Royal Cuisine

Royal cuisine has long enjoyed a deeply rooted presence in Korean tradition. Representative foods such as sinseollo (fancy hot pot) and gujeolpan (nine-sectioned dish) that were once served in an eleborate and elegant manner throughout history are still savored today. Experienced chefs of the royal court prepared elaborate dishes using only the best quality agricultural produce and seafood that had been presented to the king from all corners of the country. Royal court foods were not much different from those outside the court because they influenced each other with little regard toward social standing. The only difference was that royal dishes were less salty and/or spicy.


Sinseollo (casserole dish)
Beef and radish, as well as sea cucumber, abalone, mushrooms, red peppers, walnuts, and ginkgo nuts are all boiled together creating a delightful casserole dish. This casserole is prepared in a chafing dish that has a hollow center with a charcoal fire that continually boils the food while you eat.


Gujeolpan (nine-sectioned dish)
This royal dish consists of eight varieties of food all chopped finely, seasoned, and cooked. They are placed separately in a nine-sectioned platter with wheat pancakes located in the center.
How to eat: Take a wheat pancake and place a small amount of the eight varieties of food on the pancake. Then simply role them up and enjoy this scrumptious dish with a bit of sauce.


Naengchae (chilled vegetables)
The freshest vegetables of the season are chilled, then sliced finely and mixed with foods such as seafood, meat or fruit. Finally, they are seasoned in a sauce that is sure to please your taste buds.




Jeonyueo (pan-fried fish dish)
Jeonyueo is generally referred to simply as jeon. Meat, seafood, or a variety of vegetables are selected and sliced thinly. The selected items are dipped in flour and egg batter, and then pan-fried.
How to eat: This dish can be enjoyed on its own or dipped in soy sauce.

From : Korea Tourism Organization