10 Things You Need to Know about
Kimbap

The frozen Kimbap from South Korea became
a big thing in the US. Here's interesting facts
about this delicious food.

1. Koreans wrapped Kim(the Seaweed)
around Bap (rice)

 

According to the recording of
300 years ago, Koreans oiled
the seaweed and fried in the 
dry pan with salt, cut them in
square and warped rice with it.
Koreans already had culture 
of 'Ssam' wrapping meats and
rice with lettuce. As Kim is the 
vegetable from the sea, we can 
guess that Koreans applied the
Ssam culture with it.  

 

Kim is the hair
of the ocean,
why?
Because it's
always waving!

........

2. Kimbap is product, but is also
a platform

 

Kimbap is a platform
as is the iphone. It is really
up to you what to do
with the kim, say....

i. wrap with Bulgogi
- Bulgogi Kimbap
ii. deep fry
- fried kimbap
iii. wrap kim with rice
- Nude Kimbap
iv. wrap a fish
- fish kimbap

Therefore, when you say,
"I want to eat kimbap" in Korea,
it's not the end of the order.
It's just the beginning.

3. It is not easy to make

Traditional kimbap recipes are not
easy to follow. But if you want to taste
the original authentic Korean kimbap,
you'll need the followings:

- Cucumber
- Carrot
- Spinach
- Burdock root
- Pickled radish
- Ham
- Crab sticks
- Egg strips

There's even a story about
someone asking a military cook
in Korea to make kimbap and
getting hit with kimbap rolls
at night.

4. Kimbap restaurants are called 
'paradise' in Korea.

 

In Korea, there are franchise
stores called 'Kimbap Heaven'.
Calling it the McDonald's of Korea
wouldn't be an exaggeration.
There's a joke that goes, "If kimbap
dies, where does it go?"
(Of course, making such a joke
can lead to an immediate rejection
in a date. It can even cause a breakup
with a girlfriend.) The reason Kimbap
Heaven does well is because kimbap
is a structure that's good for mass
production. If you prepare small
vegetables in large quantities,
making kimbap becomes very easy.
From the perspective of someone
who has to cook, since making
kimbap at home is difficult, this
store is like 'heaven.’ Moreover,
at Kimbap Heaven, the price for
a basic vegetable kimbap roll is
quite cheap, at a few dollars.

5. Diet food, you say? Nope.
It often has quite a few calories.

 

Adding sesame oil to the rice 
and the seaweed results in 
a significant calorie count, 
roughly around 500 kcal per roll.
However, if you skip the oil
and prepare it, it can become
a very balanced nutritious meal.
Koreans who eat a lot of kimbap
sometimes skip the oil, put freshly
roasted seaweed, add unseasoned
rice, roll it up, and dip it in soy sauce.
This way, they can have a
well-balanced intake of minerals,
carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.

6. It's good for kids who won't eat
certain vegetables.

 

For example, even kids who don't
like carrots often like the carrots
inside kimbap. Even if someone
dislikes carrots, it's not easy to
pick them out and
eat the kimbap without them.

 

7. The end is delicious
to some people.

 

The end piece called 'kkodari'
is a rare part, with only
two pieces per kimbap roll.
It may not look pretty, but
many people like this part
because it contains more filling.
Some people don't like it,
perhaps because it's considered
the part that's left uneaten.
In the past, there were
cases of giving kkodari kimbap
to people who were lower ranked
in the family.

 

I am
delicious!

8. In Korea, there is a type of kimbap
called 'drug.'

 

A small kimbap restaurant
located in Gwangjang Market
only includes three ingredients:
pickled radish, carrot, and spinach,
but many customers can't forget
the taste. That's why
it's called 'drug' kimbap.

9. It tastes even better when eaten
with other Korean foods.

 

When eaten with ramen,
cold noodles, dumplings...
and tteokbokki, kimbap truly
shines.

 

10. There's a special kimbap menu that
Koreans secretly recommend!

 

It's Kimchi Kimbap.
Kim + Rice + Kimchi
Here, kimchi can be salty,
so not adding any extra
salt to the rice is
the key point!