Ssam


are dishes in Korean cuisine where one food is wrapped in another. A common variety is meat such as pork wrapped in a leafy vegetable. It is often accompanied by the condiment and can also be topped with raw or cooked garlic, onion, green pepper, or a such as kimchi. is usually bite-sized to prevent spilling of the fillings.

History

During the Goryeo period, the state's Buddhist practices highly discouraged killing and eating animals. This has led to the development numerous Korean vegetable dishes, especially ssam. Yuan poet Yang Yunfu wrote about ssam during the Goryeo period in a poem. Yang wrote that Goryeo people ate rice by wrapping it with raw vegetables, and complimented the pleasant scent of Goryeo's lettuce.
The ancient Korean book of customs Tongguksesigi noted that women of Goryeo who were taken as servants by the Yuan dynasty made and ate ssam to have the taste of their home country's food and soothe homesickness. The same book also noted that ssam had become an established seasonal dish by the Joseon era, which was especially eaten as a festive dish during the day of Daeboreum. The ssam eaten during Daeboreum was believed to bring a good fortune and called , which meant "fortune ssam".
Ssam was mentioned by the many texts in the Joseon era. One of them is Ŏu yadam, a collection of stories written by the scholar Yu Mongin, who recounts wrapping a sardine in a leafy vegetable with rice and ssamjang. In Sasojŏl, a Joseon etiquette book, said it is polite to scoop and roll a ball of rice first before wrapping it with a vegetable from atop while eating ssam. He also told readers to wrap a ssam in a bitable size as it looked rude to puff one's cheeks while eating. Joseon scholar-official Chŏng Yagyong described eating ssam a poem, which consisted of gochujang and the root of green onion in lettuce.
In modern days, ssam is slowly gaining popularity outside of Korea and is being served at restaurants in various locations such as New York City, Tokyo and Brisbane.

Variations

Various vegetables are used as ingredients such as lettuce, cabbage, bean leaves, and pumpkin leaves, which are used either raw or blanched. Seaweed such as and are also used. can be used to refer to dishes using beef tongue, roe, pork, clams, or sea cucumbers wrapped and cooked in eggs. Depending on one's taste, ssam can contain side dishes such as kimchi and garlic, and sauce such as ssamjang, doenjang, red pepper paste, and oil sauce. Sashimi and gwamegi are also eaten with wraps.

By ingredients

  • : with steamed pork, e.g. shoulder and is a popular dish throughout Korea.
  • is a dish in which rice is included.

    By wrap type

Specific types:
  • , wrapped with napa cabbage leaf
  • , wrapped with
  • , wrapped with thin fish filet
  • , wrapped with, seaweed
  • , walnuts wrapped with dried persimmon
  • , wrapped with pumpkin leaf
  • , wrapped with sliced and soaked dried abalone
  • , wrapped with kimchi
  • , wrapped with perilla leaf
  • , wrapped with a thin crepe made from wheat flour
  • , wrapped with sliced octopus
  • , wrapped with seasoned raw beef
  • , wrapped with lettuce