channel, Poseokjeong, was created for the singular purpose of setting wine cups afloat during the writing of poems.
Reflecting the regionalism of the kingdoms and bordering countries of the peninsula, the cuisine borrowed from each of these areas to function as a showcase. The royalty had the finest regional delicacies sent to the palace. Although there are records of banquets pre-dating the Joseon period, the majority of these records note a vast variety of foods without mentioning the specific foods present. The meals cooked for the royal family were not seasonal, like a commoner's meal. Instead, they varied significantly day to day. The eight provinces were represented each month in turn in the royal palace by ingredients presented by their governors. This gave the cooks a wide assortment of ingredients to use for royal meals.
Food held a very important place in Joseon period. Official positions were created within the Six Ministries (State Council, ) that were charged with all matters related to procurement and consumption of food and drink for the royal court. The Board of Personnel (Ijo, ) contained positions specific for attaining rice for the royal family. The Board of Rites (Yejo) were responsible for foods prepared for ancestor rites, attaining wines and other beverages, and medicinal foods. There were also hundreds of slaves and women who worked in the palace that had tasks such as making tofu, liquor, tea, and tteok (rice cakes). The women were the cooks to the royal palace and were of commoner or low-status families. These women would be split into specific skill sets or "bureaus" such as the Bureau of special foods (Saenggwa-bang, ) or the Bureau of cooking foods (Soju-bang, ). These female cooks may have been assisted by male cooks from outside the palace during larger banquets when necessary.
Five meals were generally served in the royal palace each day during the Joseon period, and records suggest this pattern had existed from antiquity. Three of these meals would be full-course meals, while the afternoon and after dinner meals would consist of lighter fare. The first meal, mieumsang (), was served at sunrise on days when the king and queen were not taking herbal medicines. The meal consisted of rice porridge (juk, ) made with ingredients such as abalone (jeonbokjuk), white rice (huinjuk), mushrooms (beoseotjuk), pine nuts (jatjuk), and sesame (kkaejuk). The side dishes could consist of kimchi, nabak kimchi, oysters, soy sauce, and other items. The porridge was thought to give vitality to the king and queen throughout the day.
The sura () were the main meals of the day. Breakfast was served at ten in the morning and the evening meals were served between six and seven at night. The set of three tables (surasang, ), were usually set with two types of rice, two types of soup, two types of stew (jjigae), one dish of jjim (meat stew), one dish of jeongol (a casserole of meat and vegetables), three types of kimchi, three types of jang () and twelve side dishes, or called 12 cheop (12). The meals were set in the surakan (), a room specifically used for taking meals, with the king seated to the east and the queen to the west. Each had their own set of tables and were attended by three palace servant women known as sura sanggung (). These women would remove bowl covers and offer the foods to the king and queen after ensuring that the dishes were not poisoned.
This Korean food heritage has been inscribed by the government as Important Intangible Cultural Property No. 38. Han Bok-ryeo () is the current Living National Treasure as the keeper of this property.
The surasang should be served with three tables and a hotpot. The largest round table on the left is the main table which contains main bowl, soups and stews, dishes, side dishes and fermented stored dishes. The small round table at the lower right corner contains red sura, gomtang or thick meat broth, dessert, tea, empty dishes and bowls. This table is also used to store the covers of bowls and dishes used in the main table. The rectangular table in the upper right corner contains eggs, sesame oil, various raw vegetables and several sauces. The hotpot in the middle right is heated with charcoal, and usually contains jeongol such as sinseollo.
The setting was as follows:
A, B, C: surasanggung ()
Sura () is a bowl of boiled rice and grains. Two kinds of sura must always be served. This includes white sura.
Juk () and mieum () or eung-i () are types of rice porridge usually served in the morning. Juk is thicker than mieum in texture, the latter of which is similar to the Western gruel.
Guksu () are noodles that are prepared with buckwheat or wheat flour, with the former being preferred.
Mandu () are boiled or steamed dumplings. Mandu dough is made from either wheat flour or buckwheat. The dough is then stuffed with various fillings. Tteokguk () is a soup made of tteok (glutinous rice cakes).
Tang is a type of soup made with beef shank, intestines, a knuckle (bone) and beef brisket.
Jochi () and gamjeong () are stew-like dishes which are now called jjigae. If seasoned with gochujang, they are called gamjeong. Jochi is seasoned with salt or salted shrimp. Other varieties include:
Jjim (): steamed or boiled beef, pork, and fish seasoned with vegetables. Seon () is steamed vegetables, tofu, and fish stuffed with fillings made with beef or chicken and onions.
Jeongol and sinseollo are similar to Western stew or Chinese hotpot. Sinseollo (which is a variety of jeongol) is boiled in meat stock with various vegetables and mushrooms in a specific cooking pot with holes. Jeongol and sinseollo are served with a burner.
Saengchae () is like a salad seasoned with salt, vinegar, soy sauce, or mustard sauce.
Namul () are any variety of steamed vegetables seasoned with hot pepper, garlic, green onion, salt, and sesame or perilla oil. Typical vegetables include spinach, radish, royal fern, bracken, zucchini, green bean sprouts, Korean bellflower, bamboo shoots, etc. In some cases, dangmyeon (potato starch noodles) and roasted beef can be used as well.
Jorigae () hard-boiled foods with heavy seasonings. Meats, fish and vegetable are mainly used.
Jeonyuhwa () or sometimes jeon: a dish resembling a pancake. The main ingredients can be lightly battered with egg and wheat flour. Eggs, flour, and other ingredients can be mixed to make pancakes.
Gui is a generic Korean cuisine term for roasted and seasoned dishes. The main ingredients include green laver, beef, the root of deodeok (Codonopsis lanceolata; ), fish, mushrooms, vegetables, Aralia elata sprouts (), etc.
Hoe () is raw fish or raw seasoned beef
Mostly made of rice, it is eaten as a dessert or on Chuseok, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Korean calendar (lunisolar). These rice cakes vary from containing sweet red bean rice to sesame seeds. Most of these rice cakes are mildly sweet and are enjoyed by everyone from young to old.
A sweet rice punch. Being an iconic Korean traditional drink, several varieties of canned sikhye are now widely available.
A sweet drink flavored with ginger and cinnamon. Softened dried persimmons and pine nuts are added at serving time.